Suvendu Adhikari’s PA Murdered in West Bengal: Police Recover Second Bike, Suspect Professional Hit

A fresh claim has surfaced in the killing of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath, with initial investigation pointing to a “planned hit” carried out by hired shooters on Wednesday night. Police have since recovered a second motorcycle believed to have been used in the attack.

The 42-year-old was shot multiple times around 10:30 pm while returning home from Kolkata to Madhyamgram. Three suspects have been detained for questioning, though no formal arrests have been made yet.

Second Bike Recovered Near Rail Gate

The additional motorcycle was found late Thursday night near the No. 11 rail gate area in Barasat. According to officials familiar with the investigation, the bike had reportedly been stolen earlier from the Dumdum neighbourhood. Multiple police teams are now working to trace the sequence of movement before and after the shooting.

A Pattern of Loss for the BJP Leader

This is not the first time Suvendu Adhikari has lost someone from his inner circle. Over the past 13 years, three close aides have died under circumstances that have raised questions.

In 2013, when Suvendu was still with the Trinamool Congress, his private assistant Pradeep Jha passed away. Investigators then termed it a natural death. Five years later, in 2018, his personal security officer Subhrata Chakraborty was found dead in what police ruled a suicide. Then in 2021, another personal assistant, Pulak Lahiri, also died in unusual circumstances.

MLA Was on Call When Shots Were Fired

A striking detail has emerged from the night of the murder. BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh has claimed that he was speaking to Chandranath on the phone when the attack happened.

“We were discussing the upcoming swearing-in ceremony. Suddenly, I heard gunshots over the phone, followed by someone groaning in pain. The call got disconnected,” Ghosh told reporters. He said he tried calling back repeatedly but there was no response. When someone finally answered, an unknown person informed him that Chandranath had been shot dead.

A 90-Minute Timeline of the Attack

Around 9 pm, Chandranath left Kolkata in a Scorpio SUV, seated beside the driver. At approximately 9:58 pm, CCTV cameras in Madhyamgram captured the vehicle passing through. Shortly after, another car and two motorcycles carrying three individuals were seen following it.

By 10:30 pm, near Doharia Junction, the car overtook the Scorpio and stopped in front of it, forcing the driver to halt. Before anyone could react, bike-borne attackers approached from the left and fired between six to ten rounds. Two bullets hit Chandranath in the chest, one in the abdomen.

The assailants then abandoned the car at the spot and fled on motorcycles using two separate routes. Police later found the car’s registration number was fake, and the chassis number had been tampered with.

Glock 47X Pistol Used in Killing

Officials have confirmed that the attackers used a Glock 47X pistol, a modern weapon not typically seen in ordinary criminal cases. “The manner of the attack suggests it was executed by professional shooters,” a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.

From Air Force to Politics

Chandranath was not a career politician from the start. He served as an Air Force officer before taking voluntary retirement, then worked in the corporate sector for some time. He had been associated with Suvendu Adhikari since his Trinamool Congress days and was considered one of his most trusted aides. He officially joined Suvendu’s team in 2019 and later handled his election campaign in Bhabanipur — the same seat where Suvendu defeated Mamata Banerjee by around 15,000 votes.

Those who knew him describe Chandranath as calm and low-profile, someone who stayed away from the limelight despite years of close association with a high-profile leader.

Investigations remain ongoing. Police have not ruled out political motives.