Suvendu Adhikari’s PA shot dead in Madhyamgram
Guwahati: Two days after the West Bengal BJP's historic victory in the assembly election, Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant (PA) was shot and killed in Madhyamgram. Three of the four shots fired at the BJP leader's PA, Chandranath Rath, hit him while he was in a moving car. When his car slowed down, the suspects pursued it and started shooting.
Images revealed bullet holes in the left front window of the vehicle.
For many years, Chandranath Rath worked for Suvendu Adhikari, managing the political coordination and other tasks of the BJP leader. Suvendu Adhikari's inner circle included the PA.
Following the incident at the assembly constituency in the North 24 Parganas district near Kolkata, Buddhadeb, Rath's driver, whos was also hurt was transported to a hospital, according to sources.
BJP leader Nikhil Prasun told NDTV,"This incident is symptomatic of the culture of violence prevalent all these years, cultivated by the Trinamool Congress. He has been brutally murdered. This should be thoroughly investigated. There is a deeper conspiracy behind the killing,"
BJP leader Devdas Mondal also accused the Trinamool for the murder of an "innocent man". "We will identify the accused and bring them to justice," he told NDTV.
In a post on X, the Trinamool Congress condemned the death and claimed that "BJP backed miscreants" had been committing post-election violence for the previous three days.
The murder of Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant occurred on the same day the BJP accused Trinamool Congress workers of posing as BJP supporters to provoke unrest. Several videos circulating on social media appeared to show isolated incidents of vandalism and destruction of public property by roaming groups.
Ajay Kumar Nand, the head of Kolkata Police, stated that around 80 individuals were arrested. Of them, 65 were held in connection with particular cases, while 15 were detained as a preventive measure.
Suvendu Adhikari, widely referred to as the “giant killer” after defeating Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur constituency by more than 15,000 votes, has emerged as one of the leading contenders for the chief minister’s post.