The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is set to lead the inquiry into the Chandranath Rath assassination case, as confirmed by officials on Tuesday. A 7-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by a DIG-rank CBI officer, will spearhead the investigation. The handover of the case from the West Bengal Police to the CBI is scheduled for later today.
The West Bengal Police had previously recommended a CBI probe into the case. Three sharpshooters from Uttar Pradesh were apprehended by the Bengal Police on Monday and presented before a district court in Barasat, North 24 Parganas. These individuals, arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Bengal Police, have been remanded to police custody until May 24.
Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant to the current West Bengal Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, was fatally shot by motorcycle-borne attackers on May 6. The arrested suspects were discreetly brought to Kolkata and interrogated at the state police headquarters throughout the night. Rath’s tragic demise occurred just two days after the declaration of the West Bengal Assembly election results on May 4.
Following the incident on May 6 night, where Rath was ambushed while returning home, investigations revealed that the vehicles used in the attack had fake number plates. The assailants, on motorcycles, fired multiple rounds at close range, resulting in Rath’s immediate death and severe injuries to his driver, Buddhadeb Bera. The driver is currently in recovery.
