Kolkata/Ballia: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday took over charge of investigating the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, from state police — who had recommended the handover.
The CBI’s press release states a new Special Investigation Team (SIT), will be set up to work on the case. The SIT will function under the supervision of the Joint Director/Head of Zone (HoZ), Kolkata Zone. It will incorporate Kolkata Zone personnel as required to conduct a robust inquiry.
This follows the arrests of three sharpshooters by West Bengal Police’s SIT in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. According to reports, they have been brought to West Bengal on transit remand and presented in a North 24 Parganas court, the trio faces 13 days in custody.
“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,” an officer told news agency PTI.
The fatal attack on Chandranath Rath occurred on May 6 night, merely days after the May 4 assembly polls delivered BJP 207 seats and shrank Trinamool Congress to 80.
Rath was shot dead while on his way home to Madhyamgram, North 24 P
arganas, after a party function. The assailants, no two bikes pulled up and unleashed around 10 close-range shots. Rath succumbed instantly, while driver Buddhadeb Bera survived critical wounds and is recuperating.
Arrestee Kin Seeks Fair Probe
Earlier, the mother of Raj Singh — a Uttar Pradesh man arrested by West Bengal Police in connection with the Rath’s murder — had demanded a CBI investigation into the case.
Jamwanti Singh, a Rasra post office worker from Ballia’s Anand Nagar, told PTI on Monday that her son was wrongly arrested. “A fair investigation should be conducted and justice should be given to my son,” she pleaded, insisting he had never set foot in Kolkata.
According to Jamwanti, Raj left Ballia on May 7 with friend Monu Singh, a driver and a photographer for the Lucknow wedding of Legislative Council member Ravishankar Singh alias Pappu Singh’s daughter, then headed to an Ambedkar Nagar dargah on May 8 for prayers before overnighting at a nearby hotel.
“Five people, including my son Raj Singh, his friend Monu Singh, a driver and a photographer, had gone to Lucknow in a vehicle,” she recounted. “On the morning of May 9, after offering prayers at the shrine, we left for Ayodhya and later stopped at a roadside eatery for food. As soon as we were leaving in our vehicle, the police team intercepted us and took away me and my son.”
Police held the group at a station, separating Jamwanti into the women’s barrack. “On May 10 afternoon, police allowed me to meet Raj and informed me that he was being taken to Kolkata by flight,” she said.
She reinforced her alibi with CCTV evidence, saying, “Raj was in Ballia on May 6. He had gone shopping here and there is CCTV footage from our house, shops and a gym. We have no relatives in Kolkata and Raj has never gone there, not even for travel.”