Kolkata, May 7 (IANS) Amid grief over the ghastly murder of his long-time personal assistant, Chandrnath Rath, Suvendu Adhikari, the outgoing Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, on Thursday, issued an appeal to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in the state to maintain restraint and refrain from any retaliatory activity by taking law into their hands.

Speaking to the media persons at the premises of Viva City Hospital at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district, where Rath’s body was brought after being shot at a nearby crossing, Adhikari said, despite anguish over the ghastly development, the BJP supporters should rely on the investigation being carried out by the police, show restraint and refrain from any retaliatory activities by taking law into their hands.

“There is a high possibility of political links with this murder. I do not want to make any comment on this issue further right at this moment. I had a discussion with the state director general of police, Siddh Nath Gupta. He informed me that the investigating officers have secured some clues from the footage of the CCTV camera installed near the place of assassination. Let’s rely on the police investigation. But it is my earnest appeal to our party workers to show restraint at this hour of grief and refrain from taking the law into our hands. Please maintain peace,” Adhikari said.

According to him, the atrocities of vendetta politics had been going on in West Bengal for the last 15 years. “Even on Wednesday, our party workers were attacked and injured at Khardaha and Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district,” Adhikari said.

He said that the party will take full responsibility for the Rath’s family. He also promised that the party will also take the responsibility for the treatment of the driver of Rath’s vehicles, Buddhadeb Bera, who was also shot and is in critical condition.

Although none of the Trinamool Congress leaders spoke to the media persons on the matter, the party has issued a social media statement on its social media handle demanding a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the killing.

“We demand the strongest possible action in this matter, including a court-monitored CBI investigation so that those responsible are identified and brought to justice without delay. Violence and political killings have no place in a democracy and the guilty must be held accountable at the earliest,” the Trinamool Congress statement read.

–IANS

src/dpb