Kolkata: In a shocking incident Wednesday night, Chandranath Rath, a close aide and personal assistant of outgoing Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead on a road in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district while returning home from a party programme.
Confirming the incident, newly elected BJP MLA and senior Calcutta High Court advocate Kaustav Bagchi claimed that the vehicle in which Rath was travelling had been followed for a considerable distance by another car.
“As Rath’s vehicle reached the Doharia crossing in Madhyamgram, the pursuing vehicle overtook and blocked it. A group of armed assailants then came out and opened indiscriminate fire,” Bagchi alleged.
According to him, Rath sustained multiple bullet injuries to the head, chest and abdomen.
He was rushed to Viva City Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Bagchi alleged a political conspiracy behind the killing and demanded strong action from the administration.
He said he had reached the hospital soon after the incident.
Sources said Suvendu Adhikari was also on his way to the hospital after receiving information about the attack.
Another person, identified as Buddhadeb Bera, who was travelling in the same vehicle with Rath, also sustained multiple bullet injuries.
He is currently undergoing treatment at Viva City Hospital and is said to be in critical condition.
Sources said both Rath and Bera were part of Adhikari’s core team and had been involved in managing his election campaign in Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in south Kolkata, where Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee in the recently concluded Assembly polls.
Police sources said the nature of the attack suggested that the killing might have been pre-planned.
Senior police officials have reached the spot and launched an investigation.
Police are examining CCTV footage from the area and trying to identify eyewitnesses to trace the assailants.
