The late-night murder of BJP leader and chief minister probable Suvendu Adhikari’s trusted aide, Chandranath Rath, near Kolkata on Wednesday has heightened political tension in West Bengal, days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ousted Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the bitterly contested assembly election, winning 207 of 294 seats.
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Police deployment have been increased across Kolkata and suburbs following the murder with anger and apprehension running high among supporters of political parties. Police barricades have been put up near state border check-posts and patrolling has been increased.
Political parties while demanding a thorough probe into Rath’s murder have urged cadres and citizens to remain calm.
Police fear social media messages and videos related to the murder could escalate tensions.
Over 1,500 persons have already been arrested since Monday when the assembly poll results were announced. Reports of political violence including arson have poured in from different parts of the state as it prepares for an uneasy government transition.
Both the BJP and the TMC have accused each other of fuelling violence.
Rath, 41, a former Indian Air Force employee, was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants who tailed his white Scorpio SUV before intercepting it near Doharia in Madhyamgram, opening fire while he was still inside the vehicle.
Another occupant of the SUV, the driver, also sustained injuries and was initially taken to a hospital in Madhyamgram before being shifted to a Kolkata hospital for further treatment.
According to what HT has learnt, the accused fired from both sides of the white SUV. “Rath was hit in the right abdomen and left chest. The bullets pierced through the heart,” doctors told the police.
Rath had played a key role in Adhikari’s election management in both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, both constituencies Adhikari won, defeating Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee on one.
A police officer, requesting anonymity, said the attackers appeared to have acted with precision. “The murder seems to have been committed by professionals. Chandranath Rath, who was sitting beside the driver, was the sole target.”
“The shots were perfectly aimed. Not a single hit the SUV’s body or front windshield. A couple of bullets hit the driver as he was close to the target. The rest hit Rath’s vital organs,” the officer added.
Eyewitness recounts incident
An eyewitness told news agency ANI that the attack appeared to be “pre-planned” and was carried out at “point-blank range” by a bike-borne assailant.
Recounting the sequence of events, the witness said Rath’s car had just crossed his vehicle when it suddenly stopped on the road and a man on a motorcycle opened fire from the left side of the SUV.
“The person seemed to be an expert and fled immediately,” the eyewitness said, adding that he heard “the sound of two rounds” during the firing.
According to the witness, the incident took place between 10.30 pm and 11 pm, around 200-300 metres from the hospital. He said locals rushed the victims to the hospital after the shooting.
Suvendu Adhikari urges calm
The crowd outside the hospital swelled as BJP supporters raised slogans against the Trinamool Congress, shouting, “We will crush TMC.”
Adhikari said the BJP was not jumping to conclusions yet, though he referred to the long history of political violence in the state.
“We are not drawing any conclusion at this moment, although it is a fact that TMC has used terror over all these years. The DGP has assured us that a proper investigation is on. He said this was a planned murder committed in cold blood. A car was used in the crime,” Adhikari said.
He appealed to party workers not to retaliate. “I request our people not to take the law into their hands and have faith in the administration. Justice will be done,” he said.
Adhikari added that investigators were still probing whether the murder had a political connection. “We think the incident may or may not be related to politics. Police have found that the murder was planned over the last three or four days. A recce was done. Our party will stand by the victim’s family,” he said.
He also referred to reports of attacks on BJP workers elsewhere in the state.
“We will wait. Police have some clues. Let them investigate this murder,” Adhikari added.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Agnimitra Paul alleged a political motive behind the killing and linked it to Mamata Banerjee’s defeat in Bhabanipur. “This is perhaps a consequence of Mamata Banerjee’s defeat in Bhabanipur,” she added, reported ANI.
Police probing a suspicious vehicle
Police teams have begun examining CCTV footage from cameras installed around the crime scene on Jessore Road. Shopkeepers in the area are also being questioned as investigators suspect some may have witnessed the attack.
Officials said police stations along the Bangladesh and Jharkhand border have been alerted.
West Bengal DGP Siddhinath Gupta reached the hospital soon after the incident and confirmed that investigators had seized a suspicious vehicle.
“We have seized a vehicle. A four-wheeler. It’s number plate was tampered. The number belongs to a vehicle registered in Siliguri. We have recived several live cartridges and fired cartridge cases,” Gupta told reporters.
Investigators later contacted Siliguri police after tracing the registration number. Police found that the number plate belonged to another vehicle owned by a Siliguri resident named William Joseph.
Joseph reportedly informed police that his own car – a different model carrying the same registration number – was parked in his garage in Siliguri, nearly 557 km away from Madhyamgram.
Police suspect the assailants had planned the murder over several days and carried out reconnaissance before the attack.
TMC seeks CBI probe
The ruling All India Trinamool Congress condemned Rath’s killing and claimed that several TMC workers had also died in incidents of post-poll violence over the last few days.
“We strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath in Madhyamgram tonight, along with the killing of three other TMC workers in incidents of post-poll violence allegedly carried out by BJP-backed miscreants over the last three days, despite the Model Code of Conduct being in force,” the party said in a statement.
The party also demanded strict action and called for a court-monitored CBI investigation.
“We demand the strongest possible action in this matter, including a court-monitored CBI investigation so that those responsible are identified and brought to justice without delay. Violence and political killings have no place in a democracy and the guilty must be held accountable at the earliest,” the statement added.
