Kolkata: Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in an apparent targeted attack and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital near Madhyamgram late on Wednesday.
West Bengal BJP leaders have described the killing as a “targeted and premeditated” assault.
An eyewitness recounted that a bike-borne attacker opened fire on the left side of Rath’s stationary car. “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, around 200-300 metres from the hospital. The public brought the victim to the hospital, and the driver of the car was also shot,” the eyewitness told ANI, adding that the shots were fired from point-blank range in what seemed a “pre-planned” operation.
According to reports, multiple bike-borne assailants — possibly eight men on four motorcycles — tailed Rath’s white Scorpio SUV before intercepting and blocking it. A suspicious four-wheeler with a fake number plate was used to halt the vehicle, after which the attackers opened fire at point-blank range. Rath sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen. His driver, Buddhadeb Bera, was critically injured in the attack.
DGP Confirms Recovery Of Live Rounds
West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Siddh Nath Gupta stated that live rounds along with fired cartridges were found at the incident site. “We have started the investigation. The four-wheeler used in the crime has been seized, but it is being reported that the number plate is fake and has been tampered with. We have recovered live rounds and fired cartridges from the spot. Eyewitness accounts are being recorded, and evidence is being processed. Further investigation is underway,” Gupta said.
Preliminary forensic analysis suggests the assailants used sophisticated Austrian-made Glock 47X (or 43X variant) pistols, weapons not commonly associated with ordinary criminals, raising suspicions of professional contract killers. At least six to ten rounds were fired during the brief but lethal assault. The motorcycles reportedly lacked number plates, and the attackers wore helmets to conceal their identities.
TMC Demands CBI Probe
TMC has condemned the Madhyamgram killing, holding BJP-backed miscreants responsible. “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,” the party’s official X post stated.
TMC additionally pressed for a CBI inquiry into the Madhyamgram incident. “We demand the strongest possible action in this matter, including a court-monitored CBI investigation so that those responsible are identified and brought to justice without delay. Violence and political killings have no place in a democracy and the guilty must be held accountable at the earliest,” the party stated.
