Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari described the shooting of his close aide Chandranath Rath as a “cold-blooded murder” and claimed that the killing was the result of TMC’s 15 years of “Mahajungle raj” in the state.
Although he refused to draw any conclusions yet, Adhikari said a preliminary investigation found that the killers conducted a reconnaissance search before carrying out the attack in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, news agency PTI reported.
Read also | Mamata Banerjee insists on refusal to resign, vows to fight after poll defeat
Rath, Adhikari’s executive assistant, was shot dead in a brazen attack in Madhyamgram on Wednesday evening, two days after the election results, triggering sharp political reactions and escalating tensions in the area.
People also ask
Artificial intelligence reinforced the insights from this story
•5 QUESTIONS
Chandranath Rath, executive assistant of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district. He was attacked by assailants on motorcycles who intercepted his vehicle and opened fire at close range.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari blamed the alleged ‘Mahajungle Raj’ of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the killing. Other BJP leaders directly accused Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee.
The motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted Chandranath Rath’s vehicle, forced him to stop and shot him at close range through the rolled-up window. The attackers then fled the scene.
Chandranath Rath was a close aide and executive assistant of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. He played a key role in the Adhikari campaigns, including the Bhabanipur constituency.
The TMC condemned the murder of Chandranath Rath and also raised the issue of alleged killings of TMC workers by BJP-backed criminals. They demanded a court-monitored CBI probe.
BJP created a historic victory by winning more than 200 seats in West Bengal elections. The saffron party is all set to form its first government in the state and Adhikari is the frontrunner for the Chief Minister post. Adhikari won two seats in the assembly elections, including Bhabanipur, where he defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
According to preliminary information, motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted Rath’s vehicle near Doltala in Madhyamgram around 10.30 pm, forced him to stop and opened fire at close range before fleeing.
Speaking to reporters outside the hospital where Rath was taken after the attack, Adhikari described the killing as “heartbreaking”.
Read also | Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant was shot dead in West Bengal’s Madhyamgram
“This incident is heartbreaking, we condemn it,” the BJP leader said.
Adhikari said DGP Siddhnath Gupta assured him that the matter would be investigated.
“It is a cold-blooded murder. The DGP has assured to investigate the matter thoroughly,” he said.
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.
He appealed to the BJP workers to maintain peace
However, Adhikari stopped short of directly naming any organization behind the attack and appealed to BJP workers to maintain peace. “We don’t want to make any conclusions yet because the police are investigating the matter,” he said.
“We would appeal to everyone not to take the law into their own hands,” he added.
The BJP leader alleged that incidents of violence against party workers continued in various parts of the state after the assembly election results.
“While we were here, one of our cadre was shot dead in Basirhat and another was stabbed in Baranagar area,” he alleged.
Adhikari said he had already spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president Nitin Nabin regarding the killing.
Adhikari launched a scathing attack on the outgoing TMC government and described the prevailing situation in the state as “Mahajungle Raj”.
“This is the result of 15 years of ‘Mahajungle Raj’ in Bengal,” he claimed.
Read also | ‘BJP will rule Bengal for 100 years’: Suvendu Adhikari says amid CM speculation
Adhikari claimed that after the BJP forms the government in the state, strict action will be taken against the criminals. “When the BJP government takes over, we will start checking these criminals,” he said.
Who was Chandranath Rath?
Rath, a former member of the Indian Air Force and one of Adhikari’s closest aides, succumbed to his injuries after being taken to a private nursing home on Jessore Road.
Another person traveling in the vehicle was seriously injured in the attack.
Police have launched an investigation and are examining CCTV footage from nearby areas to identify the assailants and ascertain the motive behind the killing.
The incident sparked political unrest between the BJP and the TMC amid continuing allegations of post-election violence in several parts of the state.
Key things
- Political violence continues to be a significant problem in West Bengal following the recent elections.
- The killing reflects wider tensions between the BJP and the TMC, exacerbated by allegations of organized violence.
- Calls for peace and a thorough investigation highlight the importance of law and order in a political context.
