The National Investigating Agency (NIA) detained seven people, including a Congress candidate for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, and arrested a panchayat member for the gherao of judicial officers by locals protesting against the deletion of voter names in the Special Intensive Resivision (SIR) in Malda.
According to an official, the NIA, tasked by the Election Commission to probe into the gherao incident, picked up the Congress Mothabari candidate, Sayem Chowdhury, along with some of his associated while he was campaigning in the Alinagar panchayat area.
"According to preliminary information, ISF's gram panchayat member Golam Rabbani was arrested based on leads obtained during the interrogation of Mofakkarul Islam, an AIMIM member, who had earlier been held by the state police," the official said.
NIA sources said Rabbani is likely to be brought to Kolkata and produced before a court.
"Our officials believe that interrogating him would yield crucial information related to the incident," he said.
(WIth inputs from PTI)