Suvendu Adhikari’s aide shot dead

KATHMANDU: Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant to West Bengal’s Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead on Wednesday night in Madhyamgram, a town on the outskirts of Kolkata.

Videos circulating from the scene showed Rath being rushed to a hospital after the attack.

He was traveling in a vehicle displaying a West Bengal Legislative Assembly sticker.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has described the killing as a “planned assassination.” Adhikari said reconnaissance had been conducted days earlier and blamed it on the “jungle raj” under 15 years of Trinamool Congress (TMC) rule.

Police have launched an investigation. West Bengal Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta confirmed that the vehicle used in the crime has been seized, but its number plate was fake. Live cartridges were also recovered from the scene, and authorities are recording statements from eyewitnesses.

TMC condemned the murder and demanded swift justice. In a statement, the party called for a court-monitored CBI probe, saying “there is no place for violence and political killings in democracy” and urging that the perpetrators be held accountable without delay.

The incident comes days after high-stakes Assembly election results in which Adhikari defeated former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Bhawanipur constituency by around 15,000 votes.

Who was Chandranath Rath?

The 41-year-old was considered one of Adhikari’s closest aides and had played a key behind-the-scenes role in the BJP leader’s political rise.

Originally from Chandipur, Rath had a diverse background: he studied under the Ramakrishna Mission, served nearly two decades in the Indian Air Force, and later worked in the corporate sector before moving into political coordination.

His family, like Adhikari’s, had earlier links to the Trinamool Congress, with their association dating back more than two decades in East Midnapore. Rath was active in several major BJP campaigns, including the recent Bhawanipur effort.

The killing has heightened tensions in the state following the polls, with both major parties trading accusations amid reports of post-election violence.