“Chandranath Rath shot dead near Kolkata has triggered political tensions in West Bengal after BJP leaders alleged the attack was pre-planned.”
The killing of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s close aide Chandranath Rath late Wednesday night has triggered a fresh political flashpoint in West Bengal, with party leaders calling it a “pre-planned murder” carried out after days of surveillance.
Rath, 41, was shot near Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas while returning home in a white Mahindra Scorpio around 10:30 PM. Police said unidentified assailants intercepted the SUV near Doharia junction and opened fire at close range. His driver, Buddhadeb Bera, was also injured and admitted to Apollo Hospital in Kolkata.
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Attackers Allegedly Followed SUV
Preliminary findings suggest the attackers may have tracked Rath’s movements for at least “2-3 days,” according to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
“The incident is heart-wrenching; we condemn the incident”, Adhikari told reporters outside the hospital. “The way the attack was executed clearly suggests that the assailants had done a recce beforehand.” Eyewitness accounts cited by local media claimed a small four wheeler blocked Rath’s SUV before several bike-borne attackers surrounded the vehicle. Reports indicate around eight men on four motorcycles may have been involved.
Investigators reportedly found concentrated bullet damage near the front passenger seat where Rath was sitting. Visuals from the scene showed shattered windows and blood stains inside the SUV.
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The murder came days after the Bengal Assembly election results and amid reports of post-poll clashes across the state. Police said additional forces were deployed in Madhyamgram and nearby areas after BJP supporters staged protests demanding arrests.
More than 1,500 people have already been arrested statewide this week in separate cases linked to post-election unrest.
Rath, a former Indian Air Force serviceman from Chandipur in Purba Medinipur, had worked with Adhikari for nearly five years and was considered one of his closest organizational aides.
TMC leaders condemned the killing and demanded a court monitored CBI probe. BJP leaders, however, accused the ruling party of creating an atmosphere of violence.
Hasirani Rath, the victim’s mother, said, “I do not want them to be hanged. I want life imprisonment for them.”
No arrests had been announced by Thursday evening.
For more updates follow: First Report News
