The personal assistant (PA) of West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has been shot dead in Madhyamgram, two days after the party's historic win in the assembly election. The BJP leader's PA, identified as Chandranath Rath, was hit by three out of four bullets fired at him while he was in a moving car. The suspects followed his car and opened fire when it slowed down.
Visuals showed the car's left front window cracked with bullet holes.Chandranath Rath had been working for Suvendu Adhikari for many years and handled the BJP leader's political coordination and other work. The PA was considered a part of Suvendu Adhikari's inner circle.
Suvendu Adhikari rushed to the hospital at Madhyagram where the police kept his PA’s body.
Buddhadeb, Rath’s driver, was injured and was taken to a hospital after the attack in the assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district near Kolkata, sources said.
Suvendu Adhikari was not with his PA when the attack happened, the BJP leader's brother, Dibyendu Adhikari, told . He sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and alleged the Trinamool Congress's hand in the attack.
"This incident is symptomatic of the culture of violence prevalent all these years, cultivated by the Trinamool Congress. He has been brutally murdered. This should be thoroughly investigated. There is a deeper conspiracy behind the killing," BJP leader Nikhil Prasun told .Suvendu Adhikari described it as a "cold-blooded murder" and alleged that the killers had carried out reconnaissance before the attack.
Speaking to reporters outside the hospital where Rath was taken after the attack, Adhikari said the incident was "heart-wrenching".
"The incident is heart-wrenching; we condemn the incident," the BJP leader said.
"The way the attack was executed clearly suggests that the assailants had done a recce beforehand," he alleged.
BJP leader Devdas Mondal accused the Trinamool of killing an "innocent man". "We will identify the accused and bring them to justice," he told .
The Trinamool Congress in a post on X condemned the murder and alleged "BJP-backed miscreants" have been carrying out post-poll violence over the last three days.
The Trinamool's Rathin Ghosh had won from Madhyamgram by 2,399 votes amid a strong BJP challenge.The killing of Adhikari's PA comes on a day when the BJP alleged Trinamool Congress workers impersonating as BJP supporters have been trying to incite violence. Videos on social media showed sporadic incidents of groups going around breaking public property.
Kolkata Police chief Ajay Kumar Nand said at least 80 people were arrested and 65 were taken into custody in specific cases, while 15 others were detained as a preventive measure.
Adhikari, who has earned the name "giant killer" after he defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur seat by over 15,000 votes, is one of the frontrunners for chief minister.
