What Actions Did CEC Gyanesh Kumar Demand After Judicial Officers Were Held Hostage in West Bengal?

In a recent virtual meeting, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar demanded immediate action from West Bengal Police following the harassment of seven judicial adjudication officers in Kaliachak. The officers, including three women, were held for over seven hours by protesters upset about voter list discrepancies. Kumar expressed frustration over the police's delayed response and questioned the lack of intervention during a tense situation near Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence. This incident has raised significant concerns regarding law enforcement's effectiveness in maintaining order during critical electoral processes. Read on to learn more about the CEC's directives and the implications for West Bengal's electoral integrity.

By Narendra Chaudhary Apr 2, 2026, 21:15 IST

Urgent Directives from CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Kolkata: During a virtual meeting held on Thursday, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar instructed the West Bengal Police to swiftly apprehend all individuals responsible for the harassment of seven judicial adjudication officers in Kaliachak, Malda district, by midnight.

The CEC expressed frustration towards West Bengal's Director General of Police, Siddh Nath Gupta, and Malda's police superintendent, Anupam Singh, for their slow response in rescuing the officers, who included three women. These officers had been effectively held captive for over seven hours by protesters upset about the removal of their names from the voters' list amid ongoing judicial reviews of cases marked by 'logical discrepancies.'

Attendees of the meeting included West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala, and Home Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh, among others.

An insider from the CEO's office revealed that the CEC was particularly displeased with the police's delayed actions on Wednesday night and the ongoing protests outside the CEO's office in Kolkata that had persisted for two days.

The CEC also questioned the lack of police intervention during a tense situation near Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence, coinciding with the convoy of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who was heading to file his nomination for the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency.

Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand was also present at the meeting and faced criticism from CEC Kumar regarding the incident near the Chief Minister's residence.

Furthermore, the CEC raised concerns about the absence of the Malda district police superintendent at the scene, noting that he had sent the additional district police superintendent instead.

The CEC questioned why the judicial adjudication officers, who were held hostage, were unable to reach the Malda District Magistrate, Rajanvir Singh Kapur, via mobile phone.