IAF to political backroom: How Chandranath Rath became Suvendu Adhikari’s shadow

An alumnus of the reputed Rahara Ramakrishna Mission boys’ high school, Rath joined the Air Force as a Short Service Commission officer. After serving for 10 years, he quit the Air Force and started working with Adhikari around 2018. Adhikari was then with the Trinamool Congress.

When Adhikari moved to the BJP in 2020, he made Rath his personal assistant. After the 2021 Assembly election, Adhikari was named the Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly. Rath became his executive assistant.

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He would manage Adhikari’s appointments and programmes and liaise with the media and MLAs. Known to be soft-spoken, Rath was close to many BJP leaders and would also interact with those in the party’s central leadership. BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul said in a social media post that every BJP MLA depended heavily on “Chandra” for legislative work.

Over the years, it is learnt, Chandra emerged as a key figure in Adhikari’s political operations. From coordinating organisational work to managing logistics and staying in touch with party workers, he enjoyed Adhikari’s complete confidence, BJP leaders said.

A chilling murder

Rath lived in Madhyamgram with his wife and son. Last night, he was barely 100 metres from his home. He was in the co-passenger seat of a Scorpio SUV. According to eyewitnesses and police sources, a car blocked the road around 11 am, forcing the SUV to slow down.

Moments later, a bike pulled up next to the seat on which Rath was sitting. And the assailants on a two-wheeler fired nearly 10 shots through the rolled-up window. Three of them hit Rath, who died soon after. The SUV’s driver was also injured. Police officers have said the killing, which has left Bengal simmering days after the BJP’s thumping win in the Assembly polls, may have been carried out by professional shooters.

A mourning mother

Rath’s mother, Hasirani, has demanded justice. “I want the guilty to be punished. I am a mother, so I don’t want them to be hanged. I want life imprisonment for them. They did this because the BJP came to power. Our state presidents and leaders are repeatedly talking about maintaining law and order in the state,” she told the media.

Flagging “provocative comments” by Trinamool Congress leaders, she said, “If my son died in an accident, I would not have been so sad. They tortured and killed my son. Ever since Subhendu Babu defeated Mamata Banerjee, my family was in danger.”

Political war of words

Adhikari has said the BJP is “shocked, pained and hurt” over Rath’s killing and has appealed to BJP workers not to take the law into their hands.

“The DGP has come and assured us that the investigation is on and that they will identify the culprits. They have said this is a pre-planned and cold-blooded murder that was carried out after a recce for two to three days. We appeal to all BJP supporters and leaders: don’t take the law into your hands,” he said. Adhikari, a frontrunner for the Bengal Chief Minister post after the BJP’s thumping win against Trinamool Congress, said the BJP will form a government in Bengal in the next two days. “We will ensure that justice is served.”

Trinamool Congress has condemned the incident. “We strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath in Madhyamgram tonight, along with the killing of three other TMC workers in incidents of post-poll violence allegedly carried out by BJP-backed miscreants over the last three days, despite the Model Code of Conduct being in force,” the party said on X.

“We demand the strongest possible action in this matter, including a court-monitored CBI investigation so that those responsible are identified and brought to justice without delay,” it added.