Suvendu Adhikari’s PA shot dead in West Bengal; 1,500 held over post-poll violence

CHandranath Rath, personal help to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was crack deadened by unidentified assailants in Madhyamgram, magnetic north 24 Parganas, tardily on Wednesday night — the most serious act of post-election violence in West Bengal since the BJP swept the assembly polls two days ago, winning 207 of 294 seats.“Chandranath Rath has been shot dead. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead. Investigation is going on,” said a senior officer of the Barasat police district, who asked not to be named.According to BJP leader Koustav Bagchi, motorcycle-borne assailants followed Rath’s vehicle before stopping it near Doharia in Madhyamgram and opening fire while Rath remained inside. Another person in the vehicle has been taken to a hospital with injuries.Also Read | Suvendu Adhikari's aide shot dead in Bengal's North 24 ParaganasRath's central role in Adhikari's election managementSenior police officials and Adhikari were rushing to the spot, people aware of the matter said. Rath had played a central role in Adhikari’s election management in both Nandigram and Bhabanipur — Adhikari won both seats, defeating TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee at her home turf in BhabanipurThe killing comes as Bengal already with widespread post-poll violence since results were declared on Monday.More than 1,500 people have been arrested across the state since Monday evening. Kolkata police commissioner Ajay Nand on Wednesday announced a ban on rallies involving earthmovers and bulldozers — a day after BJP workers allegedly vandalised shops in the New Market area and attacked the TMC office using a bulldozer.“Police will take action against owners of such vehicles if they are used in rallies. The vehicle will be immediately seized and the rally will be cancelled. Legal action will also be taken against the organisers,” Nand said, adding that the Kolkata Police and Central Armed Police Forces would respond jointly to any fresh complaints, as they did during the election itself.Also Read | Ex-IAF employee to Suvendu Adhikari's ‘Mr dependable’ PA, who was Chandranath Rath?More than 1500 people arrested in BengalThe TMC condemned the New Market incident sharply. “BJP’s ‘Poriborton’ (change) has arrived, and it has arrived with a bulldozer. In an act of brazen hooliganism and gundagardi, mobs of BJP supporters went on a rampage near the New Market area, destroying shops and vandalising the Trinamool Congress party office. This is the celebration of a party that spoke of trust and delivered terror,” the party said in a statement.The Aam Janata Unnayan Party — formed by rebel TMC leader Humayun Kabir, whose outfit won two seats — has approached the Calcutta high court over alleged large-scale post-poll violence in Murshidabad district.TMC MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee indicated his party was considering similar action. “We will take it up legally,” he told reporters in Kolkata on Wednesday. His aunt, CM Mamata Banerjee, has said that she will not resign, alleging the election was stolen.Separately, advocate general Kishore Datta confirmed he had submitted his resignation to Governor RN Ravi. “I have sent my resignation to the Governor on Tuesday,” Datta told HT. Datta has held the post since December 2023, and previously served in the role between 2017 and 2021.Several former bureaucrats and advisors appointed by the Banerjee government have stepped down. Former chief secretaries Alapan Bandyopadhyay, HK Dwivedi and Manoj Pant, along with economist Abhirup Sarkar, are among those who have tendered their resignations. Sarkar, who chaired both the West Bengal Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation and the West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation, said he had written to the concerned departments on Tuesday.Security at residences linked to Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek was scaled down from Wednesday morning. Scissor barricades at her Harish Chatterjee Street residence, the party’s Kalighat Road headquarters, and Abhishek’s Camac Street office were replaced by manual guardrails, with personnel deployed beyond the Z+ tier withdrawn.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah are expected in Kolkata on May 9 for the oath-taking ceremony.