Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants on Wednesday night in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas.
The incident occurred on Wednesday night, May 6, 2026, in the Doharia area of Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district. Rath was travelling in a white SUV when motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted the vehicle and opened fire at close range. He was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries.
Rath, 41, was a former Indian Air Force serviceman who joined Adhikari's team around 2019. He hailed from Chandipur in Purba Medinipur and his family had switched allegiance from the Trinamool Congress to the BJP in 2020. Adhikari described the killing as heart-wrenching and suspected political links.
BJP workers gathered outside the hospital and blocked a national highway in protest. The Trinamool Congress condemned the murder and demanded a court-monitored CBI probe. Director General of Police Siddhnath Gupta said an investigation had begun, the vehicle used had a tampered number plate, and arrests would follow soon.
