BJP leader's aide shot dead in West Bengal ambush

Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead on the night of May 6 in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, when assailants on motorcycles intercepted his vehicle and fired at close range.

Police described the attack as premeditated. According to investigators, a car blocked Rath's Scorpio near Doharia on Jessore Road, allowing attackers on at least two motorcycles to approach. Six bullets were fired; three struck Rath in the chest, causing his death at a private hospital. His driver, Buddhadeb Bera, sustained three bullet wounds and remains in stable condition at a hospital off Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Eyewitnesses reported the assailants, some wearing helmets, fled after the shooting. Authorities seized two motorcycles and a car used in the attack, two with fake number plates, including one bearing a Siliguri registration.

The West Bengal Police have intensified their probe. Director General of Police Siddhinath Gupta visited the crime scene and stated, "We suspect a two-wheeler and a private vehicle were used in the well-planned attack. The vehicle blocked Rath's car while two assailants...