BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant killed in point-blank shooting in Bengal days after BJP's poll victory

Two days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a massive victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections, Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, was shot dead by unidentified assailants, triggering sharp political reactions and heightened tension in the area.

The incident took place at Doharia in the Doltala area of Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district when Rath, who served as the executive assistant to the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, was returning to his flat from Kolkata in a car. According to news agency PTI, motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted the vehicle and opened fire at point-blank range.

Preliminary reports suggest that the attackers had been following Rath's car before intercepting it. They allegedly fired through the rolled-up window from the opposite side of the vehicle before fleeing the scene. Rath, who was seated in the front passenger seat next to the driver, suffered multiple bullet injuries to his chest and abdomen, leading to severe blood loss, BJP leaders claimed.

Rath was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. A hospital doctor 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."

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

Another person travelling in the same vehicle, identified as Buddhadeb Bera, also suffered multiple gunshot injuries. He is currently undergoing treatment at Viva City Hospital and is stated to be in critical condition.

Suvendu Adhikari was on his way to the hospital after receiving news of the attack, the report added.

According to BJP sources cited by PTI, Rath played a key role in Adhikari's campaign in the Bhabanipur constituency, where the BJP leader defeated former chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

Reacting to the incident, BJP leader and MLA-elect Kaustav Bagchi, who was present at the hospital, alleged that the killing 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," he told a vernacular news channel.

Newly elected BJP MLA Tarunjyoti Tewari also condemned the attack, saying, "We have been preaching peace, but TMC has made the biggest blunder."

Senior BJP leaders rushed to the spot, while Adhikari later visited the area amid rising political tensions.

News of the incident spread quickly, prompting the deployment of a large police contingent in the area. BJP workers and supporters also gathered outside the medical facility, expressing anger over the killing.

Police sources said the nature of the attack suggested it may have been pre-planned. Senior police officials reached the spot soon after the incident and launched an investigation.

The motive behind the attack is not yet known. Police are currently examining CCTV footage from the area and speaking to eyewitnesses in an effort to identify and trace the assailants.

(With inputs from IANS)