Bengal bloodshed: Suvendu’s PA killed in car near Kolkata | India News
KOLKATA: Motorcycle-borne assailants fatally shot Chandranath Rath, personal assistant of BJP’s Bengali face Subvendu Adhikari, at pointblank range and critically injured another aide, Buddhadev Bera, inside their car in a Madhyamgram lane near Kolkata Airport around 10.20 pm on Wednesday. Rath, part of Adhikari’s close circle for at least five years, was heading home when another car rammed his Scorpio and a gunman on a motorcycle fired multiple rounds at him and Bera through the front passenger window, police said. The victim, aged in his early 40s, was declared brought dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. The killing capped a day of post-poll political violence in parts of the state, prompting the BJP brass to order its workers to restore calm on the ground. Investigators said they were unsure of the motive behind the attack on Roth and his colleague, saying they would not rule out personal or political enmity. The shocking crime occurred 48 hours after the Bengali BJP was given a huge mandate with 207 seats in the 294-member assembly. Adhikari, who retained his Nandigram seat and also defeated outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhavanipur, reached the spot where his aide was shot dead at midnight but is yet to issue a statement.Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said, “It was only expected from Trinamool. They are responsible for this death.” The Trinamool condemned the incident, calling for a “court-ordered CBI probe” to ensure “identification of those responsible and bringing them to justice without delay”. Rath and Bera were on their way from Kolkata to the former Michaelnagar’s house in Madhyamgram when the incident took place. According to the police, the incident took place at 10:20 pm in Jessore Road area of Doharia in Madhyamgram. This place is barely 3 km from NSCBI Airport. Witnesses said four bikes carrying eight people were chasing Rath and Bera’s car as they crossed the airport stretch. They said, at Doharia, which is somewhat deserted, a car from the other side in which Rath and Bera were riding stopped him. Police impounded this car. Two bikes approached the car and started firing indiscriminately. The bikers fired about eight-nine rounds, three of which hit Rath in the chest, abdomen and head. Bera was also hit. The bikers, these eyewitnesses claimed, were not wearing helmets and fled after firing. Locals took both Rath and Bera to a local private hospital. Rath is pronounced dead and Bera is being treated. Police are unable to speak to Bera as she is being treated. A police officer said, “Right now all we can say is that we have collected some CCTV footage. The footage shows some bike-laden miscreants fleeing. The images are being verified.” The official said, “It seems the assailants specifically targeted Rath. We are not clear about the motive.” Senior officers of Bengal Police are now at the spot. The crime scene has been cordoned off.
