Kolkata, May 7 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress on Thursday strongly condemned the killing of Chandranath Rath, Personal Assistant (PA) to BJP leader and outgoing Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, and demanded a court-monitored CBI investigation into the incident.

In a shocking incident late on Wednesday night, Rath was shot dead while returning home from a party programme in the Madhyamgram area of the North 24 Parganas district.

Rath sustained multiple gunshot injuries to his head, chest and abdomen. He was immediately rushed to Viva City Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Another individual, identified as Buddhadeb Bera, who was travelling in the same vehicle with Rath at the time of the attack, also suffered multiple bullet injuries. He is currently undergoing treatment at Viva City Hospital and remains in critical condition.

Reacting to the incident, the Trinamool Congress issued a statement on social media platform X, condemning the violence and calling for strict action against those responsible.

“We strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath in Madhyamgram tonight, along with the killing of three other TMC workers in incidents of post-poll violence allegedly carried out by BJP-backed miscreants over the last three days, despite the Model Code of Conduct being in force,” the party said in its statement.

The Trinamool further demanded a high-level investigation into the matter.

“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 statement added.

Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Saayoni Ghosh also expressed concern over the incident and appealed for strict action against those involved in the violence.

In a post on X, Ghosh said, “Extremely disturbing incident reported about Mr. Chandranath Rath. Beyond party lines, beyond political and ideological differences, beyond who is in power, each one of us have the responsibility to maintain law and order and ensure safety of each individual living in this state.”

“NO LIFE should be lost like this. Urging police administration to take stringent actions and strongest measures against every culprit associated with each violence occurring over the past few days,” she added.

Meanwhile, state BJP president and party’s Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya had officially claimed that the assassination of Rath was a result of a conspiracy hatched by the Trinamool Congress leadership, frustrated by the crushing defeat in the recently concluded West Bengal elections.

“Since the beginning I had been saying that during the interim period between the declaration of results and the formation of the new cabinet, it is the responsibility of the ECI to ensure a peaceful law & order situation in the state. Already, Trinamool Congress-backed goons have started creating disturbances in different pockets of the state masquerading as BJP workers. And now they have murdered the personal assistant of the outgoing leader of the opposition to send a message. I am not surprised, since this is the culture of Trinamool Congress,” Bhattacharya said.

–IANS

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