The post-election violence in West Bengal witnessed a bloody escalation on Wednesday night after Chandranath Rath, the close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in North 24 Parganas near Kolkata. Describing the incident as a "targeted assassination", the BJP has launched sharp attacks on the ruling TMC, accusing it of a premeditated plot amid heightened political tensions in the state after the saffron party's sweeping victory in the assembly elections.
The killing came less than 48 hours after the declaration of the fiercely contested assembly poll results and sent shockwaves through Bengal's political circles. While the BJP accused the TMC of unleashing retaliatory violence, the Mamata Banerjee-led party countered with claims that its own workers were being attacked in several districts.
Notably, Suvendu Adhikari defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her Bhabanipur bastion seat by a margin of over 15,000 votes, unseating her as an MLA.
Chandranath Rath shot dead: What we know so far
- According to preliminary reports, Rath was attacked near Doltala in Madhyamgram around 10.30 pm. Motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly tailed his vehicle, forced it to stop and opened fire before fleeing the scene.
- Eyewitnesses said the SUV carrying Rath was first intercepted near Doharia junction by a small four-wheeler. Soon after, a motorcycle rider approached the vehicle and fired multiple rounds from close range. The occupants of the four-wheeler later abandoned the vehicle and escaped on the motorcycle.
- Another eyewitness to the killing of Chandra, personal assistant to West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, claimed the attackers fired at point-blank range and said the assault appeared to have been carefully planned in advance.
- Four rounds were fired at the vehicle, out of which two hit Rath from point-blank range.
- Police and forensic teams have collected samples from the crime scene and the White Scorpio in which Rath was travelling and was shot at.
- Police have also seized a smaller car which was used to block Chandranath Rath's vehicle from the front before he was shot dead by the assailants.
- Rath, who served as the executive assistant to the leader of opposition in the state assembly, was returning home to Madhyamgram when the attack occurred. Doctors at the hospital where he was taken declared him dead on arrival.
- A doctor who attended Rath said he was brought dead with two bullet injuries on his chest, which pierced his heart, while another bullet struck his abdominal area. "There was no opportunity to resuscitate him," the doctor said.
- Rath's driver, who was also injured in the firing, was shifted to a Kolkata hospital in critical condition.
- Television footage from the scene showed the SUV's front windshield shattered by bullets, blood stains inside the vehicle and heavy police deployment in the area amid rising tension.
- The incident quickly turned into a political flashpoint, with BJP leaders alleging that the murder was politically motivated and accusing the TMC leadership of encouraging violence after the election results.
- Suvendu Adhikari reached the hospital around midnight, described the killing as "heart-wrenching" and claimed the attackers had carried out prior recce before executing the attack. He also called it a "cold-blooded and premeditated" murder.
Also read: Suvendu lambasts Mamata over PA's killing; TMC demands CBI probe
