MALDA: NIA has made its first arrests over the April 1 siege of judicial officers concerned in SIR verifications at Mothabari in Malda, selecting up two members of Congress and considered one of ISF. Congress’ Sahadat Hossain and Asif Sk have been taken into custody on Sunday alongside ISF’s Golam Rabbani. Sayem Choudhury, the native Congress candidate, was additionally questioned however launched later. NIA’s preliminary findings recommend the siege was pre-planned and concerned a multi-layered conspiracy. Investigators discovered Rabbani held a gathering the day earlier than the violence, whereas Asif and Sahadat have been current in the course of the agitation. All three have been produced earlier than an NIA court docket in Kolkata. Sahadat is a functionary of the Congress commerce union, INTUC. Asif is district chief of Chhatra Parishad, state Congress’ youth wing. Rabbani is a panchayat member. Choudhury, the Congress candidate, alleged a TMC-BJP nexus behind the arrests, calling the protest a peaceable demonstration in opposition to voter deletions. TMC candidate Nazrul Islam dismissed the allegation. Earlier than NIA stepped in, Bengal police had lodged 12 instances and arrested 49 individuals. These included Maulana Shahjahan Ali, ISF’s Mothabari candidate.