Who was Chandranath Rath? Ex-Air Force serviceman who became Suvendu Adhikari's trusted troubleshooter

Kolkata:

Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stormed to power in West Bengal ending the 15-year Trinamool Congress (TMC) rule, party leader Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant, identified as Chandranath Rath, was shot dead in Madhyamgram near Kolkata. 41-year-old Rath was hit by three of the four bullets that were fired at him.

According to police, two vehicles - a four-wheeler and a motorcycle - were following Rath's car. The motorcycle then overtook Rath's car and the assailants on the four-wheeler fired at the BJP leader's PA, killing him. The police have said that further investigation is underway.

"We have started the investigation of the case. We have seized the 4-wheeler used in the crime, but it is being reported that the number plate of the car is false and has been tampered with. We found live rounds and fired cartridges from the spot," West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Siddh Nath Gupta told news agency ANI.

An IAF veteran and spiritual journey

Rath was originally the resident of Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district, which is the political turf that shaped the rise of Adhikari. Despite being associated with Adhikari for long, he stayed away from public attention.

He completed his studies from Rahara Ramakrishna Mission after which he joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) for nearly two decades. Before joining politics, Rath had even considered a spiritual life as he was deeply influenced by the Ramakrishna Mission ethos, his family members say.

Association with TMC and association with Adhikari

Like Adhikari, Rath was also associated with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC). His mother, Hasi Rath, was a member of the local panchayat body in Purba Medinipur when TMC was in power in West Bengal. His family later joined the BJP in 2020 after Adhikari quit the TMC.

Citing his family acquaintances, news agency PTI said the association between Rath and Adhikari goes back to over two decades when the TMC was expanding its footprints in Purba Medinipur. However, it was only in 2019 when Rath joined Adhikari's team when the latter was a minister in the West Bengal government. 

Rath's rise as Adhikari's aide

Initially, he used to deal with Adhikari's ministerial work but later emerged as his righthand man who would coordinate the BJP's leader political operation. He was crucial for Adhikari in maintaining communication with party workers, with BJP insiders saying that Rath enjoyed complete trust of Adhikari.

In Adhikari's Bhabanipur battle against Banerjee, Rath played a crucial role in organising the entire political campaign. It is worth noting that Adhikari defeated Banerjee from the Bhabanipur assembly constituency by over 15,000 votes in the recently concluded West Bengal elections. 

BJP slams TMC

Rath's killing has drew sharp reactions, with the BJP blaming the TMC for the incident. Adhikari, though, avoided naming in organisation, he said the incident was a result of the 15 years of "maha jungle raj" of the TMC. However, Banerjee's party has refuted the allegations and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"This is a cold-blooded murder. The DGP has assured that they will investigate the matter," Adhikari told reporters. "The way the attack was executed clearly suggests that the assailants had done a recce beforehand."

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