Chandranath Rath spent nearly two decades serving in the Indian Air Force before becoming one of the most influential backroom operators in West Bengal's BJP. On Wednesday night, he was shot dead in a targeted ambush near Kolkata airport, killed less than 48 hours after the state assembly election results, and Trinamool Congress's loss was declared. The killing, according to eyewitness accounts, was a professional, pre-planned hit. Adhikari has also alleged that it was "a cold-blooded and pre-planned murder". Who was Chandranath Rath? All you need to know about Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant, who was shot and killed in post-poll violence in West Bengal.<h2>Who was Chandranath Rath?</h2>41-year-old Chandranath Rath was the BJP West Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari's most trusted aide. According to reports, he grew up in Chandipur in Purba Medinipur, the political heartland closely associated with Adhikari's rise in Bengal politics. TOI reports that he studied at Rahara Ramakrishna Mission, an institution whose spiritual and disciplined ethos reportedly left a lasting impression on him.Family acquaintances said he had once seriously considered a monastic life before choosing a different path. Instead, he joined the Indian Air Force, serving for close to 20 years before taking voluntary retirement. After a brief stint in the corporate sector, he gravitated toward political work and eventually started working with Adhikari, whose family the Raths had known for more than two decades.Rath's mother had held a position in a local panchayat body during the Trinamool Congress's early expansion in Purba Medinipur. Like Adhikari, the family switched allegiance to the BJP in 2020.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/post-poll-violence-grips-west-bengal-miscreants-open-fire-on-police-as-tmc-bjp-clashes-claim-four-lives-1778046815339">Post-poll violence grips West Bengal: Miscreants open fire on police as TMC-BJP clashes claim four lives</a><h2>How Rath became Adhikari's most trusted aide</h2>Rath formally joined Adhikari's team around 2019, when Adhikari was still a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government. He initially handled administrative responsibilities linked to the ministerial office and later continued in that role after Adhikari moved to the BJP and became leader of the opposition. Over time, he took on sensitive political assignments that required Adhikari's complete trust, including coordinating organisational logistics, maintaining communication with party workers and legislators.He was part of the core team during several high-stakes political battles, including the BJP's Bhabanipur campaign. Within party circles, there had been speculation that if Adhikari assumed a larger role after the assembly elections, Rath would be given a more prominent position as well.<h2>What happened? Eyewitness reveals shocking details of how Suvendhu Adhikari's PA was killed</h2>According to investigators, Rath was returning to his Madhyamgram residence with aide Buddhadeb Bera when motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted their SUV near Doharia at around 10:30 PM. Another vehicle had blocked the SUV on a deserted stretch barely three kilometres from Kolkata airport. The attackers fired multiple rounds at point-blank range. Rath was struck in the chest and abdomen and was declared dead on arrival at a nearby private hospital. Bera, who was driving, sustained serious injuries and remains under treatment.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/suvendu-adhikari-pa-s-killing-pre-planned-eyewitness-reveals-shocking-details-of-shooting-in-west-bengal-s-madhyamgram-mamata-banerjee-tmc-vs-bjp-1778119401254">Suvendu Adhikari PA's killing 'pre-planned'? Eyewitness reveals shocking details of shooting in West Bengal's Madhyamgram</a>An eyewitness to the killing described the sequence of events to ANI. "Just as Chandra's car crossed mine, it suddenly stopped midway, and a bike-borne person came and started shooting on the left side of the car. The person seemed to be an expert and fled immediately. It appeared to be pre-planned. The shots were fired at point-blank range. I heard the sound of two rounds." The incident occurred between 10:30 PM and 11 PM, approximately 200 to 300 metres from the hospital.Police have recovered live rounds, fired cartridges and seized a vehicle believed to have been used in the attack, though its number plate appeared to be fake or tampered with. CCTV footage from the area is being examined and multiple teams are conducting raids.&nbsp;

From Indian Air Force veteran to Suvendu Adhikari’s most trusted political fixer, Chandranath Rath operated largely behind the scenes until a targeted post-poll assassination thrust him into Bengal’s violent political spotlight. Who was Chandranath Rath?. All you need to know.

Chandranath Rath spent nearly two decades serving in the Indian Air Force before becoming one of the most influential backroom operators in West Bengal's BJP. On Wednesday night, he was shot dead in a targeted ambush near Kolkata airport, killed less than 48 hours after the state assembly election results, and Trinamool Congress's loss was declared. The killing, according to eyewitness accounts, was a professional, pre-planned hit. Adhikari has also alleged that it was "a cold-blooded and pre-planned murder". Who was Chandranath Rath? All you need to know about Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant, who was shot and killed in post-poll violence in West Bengal. Who was Chandranath Rath? 41-year-old Chandranath Rath was the BJP West Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari's most trusted aide. According to reports, he grew up in Chandipur in Purba Medinipur, the political heartland closely associated with Adhikari's rise in Bengal politics. TOI reports that he studied at Rahara Ramakrishna Mission, an institution whose spiritual and disciplined ethos reportedly left a lasting impression on him. Family acquaintances said he had once seriously considered a monastic life before choosing a different path. Instead, he joined the Indian Air Force, serving for close to 20 years before taking voluntary retirement. After a brief stint in the corporate sector, he gravitated toward political work and eventually started working with Adhikari, whose family the Raths had known for more than two decades. Rath's mother had held a position in a local panchayat body during the Trinamool Congress's early expansion in Purba Medinipur. Like Adhikari, the family switched allegiance to the BJP in 2020. Also read | Post-poll violence grips West Bengal: Miscreants open fire on police as TMC-BJP clashes claim four lives How Rath became Adhikari's most trusted aide Rath formally joined Adhikari's team around 2019, when Adhikari was still a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government. He initially handled administrative responsibilities linked to the ministerial office and later continued in that role after Adhikari moved to the BJP and became leader of the opposition. Over time, he took on sensitive political assignments that required Adhikari's complete trust, including coordinating organisational logistics, maintaining communication with party workers and legislators. He was part of the core team during several high-stakes political battles, including the BJP's Bhabanipur campaign. Within party circles, there had been speculation that if Adhikari assumed a larger role after the assembly elections, Rath would be given a more prominent position as well. What happened? Eyewitness reveals shocking details of how Suvendhu Adhikari's PA was killed According to investigators, Rath was returning to his Madhyamgram residence with aide Buddhadeb Bera when motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted their SUV near Doharia at around 10:30 PM. Another vehicle had blocked the SUV on a deserted stretch barely three kilometres from Kolkata airport. The attackers fired multiple rounds at point-blank range. Rath was struck in the chest and abdomen and was declared dead on arrival at a nearby private hospital. Bera, who was driving, sustained serious injuries and remains under treatment. Also read | Suvendu Adhikari PA's killing 'pre-planned'? Eyewitness reveals shocking details of shooting in West Bengal's Madhyamgram An eyewitness to the killing described the sequence of events to ANI. "Just as Chandra's car crossed mine, it suddenly stopped midway, and a bike-borne person came and started shooting on the left side of the car. The person seemed to be an expert and fled immediately. It appeared to be pre-planned. The shots were fired at point-blank range. I heard the sound of two rounds." The incident occurred between 10:30 PM and 11 PM, approximately 200 to 300 metres from the hospital. Police have recovered live rounds, fired cartridges and seized a vehicle believed to have been used in the attack, though its number plate appeared to be fake or tampered with. CCTV footage from the area is being examined and multiple teams are conducting raids.

From Indian Air Force veteran to Suvendu Adhikari’s most trusted political fixer, Chandranath Rath operated largely behind the scenes until a targeted post-poll assassination thrust him into Bengal’s violent political spotlight. Who was Chandranath Rath?. All you need to know.

Who was Chandranath Rath? Air Force Veteran, Suvendu Adhikari's most trusted aide killed in brazen West Bengal shooting

BJP West Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant was shot and killed in what an eyewitness described as a professional, pre-planned hit, as post-poll violence in the state claimed another life.&nbsp; The victim, identified as Chandra, was travelling by car near Madhyamgram when a bike-borne assailant pulled alongside the vehicle and opened fire at point-blank range, revealed an eyewitness. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The car's driver was also shot in the attack.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/jalandhar-blast-khalistan-liberation-army-claims-responsibility-threatens-to-shed-so-much-blood-that-everything-will-look-red-1778040143835">Jalandhar blast: Khalistan Liberation Army claims responsibility; threatens to 'shed so much blood that everything will look red'</a><h2>A 'pre-planned' execution?</h2>An eyewitness to the killing described the sequence of events to ANI. "Just as Chandra's car crossed mine, it suddenly stopped midway, and a bike-borne person came and started shooting on the left side of the car. The person seemed to be an expert and fled immediately. It appeared to be pre-planned. The shots were fired at point-blank range. I heard the sound of two rounds." The incident occurred between 10:30 PM and 11 PM, approximately 200 to 300 metres from the hospital.Adhikari also called it "a cold-blooded and pre-planned murder" and urged party workers to maintain peace, assuring that those responsible would be brought to justice.<h2>Mamata Banerjee's TMC behind the killing, alleges BJP leader</h2>BJP leader Agnimitra Paul alleged a clear political motive behind the attack, linking it to Trinamool Congress's anger over electoral results, including Mamata Banerjee's reported defeat in Bhabanipur. "This is perhaps a consequence of Mamata Banerjee's defeat in Bhabanipur," she said, adding that CCTV footage from the area was being examined. She described Chandra as a trusted figure within the party structure. "He oversaw operations at the Leader of the Opposition's office, was like a brother to our MLAs, and handled several responsibilities."Paul also questioned why someone with no direct political role had been targeted. "Why was a man who had absolutely no connection with the BJP murdered? There is massive outrage among the public," she said, adding that a party booth worker had also been attacked with a knife and hospitalised around the same time.Trinamool Congress condemned the killing and called for a CBI investigation into the incident. The party has not commented on the allegations of political motivation.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/post-poll-violence-grips-west-bengal-miscreants-open-fire-on-police-as-tmc-bjp-clashes-claim-four-lives-1778046815339">Post-poll violence grips West Bengal: Miscreants open fire on police as TMC-BJP clashes claim four lives</a><h2>Post-poll violence grips West Bengal</h2>The murder adds to a mounting toll of post-poll violence that has already claimed at least four lives across West Bengal since election results were declared, with clashes reported from Kolkata, Udaynarayanpur, Nanoor and Jalpaiguri.

West Bengal’s post-poll violence has taken another deadly turn after Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant was shot dead in what eyewitnesses describe as a professional, point-blank assassination. Scroll down to read the eyewitness account.

BJP West Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant was shot and killed in what an eyewitness described as a professional, pre-planned hit, as post-poll violence in the state claimed another life. The victim, identified as Chandra, was travelling by car near Madhyamgram when a bike-borne assailant pulled alongside the vehicle and opened fire at point-blank range, revealed an eyewitness. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The car's driver was also shot in the attack. Also read | Jalandhar blast: Khalistan Liberation Army claims responsibility; threatens to 'shed so much blood that everything will look red' A 'pre-planned' execution? An eyewitness to the killing described the sequence of events to ANI. "Just as Chandra's car crossed mine, it suddenly stopped midway, and a bike-borne person came and started shooting on the left side of the car. The person seemed to be an expert and fled immediately. It appeared to be pre-planned. The shots were fired at point-blank range. I heard the sound of two rounds." The incident occurred between 10:30 PM and 11 PM, approximately 200 to 300 metres from the hospital. Adhikari also called it "a cold-blooded and pre-planned murder" and urged party workers to maintain peace, assuring that those responsible would be brought to justice. Mamata Banerjee's TMC behind the killing, alleges BJP leader BJP leader Agnimitra Paul alleged a clear political motive behind the attack, linking it to Trinamool Congress's anger over electoral results, including Mamata Banerjee's reported defeat in Bhabanipur. "This is perhaps a consequence of Mamata Banerjee's defeat in Bhabanipur," she said, adding that CCTV footage from the area was being examined. She described Chandra as a trusted figure within the party structure. "He oversaw operations at the Leader of the Opposition's office, was like a brother to our MLAs, and handled several responsibilities." Paul also questioned why someone with no direct political role had been targeted. "Why was a man who had absolutely no connection with the BJP murdered? There is massive outrage among the public," she said, adding that a party booth worker had also been attacked with a knife and hospitalised around the same time. Trinamool Congress condemned the killing and called for a CBI investigation into the incident. The party has not commented on the allegations of political motivation. Also read | Post-poll violence grips West Bengal: Miscreants open fire on police as TMC-BJP clashes claim four lives Post-poll violence grips West Bengal The murder adds to a mounting toll of post-poll violence that has already claimed at least four lives across West Bengal since election results were declared, with clashes reported from Kolkata, Udaynarayanpur, Nanoor and Jalpaiguri.

West Bengal’s post-poll violence has taken another deadly turn after Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant was shot dead in what eyewitnesses describe as a professional, point-blank assassination. Scroll down to read the eyewitness account.

Suvendu Adhikari PA's killing 'pre-planned'? Eyewitness reveals shocking details of shooting in West Bengal's Madhyamgram

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Who was Chandranath Rath? Air Force Veteran, Suvendu Adhikari's most trusted aide killed in brazen West Bengal shooting

Suvendu Adhikari PA's killing 'pre-planned'? Eyewitness reveals shocking details