Kamal Ghorui
KOLKATA: Chandranath Rath, the close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari who was shot dead in a brazen attack in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, had served nearly two decades in the Indian Air Force before becoming Suvendu’s most trusted political associates. Rath, 41, hailed from Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district, the political stronghold closely associated with Adhikari’s rise in West Bengal politics. Despite being part of Adhikari’s inner circle for years, he remained soft-spoken and largely away from public attention. Before entering politics, Rath studied at Rahara Ramakrishna Mission and was deeply influenced by the spiritual and disciplined ethos of the institution. Family acquaintances said he had once even considered embracing a spiritual life.Read more: 4 bikes, 8 gunmen and a blocked Scorpio: How Suvendu Adhikari’s aide was chased down and ambushed near Kolkata airport
The vehicle of Chandranath Rath with bullet injury.
He later joined the Indian Air Force, where he served for close to 20 years before taking voluntary retirement. After leaving the armed forces, Rath briefly worked in the corporate sector before gradually moving into political coordination and organisational management.Read more: Fake number plate, Glock 47X pistols, and point-blank shots: Chilling details emerge in Suvendu Adhikari aide’s killing Sources close to the family said to news agency PTI, the Raths, like Adhikari’s family, were earlier associated with the All India Trinamool Congress during its expansion in Purba Medinipur. His mother, Hasi Rath, had reportedly held a post in a local panchayat body during the TMC’s early years before shifting allegiance to the BJP alongside Adhikari in 2020. The connection between the Rath family and Adhikari is said to go back more than two decades. Rath formally joined Adhikari’s official team around 2019, when the latter was still a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government. Initially, he handled administrative responsibilities linked to Adhikari’s ministerial office and later continued in a similar role after the BJP leader switched camps. Over the years, Rath emerged as a crucial backroom operator in Adhikari’s political machinery. He coordinated organisational work, handled logistics and maintained communication with party workers and legislators. BJP insiders described him as someone who enjoyed Adhikari’s complete trust and was often assigned sensitive political and campaign-related responsibilities.
A damaged glass window of a vehicle after BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath was shot at from close range by unidentified assailants, according to sources, in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas. (PTI Photo)
He was also part of the core team during several high-profile political battles, including the BJP’s Bhabanipur campaign. Within sections of the BJP, there had even been speculation that Rath could be given a larger administrative role if Adhikari assumed a bigger position in government following the assembly elections. Those discussions came to an abrupt end on Wednesday night. According to investigators, Rath was returning to his Madhyamgram residence with aide Buddhadeb Bera when motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly intercepted their SUV near Doharia around 10.30 pm and opened fire at point-blank range. Police sources said multiple rounds were fired after another vehicle blocked Rath’s SUV on a deserted stretch near Jessore Road, barely three kilometres from Kolkata airport. Rath suffered bullet injuries to the chest and abdomen and was declared brought dead at a nearby private hospital. Bera, who was driving the vehicle, sustained serious injuries and remains under treatment. Eyewitnesses described the attack as “pre-planned”, claiming the shooters appeared highly trained and fled immediately after opening fire. The killing, which came less than 48 hours after the declaration of the West Bengal assembly poll results, triggered massive political outrage and fresh allegations of post-poll violence. Additional police forces were deployed across Madhyamgram, Doharia and adjoining areas on Thursday after BJP supporters staged protests demanding immediate arrests. West Bengal Police said CCTV footage from nearby areas was being examined, while multiple teams were conducting raids to identify the attackers. Investigators have also recovered live rounds, fired cartridges and seized a suspicious vehicle allegedly used during the operation, though officials said its number plate appeared to be fake or tampered with. Describing the killing as a “cold-blooded and pre-planned murder”, Adhikari alleged that the attackers had carried out reconnaissance before the ambush. “This is the result of 15 years of Mahajungle Raj in Bengal,” he alleged, while urging BJP workers not to take the law into their own hands. The TMC condemned the incident and demanded a court-monitored CBI probe, even as political tensions continued to escalate across Bengal following the bitterly fought assembly elections.(With agency inputs)
