Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, April 5, 2026, raised concerns over the gherao of judicial officers in West Bengal's Malda, calling it a reflection of "Trinamool Congress-sponsored maha jungle raj", The Hindu reported.
Addressing a public meeting in Cooch Behar, PM Modi said the state government does not respect constitutional institutions. He said the Malda incident showed this clearly.
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What happened in Malda?
The incident took place on April 1 at Mothabari in Malda. Seven judicial officers, engaged in the adjudication process of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, were gheraoed by a mob.
They remained confined for several hours before being rescued by the police. Authorities have arrested 35 people in connection with the case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the investigation.
PM's remarks on law and order
Referring to the incident, the Prime Minister said, "The law-abiding citizens are shocked, how judicial officials were held hostage in Malda. What kind of a government it this that even judges are not safe. How can you expect safety of common people from such a government. The situation is so bad that the highest court of the country had to intervene."
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He added that the incident reflects a breakdown of governance and law enforcement in the state, as reported by The Hindu.
During his address, Modi also spoke about delimitation and women's representation. He reiterated that states which have performed well in population control will not lose seats in the delimitation process.
He further appealed to all political parties to support and ensure the implementation of women's reservation in Parliament.
