The personal assistant to West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, identified as Chandranath Rath, was shot dead in Madhyamgram on Wednesday night, two days after the party’s historic assembly election win. According to police and witnesses, Rath was hit by three of four bullets fired at his car after suspects followed the vehicle and opened fire when it slowed down. Visuals from the scene showed the car’s left front window cracked with bullet holes.
Rath, who handled political coordination for Adhikari and was regarded as part of his inner circle, was taken to a hospital in Madhyamgram where police later kept his body, sources said. His driver, Buddhadeb, was injured in the attack and admitted to hospital. Suvendu Adhikari was not in the car at the time, his brother Dibyendu Adhikari told NDTV, and the family has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, alleging the Trinamool Congress was behind the killing.
BJP leaders condemned the attack and accused the Trinamool Congress of fostering a culture of violence. Nikhil Prasun said the murder was “symptomatic of the culture of violence prevalent all these years, cultivated by the Trinamool Congress” and called for a thorough investigation. Devdas Mondal said the party would identify the accused and bring them to justice.
The Trinamool Congress condemned the killing in a post on X, while alleging that “BJP-backed miscreants” have been carrying out post-poll violence over the last three days. The killing occurred in the same assembly constituency where Trinamool candidate Rathin Ghosh had narrowly won by 2,399 votes amid a strong BJP challenge.
Kolkata Police chief Ajay Kumar Nand said at least 80 people have been arrested in connection with post-poll incidents, with 65 taken into custody in specific cases and 15 detained preventively. The attack has heightened tensions after the election, with both parties trading accusations and social media videos showing sporadic scenes of property damage. Adhikari, who defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur and is viewed as a frontrunner for chief minister, has seen his camp directly affected by the violence.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bjp-leader-suvendu-adhikaris-personal-secretary-shot-dead-in-west-bengals-madhyamgram-11459161#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-05-07 00:31:00
