BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath was shot dead from close range in West Bengal’s Madhyamgram near Kolkata on Wednesday night, triggering tension in the locality and prompting a police investigation.
Rath was rushed to the nearby hospital, but he reportedly succumbed to bullet injuries after being shot at by assailants from close range while he was reportedly in a car. According to sources, Rath was shot from close range in his car and suffered injuries to his chest and head. Rath’s driver was also injured in the attack and is being treated at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata.
The attack took place near Doharia on Jessore Road in North 24 Parganas district when Rath was returning to his flat from Kolkata in a car. The assailants, who were on a motorcycle, intercepted his car and opened fire from close range before fleeing the scene.
Rath was one of the closest aides of Suvendu Adhikari and had been with him for a decade. Police have collected CCTV footage from the spot, and an investigation has been initiated.
The assault comes amid post-poll violence that broke out in West Bengal following the state assembly elections. The BJP swept the election and ended the 15-year rule of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC).
According to initial inputs, at least four rounds were reportedly fired at Chandra.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Adhikari is expected to arrive at the hospital soon.
Details about the assailants and the exact sequence of events remain unclear at this stage.
Police have launched an investigation into the killing, and further details are awaited.
Senior officials rushed to the spot
Adhikari had defeated Mamata Banerjee in the recent elections and is being considered a strong contender for the chief minister’s post.
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After an incident-free assembly elections, post-poll violence is being reported from several areas of West Bengal even as central paramilitary forces are still deployed in the state.
