Chandranath Rath murder case transferred to CBI; 7-member SIT to spearhead probe
The Statesman | 12 May 2026
The investigation into the high-profile murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with the agency constituting a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a DIG-rank officer to probe the killing that has triggered a political storm in the state.
The CBI is set to formally assume charge of the case from the West Bengal Police later in the day after the state police recommended a federal probe into the murder that took place near Madhyamgram on May 6.
Chandranath Rath, a former Indian Air Force personnel and close aide to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, was shot at close range by bike-borne assailants late at night while returning home. He later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
The development comes a day after the West Bengal Police SIT arrested three alleged sharpshooters in connection with the murder and produced them before a district court in Barasat, North 24 Parganas. The court remanded the accused to police custody till May 24.
The accused, Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya, and Raj Singh, were arrested following coordinated operations across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, based on investigative leads developed during the probe.
All three were formally arrested after prolonged interrogation on Monday morning.
Public Prosecutor Advocate Bivas Chatterjee said the prosecution sought the addition of charges related to the destruction of evidence, which were accepted by the court.
“Three persons have been arrested, and the court has sent them to police custody till May 24. We also sought the addition of the section relating to destruction of evidence, which has been added by the court,” Chatterjee told reporters after the hearing.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had earlier described Rath’s killing as a “premeditated murder,” alleging that the attack was meticulously planned and politically motivated.
“This was a planned operation. A recce was conducted for several days, and the victim was followed before being shot at close range,” Adhikari had said, claiming Rath was targeted because of his close association with him and his political rise in West Bengal.
The murder has triggered sharp political reactions across the state, with the Trinamool Congress demanding a court-monitored CBI investigation and the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee also calling for an independent judicially supervised probe to ensure transparency in the investigation.