Vehicle with damaged side window through which officer’s PA Chandranath Rath (inset) was shot in North 24 Parganas, Bengal

KOLKATA: Motorcycle-borne assailants shot dead Chandranath Rath, personal assistant of BJP’s Bengal face Suvendu Adhikari, and seriously injured another aide Buddhadeb Bera inside his car in Madhyamgram Lane, near Kolkata airport, around 10.20 pm on Wednesday. Rath, who was close to the officer for at least five years, was on his way home when another vehicle stopped his Scorpio and a gunman on a motorcycle fired several rounds at him and Bera from the front passenger window, police said. The victim, about 40 years old, was declared dead when taken to a nearby hospital. The killing followed an outbreak of post-poll political violence in some parts of the state, prompting the BJP leadership to direct its workers to restore peace on the ground. Investigators said they were unsure about the motive behind the attack on Rath and his aide, adding that they would not rule out personal or political rivalry. The shocking crime happened 48 hours after Bengal gave the BJP a massive mandate with 207 seats in the 294-member assembly. Adhikari, who retained his Nandigram seat and also defeated outgoing CM Mamata Banerjee in Bhawanipur, reached the spot where his colleague was shot dead around midnight, but has still not issued any statement.Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said, “This was expected from Trinamool only. They are responsible for this death.” Trinamool condemned the incident and demanded a “court-monitored CBI investigation” to ensure that those responsible “are identified and brought to justice without any delay”. Rath and Bera were going from Kolkata to their house in Michael Nagar, Madhyamgram when the incident happened. According to the police, the incident took place at 10:20 pm on Jessore Road in Dohariya, Madhyamgram. This place is barely 3 km away from NSCBI Airport. Eyewitnesses said that four bikes carrying eight people were following Rath and Bera’s car after crossing the airport. He said that at Dohariya, which is a bit deserted, a car from the other side stopped the car in which Rath and Bera were travelling. The police has confiscated this car. Two bike riders came near the car and started firing indiscriminately. The bike riders fired about eight-nine rounds, in which three bullets hit Rath’s chest, stomach and head. The blame also fell on Bera. These eyewitnesses claim that the bike riders were not wearing helmets and ran away after the firing. The local people took both Rath and Bera to the local private hospital. Rath was declared dead and Bera is being treated. Police are unable to talk to Bera as he is undergoing treatment. A police officer said, “At this point of time, all we can say is that we have collected some CCTV footage. In the footage, some miscreants riding a bike are seen running away. The pictures are being verified.” “It appears the attackers were specifically targeting the chariot. We are not clear about the motive,” the officer said. Senior police officers of Bengal are currently on the spot. The incident site has been cordoned off.