2013 déjà vu? Suvendu Adhikari’s another close aide was found dead in Bengal over a decade ago
In 2013, Suvendu Adhikari’s former personal assistant Pradip Jha was found dead on Kolkata’s S Strand Road. Adhikari was then a TMC MP.
Chandranath Rath, a close aide of Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on 6 May — two days after the saffron party emerged victorious in West Bengal elections.
This is not the first time that a close aide of Suvendu has been killed in West Bengal. In 2013, Suvendu Adhikari’s former personal assistant, Pradip Jha, was found dead on Kolkata’s S Strand Road. Adhikari was then a TMC MP.
Jha had served as Adhikari's personal assistant and political secretary, according to a 2013 report by The Times of India. Adhikari was then an MP from Tamluk in East Midnapore district in West Bengal. Jha, 42, was a resident of Barasat.
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Chandranath Rath was a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. He had a background in the Indian Air Force and later transitioned into political coordination and administrative roles, becoming a trusted associate of Adhikari.
Chandranath Rath was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants who intercepted his vehicle near Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas. The attackers opened fire at close range before fleeing the scene.
Chandranath Rath was killed two days after the BJP's victory in the West Bengal Elections. The incident has led to a political slugfest, with the BJP accusing the TMC of lawlessness and the TMC dismissing the allegations as politicization.
Suvendu Adhikari described the killing as a 'cold-blooded murder' and the result of 15 years of TMC's 'Mahajungle Raj'. He alleged that the assailants had conducted a recce beforehand and appealed to BJP workers to maintain peace.
Yes, in 2013, Suvendu Adhikari's former personal assistant, Pradip Jha, was found dead in Kolkata. This incident is being compared to the recent killing of Chandranath Rath.
Jha, a worker of the ruling party's youth wing, ran a small travel agency. He had been a Congress worker before joining the TMC. Basirhat MP Nurul Islam had also appointed him as a personal assistant.
Update on Chandranath Rath's murder
West Bengal Police on 7 May seized a vehicle in connection with Chandranath Rath's murder. West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Siddh Nath Gupta said that live rounds along with fired cartridges were recovered from the spot of the incident near Madhyamgram.
“We have started the investigation. The four-wheeler used in the crime has been seized, but it is being reported that the number plate is fake and has been tampered with. We have recovered live rounds and fired cartridges from the spot. Eyewitness accounts are being recorded, and evidence is being processed. Further investigation is underway,” Gupta said.
The BJP has stepped up the demand for the arrest of those involved in the killing of Chandranath Rath murder, alleging that the murder was a testament to “complete collapse” of law and order in the state under the rule of the TMC government.
The saffron party also accused the TMC of fostering “lawlessness” after losing power in the recent assembly polls.
The Trinamool Congress dismissed the allegations and accused the BJP of attempting to politicise the incident before the investigation had progressed.
“The TMC has nothing to do with this unfortunate incident. The police are investigating the case professionally. The BJP should refrain from making baseless accusations. We are the ones who demanded a CBI probe of the killing,” a senior Trinamool leader said.
(With agency inputs)
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