BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari's PA Shot Dead In Bengal's Madhyamgram; Victim Chandranath's Wife Demands 'Encounter'

Kolkata: Less than 48 hours after the declaration of the West Bengal Assembly election results, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's close aide, Chandranath Rath, was shot dead by unidentified bike-borne assailants in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday night, triggering fresh political tensions in the state.

Rath, who happened to be the executive assistant to the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, was attacked near Doharia in Madhyamgram's Doltala area at around 10.30 PM while he was returning home, police said.

According to the information, the attackers followed Rath's car, intercepted it, shot him from point-blank range through the rolled-up window from the opposite side and fled the scene. Rath was seated in the front seat next to the driver. Eyewitnesses claimed a small four-wheeler first blocked the vehicle near Doharia junction, following which a biker approached the SUV and started shooting through the rolled-up window. The occupants of the small car abandoned the vehicle and escaped on the two-wheeler, they said.

Rath sustained critical injuries in the firing and was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, the official media channel of the BJP said. His driver also sustained bullet injuries and was shifted to a hospital, where his condition is stated to be critical.

"The victim was brought dead with multiple bullet injuries on his chest, which pierced his heart, and another bullet on his abdominal area. There was no opportunity to resuscitate him," a doctor said.

Rath, according to party sources, played a crucial role in Adhikari's campaigns in the Bhabanipur constituency where the BJP leader triumphed over former chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Indrani Rath, the wife of slain Chandranath Rath, has sought an "encounter" for her husband's killers. She made this demand to the State Police Director General, Siddh Nath Gupta, at the hospital on Wednesday night. The DG informed her that the matter is under investigation and assured that swift action will be taken.

BJP Demands Action Against 'Targeted Assassination'

The saffron party described the incident as a "targeted assassination" and accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of fostering violence after the poll verdict. Suvendu Adhikari, who reached the hospital around midnight, termed the incident "heart-wrenching and a cold-blooded murder".

"The way the attack was executed clearly suggests that the assailants had done a recce for 2-3 days. The murder was pre-planned," he alleged.

Adhikari said DGP Siddh Nath Gupta has assured him of a thorough probe into the case. However, he stopped short of directly naming any organisation behind the attack and appealed to BJP workers not to take the law into their own hands. "We don't want to draw any conclusion as of now, as police are investigating the matter," he said.

The BJP leader stated that he had spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president Nitin Nabin regarding the killing. Calling the situation in Bengal "Mahajungle Raj", Adhikari alleged that the violence was a result of "15 years of lawlessness" under the TMC government. He also asserted that action would be taken against criminals once the BJP formally assumes power in the state.

State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the murder reflects "total criminalisation of politics" in Bengal. He alleged, "By killing the PA of the outgoing leader of opposition, the attackers wanted to send a political message."

In a statement to a vernacular news channel, BJP leader and MLA-elect Kaustav Bagchi, who was present at the hospital said, "This was a targeted attack. The assailants followed Rath's car for a long time before pumping him with bullets. This is the handiwork of Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee. We will not rest until the criminals are identified. We will not cremate the body till then."

"We have been preaching peace, but TMC has made the biggest blunder," newly elected BJP MLA Tarunjyoti Tewari said.

TMC Condemns Attack

Condemning the killing of Chandranath Rath, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) demanded a court-monitored CBI probe into the incident. "We strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath in Madhyamgram tonight, along with the killing of three other TMC workers in incidents of post-poll violence allegedly carried out by BJP-backed miscreants over the last three days, despite the Model Code of Conduct being in force," the party said in a statement.

"We demand the strongest possible action in this matter, including a court-monitored CBI probe so that those responsible are identified and brought to justice without delay," it said.

Police Intensify Probe

Following the incident, massive police forces were deployed in the area to prevent further escalation of tension. Senior officials also reached the spot and launched an investigation.

DGP Siddh Nath Gupta said police recovered cartridges from the crime scene and seized the small car allegedly used during the attack. "The registration number appears to be from the Siliguri Regional Transport Office, but our initial impression is that the number plate may have been tampered with," he said.

Police sources said forensic teams collected samples from the vehicle while investigators scanned CCTV footage from nearby areas to reconstruct the sequence of events and identify the assailants.

Barasat police district SP Pushpa said, "Efforts are underway to identify the assailants and ascertain the motive behind the attack."

The incident has sent shockwaves through the state's political circles. Suvendu Adhikari is a candidate in the race for the CM post after the BJP secured a landslide victory in West Bengal. Repeating Nandigram of 2021, Adhikari defeated the Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur too.

The BJP, which registered a spectacular victory in the Bengal assembly polls by winning 207 seats, is going ahead with its plans to form government for the first time in Bengal, after ending TMC's 15-year rule in the state. (With agency inputs)

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