Investigation Underway: Police Recover Motorcycle, Round Up Suspects in PA Chandranath Rath Murder

Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday alleged that the murder of his personal assistant Chandranath Rath was a “premeditated” attack linked to Rath’s close association with him. Rath, a former Indian Air Force serviceman, was shot dead in Madhyamgram on Wednesday night. Adhikari claimed that Rath was targeted because he worked as his aide and because of Adhikari’s political rivalry with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The BJP leader said the killing had deeply shocked the party and Rath’s family.

Addressing reporters outside the hospital, Adhikari said Rath’s “only fault” was serving as his personal assistant. He alleged that multiple bullets were fired to ensure Rath’s death and cited the postmortem findings, which reportedly showed four bullet injuries. Adhikari further claimed that the attack had been carefully planned, alleging that reconnaissance was conducted for several days before the murder. He also said Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar informed him that investigators had recovered a motorcycle allegedly used by the attackers around four kilometres from the crime scene.

The BJP leader stated that state police, CID officials, forensic experts, and a Special Investigation Team were actively probing the murder. According to Adhikari, police had already detained some individuals and gathered important leads in the case. While expressing confidence in the investigation, he criticised the ruling Trinamool Congress government, alleging that law enforcement agencies were earlier prevented from effectively solving such cases. He also rejected demands from some Trinamool Congress leaders for a CBI inquiry, saying the state police were capable of identifying and arresting those responsible for the crime.

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The murder has intensified political tensions in West Bengal, where Adhikari remains one of the BJP’s most prominent leaders. Several BJP leaders, including Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar, reportedly contacted Rath’s family following the incident. Rath’s mother, who is also associated with the BJP in Purba Medinipur, appealed for strict punishment for the accused but said she preferred life imprisonment over capital punishment. Investigators are continuing to examine evidence, track suspects, and review forensic findings as the probe into the killing progresses.

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