The killing of Chandranath Rath, executive assistant and close aide of senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, has intensified the already volatile political atmosphere in West Bengal following the Assembly election results.
Rath was shot dead late Wednesday (May 6) night near Doharia on Jessore Road in Madhyamgram when unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly intercepted his vehicle and opened fire at close range. His driver, Buddhadev Bera, also sustained multiple bullet injuries and remains under treatment.
The incident triggered strong political reactions from both the BJP and the Trinamool Congress, with accusations, counter-allegations and demands for strict action dominating the political discourse.
How did the attack on Chandranath Rath take place?
According to police and preliminary investigation details, Chandranath Rath was returning to his residence late Wednesday night when another vehicle allegedly intercepted his Scorpio near Madhyamgram.
As the vehicle slowed down, multiple attackers riding motorcycles allegedly opened fire at close range before fleeing from the scene.
Investigators suspect that the attack was carefully planned. Police sources said at least eight attackers travelling on four motorcycles may have been involved in the shooting.
West Bengal Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta stated that police have already seized the four-wheeler allegedly used in the crime. However, investigators suspect that the number plate attached to the vehicle had been tampered with and may have been fake.
Police also recovered live rounds and empty cartridges from the crime scene. Officials said eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence are currently being examined as part of the investigation.
Rath was rushed to a private nursing home after the attack but doctors declared him dead on arrival.
‘This is a pre-planned murder’: Suvendu Adhikari
Reacting to the killing of his close aide, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the attack was meticulously planned in advance.
“This is a pre-planned murder, and this is what the DGP also said. A recce was done for 2-3 days and the murder was fully planned,” Adhikari said while addressing the media.
He further stated that the party leadership at the national level had taken note of the incident.
“Our entire leadership from Delhi has taken information about this. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar spoke to the family and the police. Various leaders and elected MLAs have come here from different regions,” he added.
Adhikari also accused the ruling establishment of allowing lawlessness to thrive in the state.
“This is the result of 15 years of Maha-Jungle Raj. BJP will start the cleansing work of the goons here,” he said.
Sukanta Majumdar calls incident ‘Tragic’
Union Minister and senior BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar termed the incident “tragic” and said the police had assured the party that significant progress had been made in the investigation.
“This is a tragic incident and the police are investigating the matter. The DGP has informed us that significant progress has been made in the investigation. No one will be spared. Everyone will be brought to justice through the legal process,” Majumdar stated.
He also referred to reports suggesting that multiple rounds had been fired during the attack.
“Reports suggest that five shots were fired. Let the post-mortem examination be completed first,” he said.
Majumdar further added that once the BJP assumes power in the state, law and order would improve.
“As soon as our Chief Minister takes oath and our government assumes power, everything will be set right, though it may take some time,” he remarked.
BJP leaders allege political targeting
BJP state vice-president Anindya Banerjee, also known as Raju Banerjee, strongly condemned the killing and alleged that BJP workers had repeatedly faced violence in the state.
“We will not tolerate any hooliganism at all. After the 2021 elections, our 300 workers were killed by TMC goons. We are a national party and we do not tolerate all this,” Banerjee said.
He further claimed that BJP workers were being instructed to remain calm despite provocations.
“We have instructed our workers not to get drawn into the provocation that TMC is trying to create. But how long can you hold them back?” he asked.
Calling Rath’s killing a “planned murder”, Banerjee demanded immediate arrests.
“We have asked the police to drag the culprits out from wherever they are hiding,” he added.
The Trinamool Congress also reacted to the killing and condemned the incident in a statement posted on X.
The party claimed that incidents of violence had affected both political sides following the election results and alleged that TMC workers too had been attacked in recent days.
Another BJP worker, Rohit Roy, killed in Basirhat
Hours after Chandranath Rath’s killing, another violent incident was reported from Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district where BJP worker Rohit Roy alias Chintu was allegedly shot during a clash over BJP flags.
According to BJP sources, the clash broke out in the Gotra area when party workers were putting up BJP flags in the locality. BJP leaders alleged that “TMC-sheltered miscreants” opened fire during the confrontation.
Roy sustained bullet injuries in the abdomen and was rushed to Basirhat state-run hospital. Though doctors initially stated that his condition was critical but stable, later reports confirmed that he succumbed to his injuries.
A video circulated by BJP’s media cell allegedly showed Roy accusing a group of 8 to 10 TMC workers of attacking him while BJP workers were installing party flags.
The back-to-back killings have escalated political tensions in West Bengal, with fresh allegations of post-poll violence surfacing from multiple districts across the state.
