Author: Atanu Dutta

An unprecedented electoral battle grips Bengal, with the state in security blanket The air in Kaliachak smells of tear gas and old grievances. On the night of April 1, 2026, seven judicial magistrates, three of them women, were gheraoed inside a government office in Malda’s Kaliachak-2 block, held without food or water for over nine hours by a crowd angry at the deletion of names from voter rolls. In New Delhi, 2000 km away, the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, was up until 2 am, personally monitoring the standoff. It took central forces with batons to free the judges…