Chandranath Rath, a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, on Wednesday night. The attack occurred around 10:30 p.m. near Doltala in Madhyamgram, where assailants on a motorcycle intercepted Rath's vehicle, forced it to stop, and opened fire before fleeing the scene. Rath was taken to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries; the driver of his vehicle was also injured in the shooting.

An eyewitness told ANI that as Rath's car passed his own, it abruptly stopped, and a gunman on a bike approached the left side of the vehicle and opened fire. The witness reported hearing two gunshots and described the shooter as appearing 'like an expert' who fled immediately. The attack, occurring just 200-300 meters from a hospital, was carried out at point-blank range, leading police and political figures to suspect prior planning.

Suvendu Adhikari condemned the killing as a 'cold-blooded murder' and alleged the attackers had conducted a recce before the incident. He attributed the violence to '15 years of Mahajungle Raj' under the Trinamool Congress. The outgoing TMC leadership denounced the killing and pointed to post-poll violence that claimed three of its workers, demanding a court-monitored CBI investigation for swift accountability.

West Bengal police have launched an investigation into the killing, with the state's DGP assuring a thorough probe. The court will hear the first procedural updates in the case on Friday.