National, May 7: Fresh violence erupted in West Bengal on the night of May 6 after Chandranath Rath, a close associate of senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in North 24 Parganas in an incident the BJP described as a “targeted political assassination”.
The killing took place less than 48 hours after the declaration of the Assembly election results and triggered strong political reactions, protests, and renewed accusations of retaliatory violence between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling All India Trinamool Congress.
According to preliminary police findings, Rath was attacked near Doharia between Doltala and Madhyamgram at around 10.30 pm while returning home. Investigators said motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted his SUV, forced it to stop, and opened fire at close range before fleeing.
Eyewitnesses claimed that a small four-wheeler initially blocked Rath’s vehicle near the junction, after which one of the attackers approached the SUV and fired multiple rounds. The occupants of the blocking vehicle reportedly abandoned it and escaped on motorcycles.
Rath, who served as executive assistant to the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, was declared dead on arrival at hospital. Doctors said he sustained multiple bullet injuries to the chest and abdomen. His driver, identified as Buddhadeb Bera, also suffered gunshot injuries and remains in critical condition at a hospital in Kolkata.
Television visuals from the scene showed the SUV riddled with bullet damage, blood-stained interiors, and heavy police deployment amid escalating tension in the area.
Reacting strongly, Adhikari termed the attack a “cold-blooded murder” and alleged that the shooting was carried out after prior reconnaissance. He claimed that violence targeting BJP workers had intensified after the election results and alleged that another BJP worker was shot in Basirhat while one more was stabbed in Baranagar the same night.
Adhikari said he had spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and senior BJP leaders regarding the incident. Describing the law-and-order situation as “Mahajungle Raj”, he accused the ruling dispensation of encouraging political violence over the past 15 years.
West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya described the killing as evidence of the “criminalisation of politics” in the state, while BJP MLA-elect Kaustav Bagchi alleged that the attackers had tailed Rath’s vehicle for a considerable distance before opening fire.
As news of the incident spread, hundreds of BJP supporters gathered outside the hospital, raising slogans against the TMC and demanding immediate arrests. A large police contingent was deployed in and around the hospital premises and along Jessore Road to prevent escalation.
The TMC condemned the killing and demanded a court-monitored CBI investigation. In a statement, the party alleged that three of its workers had also been killed in separate incidents of post-poll violence allegedly involving “BJP-backed miscreants” over the past three days.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Police launched a multi-pronged investigation into the attack. Director General of Police Siddhinath Gupta said investigators recovered empty cartridges and live ammunition from the scene and seized the vehicle allegedly used to block Rath’s SUV.
Gupta stated that the registration number of the seized vehicle appeared linked to the Siliguri RTO, though preliminary examination suggested the number plate may have been tampered with.
Police sources said forensic experts are analysing CCTV footage from surrounding areas to reconstruct the sequence of events. Multiple teams have been formed to trace the attackers, who reportedly used motorcycles without number plates and wore helmets to conceal their identities.
Investigators are also examining the possibility of professional contract killers being involved. Preliminary forensic inputs suggest that sophisticated firearms, possibly Glock 47X pistols, may have been used in the attack.
The killing has once again drawn attention to West Bengal’s volatile political environment, with both the BJP and TMC accusing each other of fuelling violence in the aftermath of one of the state’s most fiercely contested elections in recent years.
