The investigation into the murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to Suvendu Adhikari, has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The probe was transferred from the West Bengal Police to the CBI following a recommendation from the West Bengal government.
The CBI is expected to formally begin its investigation after the Department of Personnel and Training issues the required notification.
DIG-led 7-member SIT constituted
According to the CBI, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a DIG-rank officer has been constituted to handle the case. This CBI SIT will function under the supervision of the Joint Director, Kolkata, and will also include officers from the Kolkata CBI unit.
A seven-member team comprising officers from various CBI units has been constituted; Pankaj Singh, DIG of the Delhi CBI unit, will lead this team. The seven-member SIT will include:
- Pankaj Kumar Singh, DIG/HoB, CBI Delhi (Team leader)
- Subhaeh Chandra Kundu, SP, CBI Delhi
- Anil Kumar Yadav, SP CBI Delhi
- Vikash Pathak, DSP, CBI Dhanbad
- Amit Kumar, DSP, CBI Patna
- Kuldeep, DSP, CBI Ranchi
- Vivek Srivastava, Inspector, CBI Lucknow
Three held for killing Suvendu's aide
The development comes days after Bengal Police arrested three individuals in connection with the murder case. The three accused were arrested by the West Bengal Police's SIT. The three accused were remanded to 13-day police custody after they were brought to West Bengal and produced before a court in North 24 Paraganas district.
The arrested persons were identified as Vishal Srivastava, a resident of Pandiyapatti in Bihar's Buxar district, while the two others are from Uttar Pradesh. The investigators suspect that one of them is a sharpshooter.
"This is a breakthrough. The investigation indicated that the assailants were from outside West Bengal. Based on technical surveillance, digital tracking and other inputs, members of the SIT were sent to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They arrested the three persons from UP and Bihar. They have been brought to West Bengal on transit remand," the officer told news agency PTI.
Suvendu Adhikari PA murder case
Adhikari's personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the northern fringes of Kolkata on the night of May 6. The incident took place at Doharia in Madhyamgram's Doltala area in North 24 Parganas district, where Rath, who served as the executive assistant to the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, was shot at point-blank range by motorcycle-borne assailants.
According to information, the attackers followed Rath's car, intercepted it, shot him through the rolled-up window from the opposite side, and fled the scene immediately after carrying out the attack. He was seated in the front seat next to the driver.
Rath's driver also sustained bullet injuries and was shifted to a Kolkata hospital, where his condition was stated to be critical.
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