Kolkata, 6 May

In a shocking development within 48 hours of West Bengal assembly poll results, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, was shot dead by unidentified assailants on the northern fringes of Kolkata on Wednesday night.  

The incident took place at Doharia in Madhyamgram’s Doltala area in North 24 Parganas district, where Rath, who served as the executive assistant to the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, was shot at point-blank range by motorcycle-borne assailants, sources said.

According to preliminary information, the attackers followed Rath’s car, intercepted it, shot him through the rolled-up window from the opposite side and fled the scene immediately after carrying out the attack. He was seated in the front seat next to the driver.

Rath’s driver also sustained bullet injuries and was shifted to a Kolkata hospital, where his condition was stated to be critical.

Rath sustained critical injuries in the firing and was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, the official media channel of the BJP said.

"The victim was brought dead with multiple bullet injuries on his chest, which pierced his heart, and another bullet on his abdominal area. There was no opportunity to resuscitate him," a hospital doctor said.

Rath, according to party sources, played a crucial role in Adhikari's campaigns in the Bhabanipur constituency, where the BJP leader triumphed over former chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.

In a statement to a vernacular news channel, BJP leader and MLA-elect Kaustav Bagchi, who was present at the hospital said, "This was a targeted attack. The assailants followed Rath's car for a long time before pumping him with bullets. This is the handiwork of Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee. We will not rest until the criminals are identified. We will not cremate the body till then."

According to sources, Adhikari was on the way to the hospital.

"We have been preaching peace, but TMC has made the biggest blunder," newly elected BJP MLA Tarunjyoti Tewari said.

News of the incident spread quickly, prompting the deployment of a large police contingent in the area amid rising tension.

Senior police officers reached the spot and launched an investigation.

Efforts were underway to identify the assailants and ascertain the motive behind the attack, sources said.

The incident has sent shockwaves through the state's political circles.