Chandranath Rath, personal aide to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, late on Wednesday night — the most serious act of post-election violence in West Bengal since the BJP swept the Assembly elections two days ago, winning 207 of the 294 seats.
A senior Barasat district police officer, requesting anonymity, said: “Chandranath Rath was shot dead. He was taken to hospital where he was declared brought dead. The investigation is still ongoing.”
According to BJP leader Kustave Bagchi, assailants on motorcycles followed Rath’s car before stopping it near Doharia in Madhyamgram and opened fire while Rath remained inside. Another person in the car was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
Senior police officials and Adhikari rushed to the spot, people familiar with the matter said. Rath played a central role in running the Adhikari elections in both Nandigram and Bhabanipur – Adhikari won both seats, defeating TMC chief Mamata Banerjee on her home turf in Bhabanipur.
The killing comes at a time when Bengal is already witnessing widespread post-election violence since the results were announced on Monday.
More than 1,500 people have been arrested across the state since Monday evening. Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand on Wednesday announced a ban on marches involving earthmovers and bulldozers – a day after BJP workers vandalized shops in the New Market area and attacked the TMC office using a bulldozer. “Police will take action against the owners of these vehicles if they are used in rallies. The vehicle will be immediately confiscated and the rally will be cancelled. Legal action will also be taken against the organisers,” Nand said, adding that Kolkata Police and Central Armed Police Forces would jointly respond to any fresh complaints, as they did during the elections itself.
The Transitional Military Council strongly condemned the New Market incident. “The BJP’s ‘Poriborton’ (Change) has arrived, and it has arrived with a bulldozer. In an act of brazen riots, mobs of BJP supporters went on a rampage near the New Market area, destroying shops and vandalizing the Trinamool Congress office. This is celebrating a party that spoke of trust and instilling terror,” the party said in a statement.
The Aam Janata Unnayan Party – formed by rebel TMC leader Humayun Kabir, whose party won two seats – has approached the Calcutta High Court over alleged widespread post-poll violence in Murshidabad district.
TMC MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has indicated that his party is considering taking similar action. “We will handle the matter legally,” he told reporters in Kolkata on Wednesday. His aunt, CM Mamata Banerjee, said she would not resign, claiming the election was stolen.
Separately, Solicitor General Kishore Datta confirmed that he has submitted his resignation to Governor RN Ravi. “I sent my resignation to the governor on Tuesday,” Datta told HT. Datta has held this position since December 2023, and previously held this position between 2017 and 2021.
Many former bureaucrats and advisors appointed by the Banerjee government have resigned. Former chief secretaries Alapan Bandyopadhyay, HK Dwivedi and Manoj Pant, along with economist Abirup Sarkar, were among those who tendered their resignations. Sarkar, who headed both the West Bengal Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation and the West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation, said he had written to the departments concerned on Tuesday.
Security at residences linked to Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek has been reduced as of Wednesday morning. Scissor barriers at her residence on Harish Chatterjee Road, the party headquarters on Kalighat Road, and Abhishek’s office on Kamak Street have been replaced with manual guardrails, with personnel deployed outside the Z+ level being withdrawn.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to arrive in Kolkata on May 9 to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
