Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead less than 200 metres away from his home in North 24 Parganas' Madhyamgram on Wednesday night. Rath was killed because of the Trinamool Congress' "gundagardi" (hooliganism), his mother has claimed.
"I hold the TMC responsible, it's their gundagardi, they are behind this," Chandranath Rath's mother Hasirani Rath said in an interview with NDTV.
Rath, who was sitting in the front passenger seat of his SUV -- a Mahindra Scorpio -- was shot at point-blank range by unidentified assailants on a bike. Visuals showed the left front window of the car was cracked with bullet holes. His driver, Buddhadeb, was injured and taken to the hospital after the attack.
"I got to know about the incident through TV news," Hasirani Rath said.
Calling for justice, Rath's mother said, she does not want the accused to be given death sentence. She instead demanded life imprisonment for the gunmen.
"My son is gone. I want justice for my son; I want the new government to ensure my son gets justice. I don't want the perpetrators to be given the death sentence. I just want them to be given life imprisonment. I am also a mother, I don't want any other child to die," she said.
Hasirani pinned her hopes on the new government to catch and punish her son's perpetrators.
"I am grateful to Suvendu Adhikari. He took my son under his wings and he has done a lot for us," she added.
"Killed Because I Defeated Mamata Banerhjee": Suvendu Adhikari On Aide's Murder
Suvendu Adhikari has called the killing of Rath a "pre-planned" and "cold-blooded murder" which showcases the "15 years of Maha-Jungle Raj." He believes that the gunmen carried out a "recce for two to three days."
Adhikari, who defeated Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in her stronghold Bhabanipur, also alleged that the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election results triggered the murder.
"He was killed because he was my aide and I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. This could be the reason for his murder..." Adhikari told reporters Thursday after meeting Rath's family. "No matter how much we condemn how this murder was carried out, it is not enough. I stand with his family's demand... to apprehend those who committed this murder and ensure they are punished. The post-mortem revealed four bullets were fired... this was premeditated."
#WATCH | North 24 Parganas, West Bengal: The mortal remains of Chandranath Rath, PA of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, were brought from the hospital in Madhyamgram to his residence.
— ANI (@ANI) May 7, 2026
He says, "No matter how much we condemn the way this murder was carried out, it is not enough. He… pic.twitter.com/rNusFawpG9
The Trinamool condemned the murder and blamed "BJP-backed miscreants" for post-poll violence.
The TMC has demanded "strongest possible action" and court-monitored CBI investigation.
"Violence and political killings have no place in a democracy and the guilty must be held accountable at the earliest," the TMC wrote in a post on X.
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…
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 6, 2026
A special investigative team has been set up to investigate the murder.
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