‘Was busy because of oath ceremony’: Suvendu aide Chandranath Rath's family grieves after murder

Chandranath Rath's mother demanded a life sentence for the accused and said that she will ask for justice once the new government is formed.

Published on: May 7, 2026, 14:53:27 IST

By Nikita Sharma

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Chandranath Rath, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant who was shot dead in West Bengal on Wednesday night, had gone to his home in Medinipur just hours before his murder, according to his family.

Chandranath Rath's unconsolable younger brother Dev Kumar said that he had no enmity with anyone. His mother asked for life sentence for the accused (ANI/HT/PTI)

He sat with his family, spoke to them, and left for Kolkata at 2 pm, said Rath's younger brother Dev Kumar.

Rath's mother said that she had cooked food for him and had asked him to come back soon, to which her son replied that he was busy with the upcoming oath-taking ceremony in West Bengal.

Rath was shot dead in an execution-style killing by bike-borne assailants who tailed his white SUV and shot him from close range near Doharia in Madhyamgram of North 24 Parganas.

Also read: Car tailed, then execution-style killing: Shocking details in Suvendu Adhikari aide's murder

‘Had no enmity with anyone’

Rath's inconsolable younger brother Dev Kumar, while speaking to media, said that he had no enmity with anyone.

"Yesterday he was sitting with us and had spoken to us. After 2 pm, he left for Kolkata. He had no enmity with anyone..." Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

He added that whoever is behind the murder should be given “harshest punishment”.

Also read: Chandranath not Suvendu Adhikari's 1st PA to die unnaturally: A 2013 flashback to Pradip Jha's death

‘Was busy because of the oath-taking ceremony’

Rath's mother also shared the same sentiment as her brother and demanded a life sentence for the accused and not a death sentence.

She said that she will ask for justice once the new government is formed.

“I am a mother who lost her son, I want those behind this to be punished. However, I am also a mother. So, I don't want the criminals to be hanged but given life imprisonment. I will ask for justice for him when the new party comes to power. He came here yesterday, and I cooked food for him. I asked him to come home. He said he was busy because of the oath-taking ceremony…” she told news agency PTI.

Rath, a close aide of Suvendu Adhikari, was murdered on Wednesday night just days before new Bengal chief minister is scheduled to take oath on May 9. While it is not yet official who the Bharatiya Janata Party would pick for the top job, Adhikari is among the frontrunners for the post.

Track live updates of Chandranath Rath's murder news here

In 2026 West Bengal assembly polls, the BJP won with a landslide victory defeating Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress. Adhikari himself defeated Mamata from Bhabanipur with over 15,000 votes.

Rath's mother Hasirani Rath, who has also been associated with the BJP at a local level, accused the TMC for her son's murder. She alleged that TMC got her son killed because he helped Adhikari in elections.

“There is definitely a political motive behind this. Suvendu Adhikari loved him like his younger brother, and he loved Suvendu Adhikari like an elder brother. I think TMC targeted him for his involvement in trying to make Suvendu Adhikari win in Bhabanipur,” she said.

However, just hours after Rath's murder, Trinamool condemned the killing and called for a detailed CBI probe.

The police and West Bengal's CID are probing the murder.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nikita Sharma
Nikita Sharma is a Senior Content Producer with Hindustan Times. She is a Delhi-based digital journalist with five years of experience writing and editing news stories across beats including crime, politics, tech, trends and much more, both national and international. At Hindustan Times, she is part of the news team and focuses on breaking news, keeping a track of what is happening where, and chasing ever-developing news stories. She has a penchant for covering crime, geopolitics, and Indian politics with a keen eye for stories often overlooked in the daily news cycle. At Hindustan Times, she has extensively covered several key events including the US Presidential elections, Air India plane crash, Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, US’ tariff war, and others. As a Delhi aficionado, she particularly enjoys roaming and writing about the national capital — its heritage, food, art and culture, and the many problems that come with it — the pollution, waterlogging, traffic, and more. Nikita did her Bachelor in Journalism and Mass Communication from GGSIPU and started working as a digital journalist in 2021. During her first stint, she covered hyperlocal news at a Delhi-based newsroom, writing and editing stories on builder-buyer conflicts, civic issues such as potholes, waterlogging, lack of facilities at hospitals in Delhi, crippling of the city during peak monsoon season. She also wrote features covering Delhi’s art exhibitions, heritage walks, artist profiles, museums, classical Hindustani music concerts and dance shows. She entered mainstream news in 2023 and has previously worked at NDTV.Read More

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