Kolkata: Hasirani Rath, grieving mother of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s slain personal assistant Chandranath Rath, on Thursday demanded justice for the killers who carried out the cold-blooded murder.
She, however, does not want capital punishment for those who pumped bullets into the heart and stomach of Chandranath, who was returning home on Wednesday night.
“I want the guilty to be punished. I am a mother, I do not want them to be hanged. I want life imprisonment for them,” Hasirani told reporters.
Hasirani, a BJP-affiliated panchayat member, said it was politically motivated murder and blamed the provocative comments of TMC leaders for her son’s brutal killing.
“They did this because the BJP came to power. Our state president and leaders are repeatedly saying to maintain law and order in the state. But those from the ruling party were making various provocative comments, who were saying that after the 4th (May), the fathers of Delhi will not be able to save us… so after the 4th, they showed it. If my son had died in an accident, I would not have been so sad. The way the miscreants tortured and killed my son, these are all stories made up by the Trinamool,” Hasirani said, referring to a speech by Abhishek Banerjee ahead of the second phase of polling.
“I am a mother, I do not want them to be hanged. I want life imprisonment for them,” Chandra’s mother Hasirani Rath.
She added, Those from the ruling party who were making various provocative comments, who were saying that after the 4th, the fathers of Delhi will not be able to… pic.twitter.com/mVgXwTSs52
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) May 7, 2026
Suvendu says ‘premeditated murder’
Suvendu, a frontrunner for the chief minister’s post, alleged that the killing of his personal assistant was a “premeditated murder” linked to his political association with him.
Adhikari, who went to the hospital late on Wednesday night and also accompanied the journey of Rath’s mortal remains to his Chandipur home in North 24 Parganas after the post-mortem, claimed that the former Indian Air Force serviceman was targeted because he worked closely with the senior BJP leader.
“No matter how much we condemn the way this murder was carried out, it is not enough. He was killed because he was my aide and I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. This could be the reason for his murder. I stand with his family, and the family’s demand is to apprehend those who committed this murder and ensure they are punished,” Adhikari said.
“The postmortem revealed that 4 bullets were fired at him… this murder was premeditated,” Adhikari added.
Rath, who had been working closely with Adhikari for several years, was on way back from Kolkata when his SUV was intercepted by a four-wheeler and a bike barely metres from his home. Unidentified persons fire several rounds, piercing through the front glass where Rath was seated beside the driver.