Following the murder of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath, party leaders on Thursday remembered him as a “completely apolitical” and dependable figure who had long worked closely with the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal.
Reacting to the incident, BJP leader Agnimitra Paul said Rath was known within the party as “Mr Dependable”.
“I got the news, Chandra, who looked after all the works of our LoP in the Assembly, like Mr Dependable, he was completely apolotical, he was coming from Nizam Palace, he was fired upon 4-5 bullets, police will investigate,” Paul said, as reported by news agency PTI. Follow West Bengal news live updates.
Rath, who had worked closely with Suvendu Adhikari for past five years, was shot dead by unidentified, bike-borne assailants in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas late Wednesday night.
{{/usCountry}}Rath, who had worked closely with Suvendu Adhikari for past five years, was shot dead by unidentified, bike-borne assailants in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas late Wednesday night.
{{/usCountry}}The killing came barely two days after the BJP’s sweeping victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections, where the party won 207 of the 294 seats.
Another BJP leader, Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, also described Rath as a close friend and “apoltical”.
“Chandranath Rath was a dear friend and completely apolitical person; won't spare culprits,” PTI quoted her as saying.
Rath's mother demands punishment
Rath’s mother, Hasirani Rath, demanded strict punishment for those responsible and linked the attack to the post-election atmosphere in the state.
“I want the guilty to be punished. I am a mother, I do not want them to be hanged. I want life imprisonment for them. They did this because the BJP came to power,” she said, reported news agency ANI.
She also alleged that provocative political statements had contributed to the violence after the election results.
“If my son had died in an accident, I would not have been so sad. The way the miscreants tortured and killed my son, these are all stories made up by the Trinamool. Since Suvendu Babu defeated Mamata Banerjee, my family has faced such a danger,” she added.
Bengal sees fresh post-poll violence
The killing has intensified concerns over post-poll violence in West Bengal following the declaration of results earlier this week.
More than 1,500 people have reportedly been arrested across the state since Monday evening.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand on Wednesday announced a ban on rallies involving bulldozers and earthmovers after BJP workers allegedly vandalised shops in Kolkata’s New Market area and attacked a TMC office using a bulldozer.
‘Cold-blooded murder’: Adhikari
On Thursday, Adhikari described the killing as a “cold-blooded murder” and alleged that the attackers had carried out a recce before executing the shooting.
Rath had reportedly played a key role in Adhikari’s election management in both Nandigram and Bhabanipur. Adhikari had defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur during the assembly polls.
Outside the hospital, BJP supporters gathered in large numbers and raised slogans against the ruling Trinamool Congress.
Even as he referred to the “long history of political violence” in Bengal, Adhikari urged party workers not to retaliate.
“We are not drawing any conclusion at this moment, although it is a fact that TMC has used terror over all these years. The DGP has assured us that a proper investigation is on. He said this was a planned murder committed in cold blood. A car was used in the crime,” Adhikari said.
He appealed for restraint from BJP supporters. “I request our people not to take the law into their hands and have faith in the administration. Justice will be done,” he said.
“We think the incident may or may not be related to politics. Police have found that the murder was planned over the last three or four days. A recce was done. Our party will stand by the victim's family,” he added.