Suvendu Adhikari had lost former PA, bodyguard earlier

Chandranath Rath, a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was shot dead in a "pre-planned" ambush just days after the party's landslide victory in West Bengal. Adhikari lost a former personal assistant in 2013 and one of his bodyguards in 2018. He demanded a probe into his former PA's death, but the case remains unsolved.

On Wednesday, May 6, Chandranath Rath, a personal assistant (PA) of BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari was shot dead in what investigators are calling a pre-planned ambush in Madhyamgram in Kolkata's outskirts. Rath, an Indian Air Force veteran, played a critical role in Adhikari's victory over Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur Assembly seat. Rath's murder comes amid reports of post-poll violence in West Bengal.

Suvendu Adhikari is one of BJP's prominent leaders in West Bengal and the frontrunner in the race for the chief minister's post.

This is not the first time that Adhikari has suffered such a loss. Previously, at least two more individuals who were, in one capacity or another, close to Adhikari have been claimed in "unnatural" deaths.

Pradip Jha, like Rath, served as Adhikari's PA. He was found dead on Kolkata's Strand Road in 2013. Back then Adhikari was with the Trinamool Congress. When Jha died, he wasn't associated with Adhikari. The now BJP leader suspected foul play in Jha's death and demanded a thorough probe.

Then in 2018, Subhabrata Chakraborty, a bodyguard of Suvendu since 2009, was found with a gunshot wound opposite the leader's home in Purba Mednipur district. Adhikari was then with the Trinamool Congress.

Chandranath Rath's killing comes amid a spate of post-poll violence gripping West Bengal and is emblematic of how election-linked mayhem in the state, which has continued even after the BJP's landslide victory. Even as the results were being counted in Bengal on May 4, reports of arson, vandalism and assaults surfaced.

The Trinamool Congress alleged that the BJP was behind these attacks. The BJP, however, hit back and claimed that it were the Trinamool Congress cadres who were attacking each other after the party's humiliating defeat in West Bengal.

ADHIKARI'S FORMER PA PRADIP JHA WAS FOUND UNCONSCIOUS ON KOLKATA STREET

On August 3, 2013, on an early Saturday morning, Pradip Jha, who was then aged around 42 and served as the personal assistant and political secretary to Suvendu Adhikari (then a TMC MP from Tamluk) and another TMC MP, Haji Nurul Islam, was found unconscious on the pavement of Strand Road in central Kolkata near a restaurant.

Pavement dwellers could not explain how or when Jha's body arrived there. He was rushed to Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, where he was declared "dead on arrival".

Jha, was a Trinamool Youth Congress activist from Charakdanga in Barasat and had a business management background. He also ran a small travel agency, and managed Adhikari's office in Haldia. He reportedly handled Adhikari's MP funds, and worked on key elections in Haldia-Nandigram region. He had reportedly left Adhikari's team a few months earlier, according to a 2013 report in The Times of India.

Autopsy findings revealed nearly 700 ml of alcohol in his stomach, food particles stuck in the windpipe suggesting choking while vomiting, and minor bruises on the lips, with no major external injuries.

Police initially suspected alcohol-related asphyxiation. However, several suspicious elements raised doubts. Jha's both his mobile phones were missing, his wallet was found placed between his legs containing only visiting cards and no cash. Jha's undergarment was reportedly worn inside out.

Jha's family, especially his mother Jagattarini Jha, alleged murder. A formal complaint was filed on August 7 leading to a murder case at Kolkata's Hare Street Police Station. Suvendu Adhikari and Haji Nurul Islam also publicly demanded a thorough probe suspecting foul play. No arrests or convictions were ever made, and the case faded without any conviction.

LONG TIME ADHIKARI BODYGUARD DIED BY SUICIDE IN 2018, FAMILY ALLEGED FOUL PLAY

On October 13, 2018, Subhabrata Chakraborty, a West Bengal State Armed Police jawan, who had served as one of Suvendu Adhikari's trusted bodyguards for nearly a decade since 2009, was found with a gunshot wound to the head inside the police barracks located opposite Adhikari's residence in Kanthi, Purba Medinipur.

He was rushed to a private hospital but succumbed to his injuries the next day, on October 14.

The case was initially ruled a suicide after his service revolver was found nearby, and a suicide note was reportedly recovered from his pocket, reported The Indian Express in 2018. At the time of Chakaborty's death, Suvendu Adhikari was a member of the Trinamool Congress. He had joined the BJP two years later in 2020.

However, in July 2021, his wife Suparna Chakraborty filed a complaint alleging it was a case of murder. An FIR was registered under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

The West Bengal CID took over the probe, conducted scene reconstruction, questioned witnesses including Adhikari's driver and close associates, and even summoned the leader for questioning.

However, just as in the case of Jha, no arrests were made, and the case remains unresolved with no convictions.

Rath's killing once again put a spotlight on the state's enduring culture of post-poll violence, which has persisted across governments and continues after the BJP's landslide victory in the 2026 Assembly elections. Adhikari himself claimed on Thursday that Rath, was killed bhabanipur-victory-mamata-tmc-2908202-2026-05-07" target="_self">because of his association with him and linked the murder to his electoral victory over Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur.

Reports of clashes, intimidation, arson, targeted attacks, and even murders have emerged from West Bengal since the results were declared on May 4. While both the BJP and the TMC accuse each other of orchestrating reprisals, the politically linked deaths, including that of a close aide of Adhikari, highlights how the problem persists in West Bengal.

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