The killing of Chandranath Rath, close aide and personal assistant to senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, has triggered political outrage in West Bengal, with eyewitness accounts painting a horrifying picture of the attack that unfolded late Wednesday night in Madhyamgram.
Rath was shot dead after unidentified assailants allegedly intercepted his vehicle and fired multiple rounds at close range. His driver, Buddhadev Bera, also sustained serious bullet injuries and remains under treatment.
As political tensions continue to rise in Bengal following the Assembly election results, the eyewitness account has added a disturbing human dimension to the incident, which BJP leaders have termed a “cold-blooded murder”.
Eyewitness recounts horrific scene
Speaking to media, an eyewitness who reached the spot shortly after the firing described seeing a white Scorpio vehicle parked on the roadside with its occupants critically injured.
According to the witness, the driver of the vehicle was crying uncontrollably and calling out to Rath.
“When we reached there, the driver was sobbing and saying, ‘Sir, what has happened to you?’” the eyewitness recalled.
The witness further stated that Rath was sitting inside the vehicle in a severely injured condition.
“We saw that the person sitting on the other seat was completely soaked in blood. Blood was gushing out from his chest and faint sounds were coming from his mouth,” the eyewitness said.
According to the eyewitness, Rath was still alive at that moment but was unable to speak due to the severity of the injuries.
“At that time, he was alive but was not in a condition to speak. His chest was completely covered in blood,” the witness added.
The eyewitness said locals immediately instructed the driver to rush Rath to the hospital while police were informed about the shooting.
“We told the driver to take him to the hospital immediately while we called the police. Two people had been shot in the incident,” the eyewitness stated.
“The driver left for the hospital with them, and after they left, we informed the police about the incident,” he added.
How did the attack take place?
According to preliminary information accessed by News18, Chandranath Rath was returning to his residence in Madhyamgram late Wednesday night when the attack occurred.
Sources told media that Rath’s Scorpio vehicle was barely around 200 metres away from his residence when another car allegedly intercepted it on the road.
As the Scorpio slowed down, multiple motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly opened fire at close range before fleeing from the spot.
Police sources believe the attack was carefully planned.
Investigators suspect that at least eight assailants travelling on four motorcycles were involved in the shooting. All of them were reportedly wearing helmets.
Police are also probing the role of a suspicious vehicle carrying a Siliguri registration code (WB 74), which allegedly blocked Rath’s vehicle moments before the firing began. West Bengal Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta later stated that investigators suspect the vehicle was using a fake number plate.
Chandranath Rath declared dead at hospital
Following the firing, Rath and his driver Buddhadev Bera were rushed to a hospital in Madhyamgram.
Hospital superintendent Pratim Sengupta confirmed that Rath suffered two bullet injuries on the left side of his chest and was brought dead to the hospital.
“He could not be revived even with CPR,” Sengupta said.
Meanwhile, driver Buddhadev Bera sustained three bullet injuries, one on the right side of his chest, another in the abdomen and one in his right hand.
He was later shifted to Apollo Multispeciality Hospital in Kolkata for surgery and remains conscious, according to hospital sources.
Killing sparks political outrage in Bengal
The murder of Chandranath Rath has intensified the already volatile political atmosphere in West Bengal following the Assembly election results declared on May 4.
Rath, who was considered one of Suvendu Adhikari’s most trusted aides, had reportedly spent the day appealing to BJP workers in his native Chandipur village to avoid retaliatory violence and maintain peace.
“Dada has requested you all to stay calm and not indulge or resort to any violence,” Rath had reportedly told party workers earlier in the day.
Soon after news of the killing spread, several BJP leaders rushed to the hospital, including Sukanta Majumdar, Arjun Singh, Shankar Ghosh, Piyush Kanoria and Kaustav Bagchi.
Suvendu Adhikari also reached the hospital shortly after midnight and termed the incident a “cold-blooded murder”, alleging that Rath had been deliberately targeted.
Another BJP Worker, Rohit Roy was killed hours later
Hours after Rath’s killing, another violent incident was reported from Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district, where BJP worker Rohit Roy alias Chintu was allegedly shot during a clash over the placement of BJP flags.
According to BJP leaders, the incident took place in the Gotra area when party workers were putting up BJP flags in the locality. BJP alleged that “TMC-sheltered miscreants” opened fire during the confrontation.
Roy sustained bullet injuries in the abdomen and was rushed to Basirhat state-run hospital. While doctors initially described his condition as critical but stable, later reports confirmed that he succumbed to his injuries.
A video circulated by BJP’s media cell allegedly showed Roy accusing a group of 8 to 10 TMC workers of attacking him while BJP workers were installing flags in the area.
The back-to-back incidents have further escalated political tensions in Bengal, with the BJP accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of targeting party workers after the election results.
