BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the front-runner for the post of West Bengal chief minister, on Thursday said that “the only reason for killing Chandranath Rath is that he was my executive assistant and I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur”.
In the 2026 West Bengal elections, Suvendu Adhikari won Bhabanipur and Nandigram constituencies. He defeated TMC chief Mamat Banerjee from Bhabanipur by over 15,000 votes.
Read also | Chandranath Rath killing: SUV blocked, shots fired, ‘killers were waiting for him…’
Rath was a close aide and personal assistant to party supremo Suvendu Adhikari. He was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday night.
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Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the murder of his personal assistant Chandranath Rath took place only because Rath was his executive assistant and that Adhikari had defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. Alleged hitmen Adhikari were involved and that Rath had no political enmity.
Chandranath Rath was shot at close range by unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants. His SUV was intercepted and forced to stop, after which several shots were fired from the window, fatally wounding him.
Chandranath Rath was a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) soldier who served for almost two decades. After voluntary retirement, he worked briefly in the corporate sector before moving into political coordination and administrative roles.
Expressing confidence in the police investigation, Suvendu Adhikari said that clues have been found and some people have been arrested. He believes the police are going in the right direction and has called for the death penalty for all involved.
Chandranath Rath was a close aide and executive assistant to Suvendu Adhikari, coordinating organizational work, managing logistics and maintaining communication with party workers. He was considered a key figure behind the scenes and enjoyed Adhikari’s complete trust.
The bike-borne assailants allegedly intercepted Rath’s vehicle near Doltala in Madhyamgram around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, forced it to stop and opened fire at close range before fleeing.
What did Suvendu Adhikari say?
On the killing of his PA Chandranath Rath, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said, “The only reason for killing Chandranath Rath is that he was my executive assistant and I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. I will fulfill all my duties.”
He assured Rath’s family that the culprits will be caught, criminal charges will be filed against them and they will be sentenced.
Earlier, Adhikari had alleged that hitmen were involved in Rath’s murder, and maintained that his close associate had no political enmity.
Before Rath’s body was taken to his birthplace Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district for last rites, Adhikari was quoted by PTI as saying that the former Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel was killed because of his association with him.
Adhikari was speaking to reporters at Barasat State General Hospital, where the autopsy of Rath’s body was underway.
Read also | Who was Chandranath Rath, Suvendu Adhikari’s trusted aide?
“The ex-IAF soldier would not have been killed had he not been my PA and had I not won from Bhabanipur. His only fault was being the personal assistant of Suvendu Adhikari. Five bullets were fired at him to ensure his death,” the BJP leader said.
Senior BJP leaders, including the party’s state unit president Samik Bhattacharya, paid tributes to Rath before the hearse left for Chandipur around 3 pm.
Read also | Who was Chandranath Rath, Suvendu Adhikari’s trusted aide?
West Bengal BJP unit president Samik Bhattacharya also reacted to the incident on Thursday, calling Rath’s killing a “planned political murder”.
Bhattacharya alleged that this was designed to cause instability in the state. “It was targeted violence,” he told reporters at Barasat Hospital, where Chandranath Rath’s post-mortem was conducted.
“Did the attackers want to send a political message to the BJP with the killing or was it meant for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will fly to Kolkata in two days?” he posed and said he would inform Governor RN Ravi about the incident.
The state BJP chief said he could not go into details as the investigation was ongoing and the model code of conduct was still in force.
Read also | Another close aide of Suvendu Adhikari was found dead in Bengal over a decade ago
According to PTI, the TMC denied involvement in the killings and claimed that BJP-backed miscreants had killed three of its workers in the previous three days.
Referring to the investigation, Adhikari said he was informed by the DGP that the motorcycle allegedly used in the crime was found about four kilometers from the spot.
“The police are working. I have spoken to the DGP; they have leads and some people have been arrested. I am sure the police will be able to arrest the attackers. CID, forensics and SIT are in action and the police are heading in the right direction,” Adhikari told reporters outside the hospital.
He claimed that the police were capable of solving the cases but alleged that they were “not allowed” to do so earlier, in an apparent dig at the TMC government.
When asked about the TMC’s demand for a CBI probe into the murder, Adhikari said, “TMC is not relevant now. The police will be able to sort it out.”
The BJP leader urged the police to identify all those involved in the killings and ensure that they receive the death penalty.
However, Rath’s mother demanded a life sentence instead of the death penalty because she understood her mother’s pain. She is also a BJP activist in Purba Medinipur.
