Not The First Close Aide: Long Before Chandranath Rath, Suvendu Adhikari's PA Pradip Jha Was Found Dead In Kolkata

West Bengal: Chandranath Rath, a close aide of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on May 6. This incident took place just 48 hours after the BJP emerged victorious in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

Not The First Time? Adhikari's Another Close Aide Found Dead In 2013

This is not the first time a close aide of the BJP leader has been killed in West Bengal. A similar incident occurred in 2013 when Adhikari's former personal assistant, Pradip Jha, was found dead on Kolkata’s S Strand Road. At the time of that incident, Adhikari was serving as a Member of Parliament for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) representing the Tamluk constituency in East Midnapore.

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According to a report by The Times of India, Jha, 42, was a resident of Barasat and served as Adhikari's personal assistant and political secretary.

Jha was an active member of the ruling party's youth wing and managed a small travel agency. He had served as a Congress worker before joining the TMC. He was appointed as a personal assistant to Basirhat MP Nurul Islam.

Chandranath Rath Murder

Adhikari's personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, was shot dead late Wednesday night in North 24 Parganas’ Madhyamgram. Chandranath Rath was returning to his home in Michaelnagar at around 10.30 PM when his SUV was stopped by a car near a biryani shop in Doharia.

Before Rath and others inside the car could understand and react to the situation, attacks on two motorcycles pulled up and fired shots from point-blank range. The attackers managed to escape after the shooting incident.

Following the incident, the West Bengal Police seized a vehicle linked to the murder of Chandranath Rath. Providing further details on the investigation, Director General of Police (DGP) Siddh Nath Gupta said that live rounds and spent cartridges were recovered from the crime scene near Madhyamgram.

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"We have started the investigation. 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. We have recovered live rounds and fired cartridges from the spot. Eyewitness accounts are being recorded, and evidence is being processed. Further investigation is underway," Gupta was quoted as saying.