Azamgarh, April 4 -- Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Minister OP Rajbhar criticised the Malda hostage crisis, where seven judicial officers were held by villagers, stating that the situation in West Bengal is "worse than the Samajwadi Party's era of hooliganism" in Uttar Pradesh.

"The people who went to Bengal are unhappy. The condition of people in Bengal is even worse than the hooliganism of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh," said Rajbhar.

Earlier, a major political storm had erupted in West Bengal as seven judicial officers, including three women, were held hostage by villagers in Malda district on Wednesday.

The standoff was triggered by mass deletions from the electoral rolls under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) pro...