West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Distances Herself From Malda Hostage Incident, Blames Election Commission

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Distances Herself From Malda Hostage Incident, Blames Election Commission

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Thursday distanced herself from the Malda hostage incident, claiming her government had no control over law and order during polls. She alleged the Election Commission was influenced by Amit Shah. The Supreme Court termed the attack ‘shameless’ and directed a thorough probe into the incident.

Aritra SinghaUpdated: Friday, April 03, 2026, 12:44 AM IST
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West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee (File image) | PTI

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday had distanced herself from the Malda hostage incident of judicial officers.

Speaking at an election campaign, Mamata said that her government does not have any control on the administration.

“I don’t have any power, everything is taken away from me. I was not informed about anything. I don’t know how the incident happened and who is responsible for this. The law and order are in the hands of the Election Commission and they listen to only Amit Shah. They are trying to impose ‘President’s rule’ tactfully,” said Mamata.

Notably, an unprecedented incident took place at Malda Mothabari on Wednesday late evening where seven judicial officers, including three women, were held hostage for several hours during voter list revision work. Their cars were vandalised and several road blockades were done with bamboos.

Central forces along with police later rushed to the spot and rescued the observers and brought them to Malda city.

Meanwhile, a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant termed the episode a ‘shameless attack’.

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The Supreme Court had asked the poll body to ensure a thorough probe and indicated that the investigation may be handed over to the CBI or the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The court also said it would monitor the probe.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the Mothabari incident.