Chandranath Rath, a close aide of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari, who was shot dead in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on May 6, two days after the saffron party emerged victorious in the West Bengal elections.
Rath, 41, hailed from Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district, the political turf that shaped Adhikari’s rise in Bengali politics, party sources quoted by news agency PTI said.
The BJP is all set to form its first government in Bengal after witnessing a landslide in the assembly elections with more than 200 seats. Adhikari is a pioneer in the post of Chief Minister.
Who was Chandranath Rath?
People also ask
Artificial intelligence reinforced the insights from this story
•5 QUESTIONS
Chandranath Rath was a 41-year-old ex-serviceman of the Indian Air Force and a close associate of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. He was shot dead in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on May 6, shortly after the BJP’s victory in the state elections.
Before his political career, Chandranath Rath served in the Indian Air Force for nearly two decades after completing his studies. After voluntary retirement, he worked briefly in the corporate sector before moving into political coordination.
Chandranath Rath became part of Suvendu Adhikari’s official team around 2019, handling the duties related to Adhikari’s ministerial office. He continued in a similar role even after Adhikari joined the BJP, becoming a key figure in campaign management and political coordination.
Suvendu Adhikari described Chandranath Rath’s killing as a “cold-blooded murder” and attributed it to “15 years of TMC’s Mahajungle raj” in the state. He claimed that the attackers conducted a reconnaissance before carrying out the shooting.
Chandranath Rath was shot dead on the night of May 6 in Doharia area of Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal. The attack took place when assailants on motorcycles intercepted his vehicle.
Quiet and low-key, he has remained largely out of the public eye despite being part of Adhikari’s inner circle for years, the news agency said.
Read also | Suvendu Adhikari reacts to aide’s killing: ‘Cold-blooded murder’
Before joining active political organizational work, Rath spent nearly two decades in the Indian Air Force after completing his studies at the Rahara Ramakrishna Mission.
People close to the family told PTI that he once contemplated a spiritual life and was deeply influenced by the ethos of the Ramakrishna Mission during his student days.
After voluntarily leaving the Air Force, he worked briefly in the corporate sector before gradually moving into policy coordination and administrative responsibilities.
Former TMC person
Rath’s family, like Adhikari’s, was earlier associated with the Trinamool Congress. Rath’s mother Hasi Rath held a position in the local panchayat body in Purba Medinipur during the TMC years before shifting allegiance to the BJP in 2020 along with Adhikari.
Read also | Meet BJP’s Agnimitra Paul, CM candidate from West Bengal to replace Mamata Banerjee
Family acquaintances told PTI that the connection between the Rath family and the Adhikari dates back more than two decades to the early years of TMC’s expansion in Purba Medinipur.
Rath formally became part of Adhikari’s official team around 2019, when the latter served as a minister in Mamata Banerjee’s government. He initially handled the duties associated with Adhikari’s ministerial office and later resumed a similar role after Adhikari switched to the saffron camp.
Over the years, Rath emerged as a key figure behind Adhikari’s political operations, coordinating organizational work, managing logistics and maintaining communication with party workers.
Suvendu Adhikari was a close aide of Mamata Banerjee and joined BJP in 2020. So did Rath and his family.
BJP insiders described him as someone who enjoyed Adhikari’s complete trust and was often involved in sensitive tasks related to campaign management and political coordination, news agency PTI reported. He was also part of the core team during several high-voltage political battles, including the BJP’s Bhabanipur campaign.
There was even speculation within sections of the BJP organization that Rath might be given more administrative responsibilities if Adhikari assumed a bigger role in the government after the assembly elections.
Those discussions ended abruptly on Wednesday evening when motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly intercepted his vehicle near Madhyamgram area of Doharia and opened fire at close range.
Rath’s killing sparked sharp political reactions in Bengal and intensified the already volatile atmosphere following the parliamentary election results.
Suvendu reacts
Adhikari described the shooting of his close associate Chandranath Rath as a “cold-blooded murder” and claimed that the killing was the result of 1.5 years of TMC’s “Mahajungle raj” in the state.
Speaking to reporters outside the hospital where Rath was taken after the attack, Adhikari called the killing “heartbreaking”
“It is a cold-blooded murder. The DGP has assured to investigate the matter thoroughly,” he said.
This is cold blooded murder. The DGP assured to investigate the matter thoroughly.
The opposition leader claimed that the attackers appeared to have conducted a reconnaissance tour for several days before carrying out the shooting. “The manner in which the attack was carried out clearly indicates that the attackers carried out the list in advance,” he said.
Key things
- Chandranath Rath played a key role in Suvendu Adhikari’s political operations.
- His assassination reflects the escalating political violence in West Bengal following the recent elections.
- The incident raises concerns about the safety of political advisers and workers in a volatile environment.
