West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 | 'Chandranath was killed because I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur': Suvendu Adhikari

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has alleged that his PA Chandranath Rath was killed because he "defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur in the recently concluded assembly elections.

Adhikari was talking to media persons on Thursday in North 24 Parganas where he said that Rath's murder was "premeditated."

Post-poll violence in West Bengal escalated further on Wednesday night when Adhikari's executive assistant Chandranath Rath was shot dead by bike-borne assailants on the outskirts of Kolkata.

"No matter how much we condemn the way this murder was carried out, it is not enough. He was killed because he was my aide and I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. This could be the reason for his murder," Adhikari told media.

"I stand with his family, and the family's demand is to apprehend those who committed this murder and ensure they are punished. The postmortem revealed that 4 bullets were fired at him. This murder was premeditated," he added.

According to preliminary information, Rath was intercepted near Doltala in Madhyamgram around 10.30 pm by motorcycle-borne assailants who tailed his vehicle, forced it to stop and opened fire before fleeing.

Investigators said that Rath's vehicle was intercepted barely 100 metres from his residential complex around 10.15 pm on Wednesday.

Rath's mortal remains were brought from the hospital in Madhyamgram to his residence.

Driver critical

The driver of the car, which was targeted by the assailants, is in a critical condition at a hospital, police sources said on Thursday.

Buddhadeb Bera, who was driving Rath's car, sustained bullet injuries and has undergone multiple surgeries, a senior official of the hospital said.

"His condition continues to be very critical. He underwent a couple of surgical procedures and is being closely monitored in the intensive care unit," the official said.