As soon as Rath’s car stopped, four attackers on two bikes stopped near the vehicle and started firing indiscriminately.

Kolkata: More horrifying details have come to light in the murder case in Bengal. BJP Chandranath Rath, a close aide of leader Suvendu Adhikari, was chased, trapped and shot dead by bike-borne assailants near Kolkata airport late on Wednesday night. Rath, who had worked as Adhikari’s personal assistant for nearly five years, was on his way to his Michaelnagar home in Madhyamgram around 10.20 pm when the attack occurred on a relatively deserted stretch of Jessore Road, barely three kilometers from the airport. According to eyewitnesses and preliminary police findings, eight armed men riding on four motorcycles allegedly started chasing Rath’s Scorpio as it crossed the airport area. Near Dohariya, a small four-wheeler suddenly appeared in front of the SUV and blocked its path, causing the vehicle to stop.Moments later, four attackers on two bikes stopped near the car and started firing indiscriminately.Rath was shot in the chest and stomach, while the driver Buddhadeb Bera was shot in the chest, stomach and leg. The attackers, none of whom were wearing helmets, fled the spot immediately after the firing.Locals rushed Rath and Bera to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared Rath brought dead. Bera was later transferred to another medical facility and remains in critical condition.

Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant shot

Hospital owner Pratim Sengupta said Rath died before he could be brought to the hospital, while Bera was referred elsewhere for advanced treatment.Senior Bengal Police officials reached the spot immediately after the incident and the area has been cordoned off for forensic investigation. Police said CCTV footage from the area shows the bike-riding suspects fleeing the scene and investigators are trying to identify them.“It appears that the attackers were specifically targeting the chariot,” a senior police officer said. He said all angles including political and personal motives are being investigated.The murder sparked massive outrage among BJP workers and hundreds gathered outside the hospital overnight, raising slogans against the ruling Trinamool Congress and demanding immediate arrest. Many supporters started crying when senior BJP leaders and newly elected MLAs reached the hospital.Describing the murder as “brutal” and “meticulously planned”, Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the attackers had conducted reconnaissance for several days before carrying out the ambush.Urging BJP workers not to retaliate or take law into their own hands, the officer said, “This is a pre-planned murder. Recce was conducted for two to three days before carrying out the attack.”He said senior BJP leaders, including Union Minister Sukant Majumdar, spoke to the victim’s family and assured them of full support. “We will stand with the family and ensure justice,” the officer said.The murder sparked a major political storm in Bengal, coming just 48 hours after the assembly election results, in which the BJP won 207 seats in the 294-member House.

The glass window of a vehicle was damaged after BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath was shot at close range by unidentified assailants in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, according to sources. (PTI photo)

Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya held Trinamool Congress responsible for the attack. “This is what was expected from Trinamool. They are responsible for this death,” he alleged.However, Trinamool condemned the incident and demanded a court-monitored CBI investigation to ensure that those behind the murder are identified and punished as soon as possible.Eyewitnesses said the attack appeared to be highly coordinated and pre-planned. A witness told news agency ANI that Rath’s vehicle was stopped soon after his own car crossed it, after which a bike-riding gunman came from the left and started firing from very close range.The eyewitness said, “It appears to be pre-planned. The shooter seemed trained and ran away immediately after the firing. I heard two rounds fired.” He said that the incident happened between 10.30 and 11 pm at a distance of about 200-300 meters from the hospital.Doctors at the private hospital said Rath was hit by two bullets in the chest, one of which pierced his heart, while the other bullet hit his stomach. A doctor said, “There was no chance of reviving him.”Police later recovered live rounds and several spent cartridges from the spot. DGP Siddh Nath Gupta said investigators had also seized the small four-wheeler that was allegedly used to stop Rath’s SUV before the attack.“The registration number appears to be that of the Siliguri Regional Transport Office, but our initial assessment suggests that the number plate has been tampered with,” the DGP said. He said statements of eyewitnesses are being recorded and forensic evidence is being processed.Television visuals from the scene showed the shattered windshield of Rath’s SUV, blood stains inside the vehicle and heavy police deployment on Jessore Road as forensic teams searched the area for evidence.Union minister Sukant Majumdar described the incident as “very sad” and said police had informed BJP leaders that “significant progress” had been made in the investigation.BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta termed the murder as a “premeditated political murder”, alleging that Rath was specifically targeted because of his central role in Adhikari’s political operations.“Chandra was at the heart of Suvendu Adhikari’s political office. The attackers knew his route and planned the operation accordingly,” alleged Dasgupta.(with agency input)