The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday arrested the fifth accused, Vinay Rai, in connection with the murder case of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s PA Chandranath Rath. Rai was taken into custody from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier on Monday, the agency had arrested the main shooter, identified as Rajkumar, from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. The arrest was made with the help of the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Following his detention, Rajkumar was granted transit remand and later produced before a special CBI court in Kolkata on Tuesday. The investigation into the case is still ongoing, and further action is expected as the agency continues its probe.
About the incident
41-year-old Rath, who once served in the Indian Air Force, was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24-Parganas late on May 6. The incident occurred within 48 hours of the announcement of the high-stakes assembly election results in West Bengal.
The case was handed over to the CBI by West Bengal Police owing to the severity of the crime.
After re-registering the matter as a regular case, the CBI filed a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. These include Section 103(1) for murder, Section 61(1) for criminal conspiracy, and Section 111(2)(a) relating to organised crime. The agency has also added Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
The investigation was initiated based on a complaint lodged by Rath’s brother. In his statement, he alleged that the killing was the result of a planned and well-organised conspiracy involving several unidentified persons.
Meanwhile, a court has sent three arrested accused — Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya, and Raj Singh — to police custody until May 24. They were arrested from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in connection with the case.
Public Prosecutor Advocate Bivas Chatterjee informed the court that the prosecution had also requested additional charges for destruction of evidence. The court accepted the plea and included the added charges in the case proceedings.
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