Suvendu Adhikari’s Trusted Aide Chandranath Rath Shot Dead, BJP Mourns Loss

Kolkata, May 2026 : The killing of Chandranath Rath, the long-time personal assistant and close confidant of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, has sent shockwaves through political circles in West Bengal. Rath, who was shot dead by unidentified bike-borne assailants, was regarded as one of the most trusted members of Adhikari’s inner circle and had remained closely associated with him for nearly seven years.

A former serviceman of the Indian Air Force, 42-year-old Rath hailed from East Midnapore district, the political stronghold and native region of the Adhikari family. His family had longstanding ties with the Adhikaris, dating back to the period when Suvendu Adhikari was a senior leader in the Trinamool Congress before shifting to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.

Rath served in the Indian Air Force for nearly 18 years before taking voluntary retirement and dedicating himself fully to public and political work alongside Adhikari. In 2019, when Adhikari was serving as a minister in the Mamata Banerjee-led state government, Rath formally joined him as a full-time aide and personal assistant.

Over the years, Rath became indispensable to Adhikari’s political operations. He handled everything from coordinating the Opposition leader’s hectic daily schedule and maintaining official files to arranging meetings, managing communication, and overseeing logistical preparations for political programmes and public events.

Those close to Adhikari often described Rath as his “shadow,” a man who was present at almost every important political engagement. When Adhikari left the Trinamool Congress and joined the BJP before the 2021 Assembly elections, Rath stood firmly beside him throughout the political transition.

After the BJP leader defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the high-profile Nandigram contest in 2021 and later became the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Rath continued in his role as his closest aide and personal assistant.

In political and media circles, Rath was widely seen as someone who would rise further if the BJP came to power in West Bengal. Following the BJP’s sweeping electoral success in the latest Assembly polls — in which Adhikari not only retained Nandigram but also defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur — speculation had intensified that Rath could eventually become the Executive Assistant to the Chief Minister if Adhikari headed the state government.

Family members remembered Rath as a deeply spiritual and disciplined individual. According to relatives, he had shown an inclination toward religious life from his student days and had once even expressed a desire to become a monk before eventually choosing a life of public service.

The murder has triggered outrage within BJP circles, with party leaders demanding a thorough investigation and swift action against those responsible for the killing.