BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari’s Aide Chandranath Rath Shot Dead In Kolkata

Rath Shot Dead In Madhyamgram

The incident occurred at Madhyamgram in the North 24 Parganas district and Rath sustained bullet injuries in his head, chest and stomach, after which he was rushed to hospital and was declared dead.

The visual from the murder site shows that the bullet fired to kill Chandranath Rath had broken the glass of the car in which he was travelling and his car, marked with 'West Bengal Legislative Assembly On Duty' symbol was covered in blood after the incident.

Adhikari Calls Murder Heart-Wrenching

At around midnight, Suvendu Adhikari arrived at the hospital and called the killing "heart-wrenching". The BJP leader added that attackers carried out prior recce before carrying out the killing and termed the incident as cold-blooded and premeditated murder.

Adhikari said: “The killing of my aide Chandranath Rath is heart-wrenching; we condemn this. We appeal to everyone not to take the law into their own hands.”

He added, “The DGP assured me police will investigate the cold-blooded murder of my aide Chandranath Rath. Besides my aide, one of our cadres was shot at in Basirhat and another stabbed in Baranagar.”

TMC Alleges Attacks On Party Workers

BJP accused the Trinamool Congress of the attacks and questioned who is to be blamed now after the death. The TMC hit back saying that its workers are being targeted in different districts.

The party said: “We strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath in Madhyamgram tonight, along with the killing of three other TMC workers in incidents of post-poll violence allegedly carried out by BJP-backed miscreants over the last three days, despite the Model Code of Conduct being in force.”

Eyewitnesses Claim Attack Was Pre-Planned

An eyewitness at the scene said that the SUV in which Rath was travelling was intercepted by a small four-wheeler near Doharia junction and thereafter a man riding on a bike fired bullets at close range and they later abandoned the car and escaped on the bike. Another eyewitness at the murder of Chandra said that the firing at him was done from a close range and that it was a planned murder.