Chandranath Rath, a close associate of Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on May 6 – two days after the saffron party won the West Bengal elections.
This is not the first time that a close aide of Suvendu has been killed in West Bengal. In 2013, Suvendu Adhikari’s former personal assistant Pradip Jha was found dead on Kolkata’s S Strand Road. Adhikari was then a TMC MP.
Jha worked as Adhikari’s personal assistant and political secretary, according to a 2013 Times of India report. Adhikari was an MP from Tamluk East Midnapore District in West Bengal. Jha, 42, was a resident of Barasat.
Jha was a youth wing worker of the ruling party and ran a small travel agency. He was a Congress worker before joining the TMC. MP Basirhat Nurul Islam also appointed him as personal assistant.
Update on Chandranath Rath murder
On May 7, the West Bengal Police seized a vehicle in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath. West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Siddh Nath Gupta said live cartridges along with spent cartridges were recovered from the incident site near Madhyamgram.
“We have started an investigation. The four-wheeler used in the crime was seized, but it was reported that the number plate was fake and tampered with. We recovered live rounds and spent cartridges from the spot. Eyewitness statements are being recorded and evidence is being processed. Further investigation is underway,” Gupta said.
Chandranath Rath’s murder is a testimony to the complete breakdown of law and order in West Bengal.
The BJP has stepped up its demand for the arrest of those involved in the killing of Chandranath Rath, saying the killing was a testimony to the “complete collapse” of law and order in the state under the rule of the TMC government.
The saffron party also accused the TMC of supporting “lawlessness” after it lost power in the recent assembly elections.
The Trinamool Congress denied the allegations and accused the BJP of trying to politicize the incident before the investigation progressed.
“TMC has nothing to do with this unfortunate incident. The police is investigating the case professionally. The BJP should refrain from making baseless allegations. We are the ones who demanded a CBI probe into the murder,” said a senior Trinamool leader.
