Kamal Ghorui
“I want the guilty to be punished. I am a mother, I do not want them to be hanged. I want life imprisonment for them,” Hasirani Rath said while speaking to reporters.
NEW DELHI: Hasirani Rath, mother of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday demanded life imprisonment for those behind her son’s murder, alleging that the attack took place because the BJP had come to power in West Bengal, as per a ANI news agency report.“I want the guilty to be punished. I am a mother, I do not want them to be hanged. I want life imprisonment for them,” she said while speaking to reporters.Chandranath Rath, who served as Adhikari’s personal assistant and close aide, was shot dead near Madhyamgram near North 24 Parganas on Wednesday night.“They did this because the BJP came to power. Our state president and leaders are repeatedly saying to maintain law and order in the state. But those from the ruling party who were making various provocative comments, who were saying that after the 4th, the fathers of Delhi will not be able to save us, so after the 4th, they showed it,” Hasirani Rath further alleged.According to police, unidentified assailants opened fire at close range while he was travelling in his vehicle. He was later declared dead at a nearby hospital.Suvendu Adhikari described the killing as a “pre-planned murder” and claimed his aide had been under surveillance for several days before the attack took place.“We are grieving and are at lack of words for condemning this incident. Our entire leadership from Delhi has taken information about this. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar talked to the family (of the deceased) and the police. Various leaders and chosen MLAs have come here from their regions. The police have found some evidence, and they will investigate. This is the result of 15 years of Maha-Jungle Raj. BJP will start the cleansing work of the goons here,” Adhikari surther added.The BJP leaders alleged political targeting and blamed the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) for deteriorating law and order in the state.TMC condemned the killing of Rath and demanded a court-monitored CBI investigation into the incident.Police and forensic experts visited the crime scene and recovered evidence, including cartridges and CCTV footage, as part of the investigation. Security has also been tightened in parts of North 24 Parganas following the murder.Rath, a former Indian Air Force personnel, was regarded as one of Adhikari’s most trusted associates and had been working closely with him for years in political and organisational matters.
