West Bengal's post-poll tension took a bloody turn on Wednesday night after Chandranath Rath, a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in North 24 Parganas, less than 48 hours after the declaration of the fiercely fought assembly poll results.
How It Happened
Rath was returning home in a Scorpio SUV when his vehicle was allegedly tailed by a white car, with CCTV footage showing it tracking his movements from as early as 3 pm. At Doharia crossing in Madhyamgram, a four-wheeler blocked his path.
A motorcycle rider, wearing a helmet, pulled up alongside and fired indiscriminately at close range, killing Rath on the spot and leaving his driver Buddhadeb Bera gravely wounded. Three bullets were fired — Rath sustained wounds to the head, chest, and leg. The injured driver was also rushed to Apollo Hospital in Kolkata during the early hours of Thursday for treatment.
Austrian Glock Pistol Used, Fake Plates On Getaway Car
Investigators confirmed that shooters used an Austrian-made Glock G43X pistol to carry out the killing. West Bengal DGP Siddh Nath Gupta said: "We have seized the 4-wheeler used in the crime, but the number plate of the car is false and has been tampered with. We found live rounds and fired cartridges from the spot."
It was found that number in the licence plate belongs to another car owned by a Siliguri resident, William Joseph. He told the Siliguri police that his car, of a different make but bearing the same licence plate, was parked in his garage, Hindustan Times reported. Siliguri is 557 km away from Madhyamgram.
Joseph told the police that he wanted to sell his car and had put up an advertisement on OLX, HT reported.
CID Takes Over, Three Men In Custody
The CID of West Bengal Police took over the probe on Thursday morning. Police have taken three men into custody in connection with the case, though it remains unclear whether the attack was carried out by local miscreants or a specialised contract group.
BJP Blames Abhishek Banerjee, Demands Action
BJP leader Arjun Singh directly alleged that TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had orchestrated the murder. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya called it "a planned and targeted attack," adding that the assailants "wanted to send a political message."
Suvendu Adhikari said: "This is a cold-blooded murder. The way the attack was executed clearly suggests that the assailants had done a recce." He warned: "When the BJP government takes charge, we will start the job of cleaning up these criminals."
Family Speaks Out
Rath's mother Hasirani said: "I want life imprisonment for them. They did this because the BJP came to power... Since Suvendu Babu defeated Mamata Banerjee, my family has faced such a danger." His brother Dev Kumar said he had spoken to Chandranath just hours before the murder at 2 pm on Wednesday.
Protests, TMC Response And Centre Steps In
BJP workers and supporters blocked the National Highway at Bhadutala, West Medinapur, in protest. Meanwhile, the TMC condemned the murder and demanded a CBI investigation under court supervision, while also citing deaths of three of its own workers in post-poll violence.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been appointed as the central observer for the election of the BJP Legislature Party leader in West Bengal, with Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi as co-observer, as the party prepares sworn in on May 9.
ALSO READ: Who Was Chandranath Rath? BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari's Aide Killed Near Kolkata
Amit Shah to visit Bengal Today
Amid all the chaos in the state, Home minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Bengal on Thursday ahead of oath-taking ceremony of new Bengal CM on May 9.
Not Suvendu Adhikari's 1st PA To Die Unnaturally
Chandranath is not the first close aide of Suvendu Adhikari to die unnaturally. Back in 2013, when Adhikari was a member of Trinamool Congress and was serving as a Member of Parliament from Tamluk, his former personal assistant Pradip Jha was found dead on a pavement on Kolkata's Strang Road on August 3, 2013.
ALSO READ: Suvendu Adhikari's PA Shot Dead Amid Post-Poll Violence In Bengal
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