‘Amit Shah Entirely Did It…’: Mamata Banerjee Demands Home Minister’s Resignation Over Malda SIR Fallout

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday took a swipe at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of orchestrating a “conspiracy” behind the hostage-taking of judicial officers during protests in Malda linked to voter deletions under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), and demanded his resignation.

Addressing a rally in Murshidabad’s Sagardighi, Banerjee alleged that the incident was part of a larger political design. “Amit Shah entirely did it... the entire conspiracy... using the ECI,” she said, adding, “He has to resign. I am demanding the resignation of the Union home minister.”

Mamata Banerjee held the Election Commission of India responsible for the situation, stating that the state government no longer had control over administrative machinery during the election period. “The administration is not in my hands anymore. It is the ECI’s fault. They transferred officers but failed to control the situation and protect the judicial officers. I condemn them,” she said.

She maintained that the hostage-taking was not spontaneous but pre-planned, alleging a deliberate attempt to disrupt the electoral process. “They are conspiring to stall the elections. They are flagging one incident and alleging that the law and order have deteriorated across the state,” she said.

The Chief Minister cautioned citizens against engaging in unlawful activities, warning of central agency action ahead of the polls. “The CBI and NIA will arrest you before the polls. They have deleted the names of many voters. Whatever remains will also go away. The law is not in my hands. They have snatched all my powers. The ECI is running a super President’s rule by snatching all my powers,” she said.

Banerjee further claimed that she was not immediately informed about the Malda incident by the administration. “The newly appointed chief secretary never called. They do not share any information with me,” she said, adding that she learned about the developments late at night through a journalist.

The remarks came as the Supreme Court of India took suo motu cognisance of the incident, expressing strong disapproval of the situation. The court described the episode as a “complete failure of civil and police administration” and termed the hostage-taking a “deplorable” and “calculated, well-planned” act aimed at undermining the judiciary. It directed the Election Commission to transfer the investigation to a central agency and issued notices to senior state officials, including the chief secretary, director general of police, home secretary and district authorities, seeking explanations on why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them.​