Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has claimed his personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, was killed because of his association with him and linked the murder to his electoral victory over Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur.
Speaking outside Barasat State General Hospital after Rath’s post-mortem on Thursday, Adhikari alleged that the former Indian Air Force personnel “might not have been killed” had he not served as his personal assistant or had Adhikari not defeated Banerjee politically.
“He was killed because he was my aide and I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. This could be the reason for his murder,” the BJP leader, who won both Bhabanipur and Nandigram in West Bengal Assembly elections, said.
“I stand with his family, and the family’s demand is to apprehend those who committed this murder and ensure they are punished. The postmortem revealed that 4 bullets were fired at him… this murder was premeditated,” he added.
He also claimed Rath had no personal or political rivalry.
Rath was shot dead on Wednesday night in Madhyamgram area near Kolkata. Before the body was taken to his native village Chandipur for the last rites, senior BJP leaders, including state BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya, paid tributes to him.
Referring to the investigation, Adhikari said the state DGP informed him that a motorcycle allegedly used in the crime had been recovered around four kilometres from the spot. He said police had detained some suspects and expressed confidence that the assailants would soon be arrested.
“Police are working. I spoke with the DGP; they have leads, and some people have been rounded up. I am confident the police will be able to arrest the assailants. CID, forensic and SIT are in action, and police are heading in the right direction,” Adhikari said.
Furthermore, Adhikari also took an apparent swipe at the ruling Trinamool Congress government, claiming police were capable of solving such cases earlier as well but “were not allowed” to do so. On the TMC’s demand for a CBI probe into the killing, the BJP leader said there was “no relevance” of the party now and maintained that the state police would crack the case.
Rath’s mother, however, appealed for life imprisonment instead of the death penalty, saying she understood the pain of losing a child. She is also associated with the BJP in Purba Medinipur.
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