The personal assistant of senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was shot dead in West Bengal’s Madhyamgram area near Kolkata, days after the state assembly election results.
The victim, identified as Chandranath Rath, was travelling in a car when unidentified attackers allegedly followed the vehicle and opened fire after it slowed down in North 24 Parganas district.
According to reports, four rounds were fired and Rath was hit by three bullets. Visuals from the scene showed bullet marks and a shattered front-side window of the vehicle.
Rath had worked closely with Adhikari for several years and was known to handle the BJP leader’s political coordination and organisational activities. He was considered part of Adhikari’s close circle.
Adhikari rushed to the hospital in Madhyamgram where police kept Rath’s body after the attack.
The driver of the vehicle, identified as Buddhadeb, was also injured and taken to hospital for treatment, sources said.
Adhikari was not in the car during the attack, his brother Dibyendu Adhikari told Indian media. He demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation and alleged involvement of the ruling All India Trinamool Congress.
BJP leader Nikhil Prasun described the incident as part of a broader culture of political violence in the state.
“This incident is symptomatic of the culture of violence prevalent all these years, cultivated by the Trinamool Congress. He has been brutally murdered. This should be thoroughly investigated. There is a deeper conspiracy behind the killing,” he told media.
Speaking outside the hospital, Adhikari termed the incident a “cold-blooded murder” and claimed the attackers had carried out reconnaissance before the shooting.
“The incident is heart-wrenching; we condemn the incident,” Adhikari said.
“The way the attack was executed clearly suggests that the assailants had done a recce beforehand,” he alleged.
Another BJP leader, Devdas Mondal, accused the Trinamool Congress of targeting an “innocent man.”
“We will identify the accused and bring them to justice,” he told media.
The All India Trinamool Congress condemned the killing in a post on X and alleged that “BJP-backed miscreants” had been involved in post-election violence in recent days.
The party’s candidate Rathin Ghosh recently won the Madhyamgram seat by 2,399 votes after a close contest with the BJP.
The incident came amid growing political tension in West Bengal following the election. The BJP has alleged that Trinamool workers posing as BJP supporters were trying to trigger violence in different areas.
Videos circulating on social media showed scattered incidents of vandalism and damage to public property.
Ajay Kumar Nand said police had arrested at least 80 people in connection with violence-related incidents. Of them, 65 were taken into custody in specific cases, while 15 others were detained as a preventive measure.
Adhikari, often referred to as a “giant killer” after defeating Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur constituency by more than 15,000 votes, is considered one of the leading contenders for the post of chief minister.
#From NDTV