Highway Blocked With Benches, Poles In Bengal Anti-SIR Protest: Inside NIA's Mothabari Chargesheet

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed chargesheets against 31 accused persons in four separate cases linked to road blockades and the alleged illegal detention of judicial officers during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Malda district ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

The case relates to demonstrations that took place at Jadupur More in Kaliachak on April 1, where, according to investigators, around 1,000 to 1,200 people assembled and blocked NH-12, a key arterial highway connecting several districts of the state. Protesters were allegedly raising the slogan “Age Votar Pore Vote” (“Voter verification first, then voting”), reflecting opposition to the ongoing electoral roll revision exercise.

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NIA has also cited material seized during the investigation to argue that the protest was not spontaneous but allegedly planned in advance. According to the chargesheet, investigators recovered bamboo poles, tarpaulin sheets and loudspeakers, documented in a seizure list dated May 25, 2026. The agency claims these items indicate that a temporary shade had been erected at Amlitola in Mothabari before the protest to facilitate the mobilisation of participants.

The chargesheet further alleges that the temporary structure served as a gathering point for protesters and was part of preparations made ahead of the blockade. The NIA contends that the existence of the infrastructure points to prior planning and coordination rather than an impromptu demonstration.

Police have claimed that government buses, ambulances, trucks carrying perishable goods and other vehicles were stranded because of the blockade. The FIR also alleged that officers attempting to clear the road were obstructed and that emergency services and public movement were adversely affected.

The case was initially registered as FIR No. 458/2026 at Kaliachak Police Station on April 2 under Sections 126(2), 189(1) and 221 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Section 8(B) of the National Highways Act, 1956. After taking over the probe, the NIA concluded that the highway blockade was allegedly the culmination of a larger mobilisation linked to grievances surrounding the electoral roll revision process.

The chargesheet names Md Riyaz Sk as Accused No. 1 and alleges that he participated in the anti-SIR agitation as a member of the Indian Secular Front (ISF). Investigators claim he was present alongside co-accused Mofakkerul Islam during speeches delivered to protesters at Jalalpur and played a role in supporting and leading the unlawful assembly. The agency has stated that witness testimonies and mobile phone Call Detail Record (CDR) analysis support these allegations.

Mofakkerul Islam, named as Accused No. 2, has been accused of helping organise the protest. The NIA alleges that he travelled from Kolkata to Kaliachak on April 1 along with Akramul Bagani and subsequently addressed gatherings at Jadupur, Jalalpur and Sujapur. Investigators claim he encouraged participation in the agitation through the slogan “Age Votar Pore Vote” and helped sustain the road blockade despite police instructions to disperse.

Investigators have also alleged that a judicial officer was restrained for several hours during the course of the blockade. The agency claims that Mofakkerul Islam, along with his associates, deliberately and maliciously participated in and facilitated the actions that led to the disruption. These allegations form part of the prosecution’s case and remain subject to judicial scrutiny.

The chargesheet invokes Sections 126(2), 189(1) and 221 of the BNS, Section 8(B) of the National Highways Act, and Section 9 of the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Act, 1972.

The allegations contained in the NIA chargesheet remain subject to judicial scrutiny and have not yet been tested or proven in court.