Kolkata (West Bengal):
Three people have been arrested in the murder of Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of West Bengal’s new Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. In a joint operation by the West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar police, the three men identified as Vishal Srivastava, Raj Singh and Mayank Mishra have been arrested in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The arrests were made after the police tracked a UPI payment made by the assailants at a toll booth in Bally near Kolkata.
Chandranath Rath was on his way home when he was shot dead at point-blank range on Wednesday night, between 10 pm and 10:10 pm. Rath was seated in the front passenger seat of his SUV, a Mahindra Scorpio, and was less than 200 metres away from his home in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas.
The initial investigation has revealed that Rath’s SUV was blocked by a silver-coloured Nissan Micra following which bike-borne assailants shot him. The killers then abandoned the Micra and used another red car and a bike to flee.
The police scanned CCTV footage and tracked the car, which was seen making a payment at the toll plaza. All three arrested men were seated in the same car and had paid at a toll booth using UPI. This served as the crucial link that led cops to Rath’s killers.
According to the police, the three arrested men are professional killers. While Vishal has roots in Buxar, Bihar, the other two are from Uttar Pradesh.
Vishal is said to have over 15 criminal cases against him, including murder and robbery.
Vishal Srivastava, one of the three men arrested in the murder of Chandranath Rath.
The three men will be produced in the Barasat court in Bengal today.
Fake Number Plate, Stolen Bike
Police have recovered two bikes and seized Micra car so far. The investigation suggests that all three were stolen and the car even carried a fake number plate.
“The four-wheeler used in the crime has been seized, but it is being reported that the number plate is fake and has been tampered with,” Bengal’s DGP Siddh Nath Gupta had said after the shooting.
The car, a Nissan Micra, was registered as WB74AK2270.
Last week, on Friday, police traced the owner of one of the two bikes, and learned the bike was stolen. The bike was registered in the name of one Vibhash Kumar Bhattacharya on May 4, 2012.
“He Was Killed Because I Defeated Mamata Banerjee”: Suvendu Adhikari
Suvendu Adhikari has called the killing of Rath a “pre-planned” and “cold-blooded murder” which showcases the “15 years of Maha-Jungle Raj.” He believes that the gunmen carried out a “recce for two to three days.”
Adhikari, who defeated Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in her stronghold Bhabanipur, also alleged that the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election results triggered the murder.
“He was killed because he was my aide and I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. This could be the reason for his murder…” Adhikari told reporters Thursday after meeting Rath’s family. “No matter how much we condemn how this murder was carried out, it is not enough. I stand with his family’s demand… to apprehend those who committed this murder and ensure they are punished. The post-mortem revealed four bullets were fired… this was premeditated.”
#WATCH | North 24 Parganas, West Bengal: The mortal remains of Chandranath Rath, PA of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, were brought from the hospital in Madhyamgram to his residence.
He says, “No matter how much we condemn the way this murder was carried out, it is not enough. He… pic.twitter.com/rNusFawpG9
— ANI (@ANI) May 7, 2026
Rath’s mother, Hasirani Rath claims the Trinamool Congress’ “gundagardi” (hooliganism) killed her son.
“I hold the TMC responsible, it’s their gundagardi, they are behind this,” Chandranath Rath’s mother said in an interview with NDTV.