KOLKATA: More chilling details have emerged in the killing of Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s close aide Chandranath Rath, who was chased, trapped and shot dead by bike-borne assailants near Kolkata airport late Wednesday night. Rath, who had served as Adhikari’s personal assistant for nearly five years, was heading towards his Michaelnagar home in Madhyamgram around 10.20 pm when the attack unfolded on a relatively deserted stretch of Jessore Road, barely three kilometres from the airport. According to eyewitnesses and preliminary police findings, eight armed men riding four motorcycles allegedly began tailing Rath’s Scorpio soon after it crossed the airport area. Near Doharia, a small four-wheeler suddenly swerved in front of the SUV and blocked its path, forcing the vehicle to halt.Moments later, four attackers on two bikes pulled up alongside the car and opened fire indiscriminately.Rath suffered bullet injuries to his chest and stomach, while the driver, Buddhadeb Bera, was hit in the chest, abdomen and leg. The attackers, none of whom were wearing helmets, fled the spot immediately after the firing.Locals rushed Rath and Bera to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared Rath brought dead. Bera was later shifted to another medical facility and remains critical.
Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant shot
Hospital owner Pratim Sengupta said Rath had died before being brought in, while Bera was referred elsewhere for advanced treatment.Senior Bengal Police officers reached the scene soon after the incident, and the area has since been cordoned off for forensic examination. Police said CCTV footage from the area shows bike-borne suspects fleeing the spot and investigators are trying to identify them.“It appears the attackers were specifically targeting Rath,” a senior police officer said, adding that all angles, including political and personal motives, are being examined.The killing sparked massive outrage among BJP workers, with hundreds gathering outside the hospital through the night, shouting slogans against the ruling Trinamool Congress and demanding immediate arrests. Several supporters broke down in tears as senior BJP leaders and newly elected MLAs reached the hospital.Calling the murder “cold-blooded” and “meticulously planned”, Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the attackers had conducted a recce for days before carrying out the ambush.“This is a pre-planned murder. A recce was done for two to three days before the attack was executed,” Adhikari said, while urging BJP workers not to retaliate or take the law into their own hands.He said senior BJP leaders, including Union minister Sukanta Majumdar, had spoken to the victim’s family and assured them of full support. “We will stand beside the family and ensure justice,” Adhikari added.The murder triggered a major political storm in Bengal, coming just 48 hours after the assembly election results in which BJP secured 207 seats in the 294-member House.
A damaged glass window of a vehicle after BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath was shot at from close range by unidentified assailants, according to sources, in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas. (PTI Photo)
Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya blamed Trinamool Congress for the attack. “This was expected only from Trinamool. They are responsible for this death,” he alleged.Trinamool, however, condemned the incident and demanded a court-monitored CBI probe to ensure those behind the murder are identified and punished quickly.Eyewitnesses said the attack appeared highly coordinated and pre-planned. One witness told news agency ANI that Rath’s vehicle was intercepted moments after crossing his own car, following which a bike-borne gunman approached from the left side and began firing at point-blank range.“It appeared to be pre-planned. The shooter seemed trained and escaped immediately after firing. I heard two rounds being fired,” the eyewitness said, adding that the incident took place roughly 200-300 metres from the hospital between 10.30 pm and 11 pm.Doctors at the private hospital said Rath suffered two bullet injuries to the chest, one of which pierced his heart, while another bullet struck his abdomen. “There was no opportunity to resuscitate him,” a doctor said.Police later recovered live rounds and several fired cartridges from the crime scene. DGP Siddh Nath Gupta said investigators had also seized the small four-wheeler allegedly used to block Rath’s SUV before the attack.“The registration number appears to be from the Siliguri Regional Transport Office, but our initial assessment suggests the number plate may have been tampered with,” the DGP said, adding that eyewitness statements were being recorded and forensic evidence was being processed.Visuals from the scene showed Rath’s SUV with a shattered windshield, blood stains inside the vehicle and heavy police deployment along Jessore Road as forensic teams combed the area for evidence.Union minister Sukanta Majumdar described the incident as “very sad” and said the police had informed BJP leaders that “significant progress” had been made in the investigation.BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta termed the killing a “pre-planned political assassination”, alleging that Rath was specifically targeted because of his central role in Adhikari’s political operations.“Chandra was at the heart of Suvendu Adhikari’s political office. The attackers knew his route and planned the operation accordingly,” Dasgupta alleged.(With agency inputs)
