3 weeks ago
CBI chargesheets 11 in Chandranath Rath murder, alleges multi-state conspiracy
A man named Chandranath Rath was shot and killed while sitting in his car in Madhyamgram on May 6.
Rath was 41 years old, had retired from the Air Force, and worked as a personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The CBI, a big federal police agency, investigated the crime.
On Thursday, it filed a chargesheet, a formal list of charges, against 11 people in a court in Barasat.
The CBI believes a criminal network that worked across several states planned the killing.
Local people made the plans, while contract shooters came from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Two brothers, Sagar and Saheb, were named the main conspirators.
They had worked with Rath as BJP associates during the election, but the agency said they also had links with the opposition camp.
Sagar had earlier worked for a TMC minister; the articles give slightly different years (2020 vs 2021) for when he switched to the BJP.
All 11 accused are in jail, and one more person is still on the run.
The CBI filed a chargesheet before a Barasat court against 11 people in the murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Rath, a 41-year-old retired Air Force officer, was shot dead inside his vehicle at Madhyamgram on May 6, two days after the Assembly election results were declared.
The CBI alleged the killing was executed by a multi-state criminal network involving local planners and contract shooters from Uttar Pradesh.
Among the accused, six acted as sharpshooters and three as linkmen, while brothers Sagar and Saheb (Sahib) Sonkar were marked as the conspirators.
All 11 accused are in judicial custody while one more accused remains absconding; the articles differ slightly on when Sagar Sonkar left the TMC (2020 vs 2021).
- Who
- Chandranath Rath, a 41-year-old retired Air Force officer and personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari; the CBI charged 11 people in connection with his murder.
- What
- The CBI filed a chargesheet alleging Rath's killing was executed by a multi-state criminal network involving local planners, contract shooters and linkmen.
- Where
- Rath was shot dead inside his vehicle at Madhyamgram, and the chargesheet was filed before a Barasat court.
- When
- The chargesheet was filed on Thursday; the murder took place on May 6, two days after the Assembly election results were declared.
- Why
- The CBI alleged the killing was a contract murder by a multi-state network; sources said Rath became a target of personal rivalry over his high-profile PA job, and the first plot to eliminate him was hatched in December last year.
Key facts
- Investigating agency
- Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
- Victim
- Chandranath Rath, 41, retired Air Force officer and personal assistant to Suvendu Adhikari
- Murder date
- May 6, two days after Assembly election results were declared
- Murder location
- Madhyamgram, West Bengal
- People chargesheeted
- 11 (six sharpshooters, three linkmen, two conspirators)
- Custody status
- All 11 accused in judicial custody; one more accused absconding
- Court
- Barasat Court
- Earlier plot
- First plot to eliminate Rath hatched in December last year, per sources
Sources
Related news
CBI charges 11, including two BJP workers, in aide's murder
CBI Chargesheets 12 in Alleged Plot to Kill Adhikari Aide
CBI Arrests Gopal Das in 2021 Bengal Post-Poll Murder Case
Four Arrested in BJP Worker Bapi Pramanik Murder
CBI Arrests Proclaimed Offender Masad Seikh in Murder Case
BJP Worker Among Eight Arrested for Killing CJP Supporter's Father
Barasat MP Kakali Ghosh Accuses Trinamool, Mamata of Corruption
ABVP-TMCP Clash Injures Students at West Bengal University
Kolkata Police Arrest Trio Accused of Cab Driver Robbery
Kolkata Dermatologists Say De-Tanning Soaps Cannot Remove Suntan
