Suvendu Adhikari's PA shot dead near Madhyamgram Biryani Shop in planned attack using fake number plates
: In a shocking incident in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead late Wednesday night near a biryani shop in Madhyamgram.
According to police sources, Rath had spent the day accompanying Adhikari as part of his routine duties. On his way home, his vehicle stopped briefly near a roadside eatery, just a few hundred metres from Jessore Road, when the attack took place.
Investigators believe the assailants had been tracking the vehicle since the afternoon. A suspect car was reportedly seen near Dolatala Sahara Bridge hours before the incident, suggesting the attack was pre-planned.
Eyewitnesses said attackers on motorcycles approached the Scorpio SUV, and shots were fired at close range through the vehicle window. Rath, seated in the front passenger seat, was hit by multiple bullets in the head, chest, and leg. The driver was also injured in the firing.
Police suspect the attackers used multiple escape routes, including Jessore Road and nearby expressways such as Barasat, Kalyani, and Belgharia, while also dispersing towards Nadia and Bongaon districts.
Preliminary investigation indicates the use of fake number plates on both the car and motorcycles involved. Officials also found that identifying marks on the vehicle chassis had been deliberately erased, pointing to a carefully executed professional hit.
Rath was rushed to a private hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
The incident comes just days after the recent political developments in West Bengal following the assembly election results, further heightening tensions in the state.
Authorities have launched a large-scale investigation, with multiple CCTV networks being scanned across North 24 Parganas to trace the attackers. No arrests have been made so far.
