After assuming responsibility for probing the murder of Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials visited the crime scene in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas district. The CBI took over the case from the Special Investigation Team of the West Bengal Police. Three suspects, identified as Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Mourya, and Raj Singh, have already been apprehended by the state police’s Special Investigation Team and are currently in custody. The CBI is now planning to request custody of these individuals for further questioning.
Rath was fatally shot on May 6 by assailants on motorcycles. The incident occurred just two days after the results of the West Bengal Assembly elections were announced, with the Bharatiya Janata Party emerging victorious in 207 constituencies. Rath was attacked while returning home from a party event in Madhyamgram when his vehicle was intercepted by another car, and one of the motorcyclists accompanying him opened fire. Rath succumbed to his injuries on the spot, while his driver, Buddhadeb Bera, sustained critical injuries but is now recovering. Investigations revealed that the vehicles used in the attack had fake number plates.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari suggested that Rath’s murder was linked to his role as the personal assistant of the candidate who defeated Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur constituency.
