NIA arrests accused Maulana Imran Ali and Rinku SK in 2 separate Malda pre-poll SIR-related violence, protest cases
NIA has registered a total of 12 cases in connection with the Malda violence and protests, and has already filed chargesheets in four of these cases.
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Continuing with its investigation into the dozen cases registered in connection with the Malda pre-poll SIR-related mob blockades, violence and detention of judicial officers, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two more accused persons in two distinct cases, according to the release.
The accused, identified as Maulana Imran Ali and Rinku SK, have been taken into custody over illegal detention of judicial officers, blockade of a National Highway, disruption of law and order, and attacks on police personnel engaged in official duty during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls in the Malda district of West Bengal.
NIA has registered a total of 12 cases in connection with the Malda violence and protests, and has already filed chargesheets in four of these cases. The arrests made today are in cases separate from those four. A total of 35 accused are currently in judicial custody in connection with the Malda violence, with investigation continuing in all the 12 cases. Imran and Rinku were apprehended following searches by NIA teams as part of the agency's investigation into the Malda violence. NIA found that the duo had participated actively in the unlawful assemblies that resorted to violence, intimidation, and obstruction during the SIR exercise, the release said.
The accused had also played an active role as part of the mobs that had attacked police personnel deployed on law and order duty during these protests, leading to injuries to several cops, NIA has found. One such mob attack had also caused grievous injuries to the driver of a police bus, who lost control of the vehicle after being hit on his head with a stone.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two more accused persons, Maulana Imran Ali and Rinku SK, yesterday, in connection with the Malda pre-poll SIR-related mob blockades, violence and detention of judicial officers. pic.twitter.com/RQYLC3zcFT
— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2026
NIA, which had launched an investigation in these cases on the directives of the Supreme Court, which took suo moto cognizance of April's violence in Malda, is continuing with its efforts to identify others involved in various incidents and to uncover the larger conspiracy behind the violence.
Earlier on May 11, the agency arrested two Trinamool Congress leaders, Kaliachak-1 block president Sariul Sheikh and former Sujapur region president Yusuf Sheikh, in the Malda violence case linked to the gherao and harassment of seven judicial officers in Mothabari in April. According to the NIA, both leaders were directly involved in the demonstrations that led to the blockade of the judicial officers’ convoy in Mothabari and the obstruction of National Highway 12 near Sujapur Hospital.
In April, seven judicial officers (including three women) were held hostage for over nine hours by a mob at the Kaliachak 2 Block Development Office in West Bengal's Malda district. The mob was protesting the alleged deletion of voters' names from electoral rolls during a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Islamist protesters surrounded the building and blocked National Highway 12, trapping the judges inside without food or water. The Evacuation: Late at night, massive police and paramilitary forces were deployed to carry out a rescue operation. They used batons to disperse the crowd, who attempted to obstruct the judges' vehicles even after they were freed.