Chandranath Rath murder probe: 3 sharpshooters arrested from UP, alleged links with Bihar’s Buxar under scanner
The Statesman | 11 May 2026
The investigation into the murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, gathered pace after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the West Bengal Police arrested three alleged sharpshooters from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the killing. One of the key accused, identified as Raj Singh from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested from Ayodhya. Investigators are also probing his alleged connections in Bihar’s Buxar district as part of the wider conspiracy angle.
The accused were brought to Kolkata on Sunday night and are scheduled to be produced before a district court in Barasat, North 24 Parganas, on Monday, where investigators are expected to seek police custody for further interrogation.
Rath was shot dead on the night of May 6, just two days after the West Bengal Assembly election results were declared. The killing triggered massive political outrage as it came immediately after the BJP formed the government in the state under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
According to investigators, Rath was returning home to Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district after attending a party programme when his vehicle was intercepted at a crossing by a four-wheeler.
Police said two motorcycles had been trailing Rath’s vehicle for a considerable distance. Once the car was blocked, one of the motorcycle-borne assailants came close to the vehicle and fired nearly ten rounds at point-blank range.
Rath died on the spot, while his driver, Buddhadeb Bera, sustained critical injuries. Officials said the driver is now recovering.
The SIT investigation later revealed that the four-wheeler used to block Rath’s car and the two motorcycles involved in the attack carried fake number plates.
Investigators suspect the murder was a carefully planned operation executed by hired shooters. Sources said the arrested accused were questioned throughout the night at Bhabani Bhavan, the West Bengal Police headquarters in Kolkata.
Officials have so far withheld the identities of the other two sharpshooters and are expected to disclose more details after they are formally produced in court.
After the murder, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had alleged that Rath was targeted because of his close association with him.
Adhikari had claimed that Rath “would not have been killed” had he not worked for the man who defeated former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from the Bhabanipur constituency by a margin of more than 15,000 votes.
The murder case has since become one of the most closely watched political investigations in West Bengal following the dramatic change of power in the state.