‘Attack from both sides, murder planned for days’: What we know about killing of Chandranath Rath, Suvendu Adhikari’s PA

Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Madhyamgram’s North 24 Parganas district late Wednesday night, triggering fresh political tensions in West Bengal days after the BJP’s sweeping Assembly election victory.

Rath, who played a key role in managing Adhikari’s campaigns in Nandigram and Bhabanipur, was travelling in a white Scorpio SUV when motorcycle-borne attackers allegedly intercepted the vehicle near Doharia and opened fire at close range.

According to BJP leader Koustav Bagchi, the assailants tailed Rath’s vehicle before carrying out the attack. The SUV driver was also injured and was later shifted to a Kolkata hospital for treatment.

Police sources said the attackers appeared to have targeted Rath with precision. Investigators believe the shooters fired from both sides of the SUV, with bullets striking Rath in the abdomen and chest.

“The bullets pierced through the heart,” doctors reportedly told investigators.

A police officer, speaking anonymously, said the attack bore the hallmarks of a professionally executed killing.

“Chandranath Rath, who was seated beside the driver, was the sole target. The shots were perfectly aimed. Very few bullets hit the vehicle itself,” the officer said.

An eyewitness told ANI the attack appeared “pre-planned” and was carried out at “point-blank range” by a bike-borne assailant around 10.30 pm to 11 pm.

“The person seemed to be an expert and fled immediately,” the eyewitness said, adding that two rounds of gunfire were heard before locals rushed the victims to hospital.

The killing sparked outrage among BJP workers, with supporters gathering outside the hospital and raising slogans against the ruling All India Trinamool Congress.

Adhikari urged restraint and appealed to party workers not to retaliate.

“We are not drawing any conclusion at this moment, although it is a fact that TMC has used terror over all these years,” he said, adding that police had informed him the murder appeared to be “planned and executed in cold blood.”

He said investigators were still examining whether the killing had a direct political connection.

“We think the incident may or may not be related to politics. Police have found that the murder was planned over the last three or four days. A recce was done,” Adhikari added.

BJP leader Agnimitra Paul, however, alleged a political motive behind the attack and linked it to Mamata Banerjee’s defeat in Bhabanipur.

Police teams have begun scanning CCTV footage from cameras near the crime scene on Jessore Road and questioning local shopkeepers.

West Bengal DGP Siddhinath Gupta said investigators had seized a suspicious four-wheeler with a tampered number plate.

“The number belongs to a vehicle registered in Siliguri. We have recovered several live cartridges and fired cartridge cases,” Gupta said.

Police later discovered that the registration number belonged to another vehicle owned by a Siliguri resident, raising suspicions that the attackers had used a fake number plate.

Investigators suspect the murder was planned over several days, with reconnaissance conducted before the shooting.

The Trinamool Congress condemned Rath’s killing and demanded a court-monitored CBI probe.

“We strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath,” the party said in a statement, while also alleging that several TMC workers had been killed in incidents of post-poll violence allegedly involving BJP supporters.

The party called for “the strongest possible action” and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice quickly.

The murder comes amid rising political violence across West Bengal following the Assembly election results announced earlier this week. Officials said more than 1,500 people have been arrested across the state since Monday in connection with post-poll unrest.

Central forces have since been deployed outside the hospital where Rath was admitted and across parts of Madhyamgram to prevent further escalation.