CBI arrests 2 from Uttar Pradesh in Murder Case of Suvendu Adhikari’s aide Chandranath Rath
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two accused in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, an aide of BJP leader and West Bengal opposition figure Suvendu Adhikari. The arrests were made during coordinated operations in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
The accused, identified as Vikas Mishra and Golu Singh, were apprehended from Lucknow and Ballia respectively. According to officials, Mishra was arrested from a hotel in Lucknow, while Singh was taken into custody in Ballia following extensive searches conducted by the agency.
In a related development, another accused, Gyanendra Pratap Singh alias Monu, surrendered before a Gangsters Act court in Ballia on Thursday. The court subsequently remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody. Monu, a known history-sheeter with multiple criminal cases against him, is also wanted in the Rath murder investigation.
Chandranath Rath, who served as executive assistant to Suvendu Adhikari when he was Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, was shot dead on May 6 in the Doharia area of Madhyamgram. The incident occurred just two days after the declaration of the West Bengal Assembly election results.
Rath sustained critical injuries in the attack and was rushed to a private hospital, where he was declared dead. Following the incident, the CBI took over the investigation from the West Bengal Police and registered a fresh FIR as part of its probe.
The agency has constituted a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) from its Special Crime Division in Delhi. Officials said all three accused will be produced before a special CBI court in Kolkata as investigations continue into the conspiracy and circumstances surrounding the killing.
