Malda riots: 9 arrested, 6 get bail; Is Mamata Banerjee govt shielding accused, acting against BJP?

Malda: It's been almost three days now since an angry mob turned violent during a Muslim rally and torched Malda's Kaliachak police station along with over a dozen vehicles, but so far only 9 out of 130 accused have been arrested. Also, 6 of 9 were let off with bail hours after the arrest took place.

However, a BJP MLA - Shamik Bhattacharya - has been arrested as a preventive measure to thwart further escalation in the already tensed area.

According to a report in CNN-IBN, BJP has accused Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of shielding the accused and acting against the saffron party members.

The attack on Kaliachak police station took place on Sunday, when a Muslim organisation Anjuman Ahle Sunnatul Jamaat (AJS) organised a protest rally against Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari for allegedly making controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad.

The situation in Malda remained tense as the Rapid Action Force has been deployed to face any untoward incident.