Suvendu Adhikari’s aide shot dead as Bengal erupts in post-poll violence

Chandranath Rath, executive assistant and close aide to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday night, marking a major escalation in the post-poll violence that has gripped the state after the BJP’s landslide victory ended the TMC’s 15-year rule.

Rath, considered one of Adhikari’s closest aides, was travelling home to Barasat around 10.20 pm when motorcycle-borne attackers intercepted his car and opened fire at point-blank range, police sources said. He died on the spot, while his driver suffered serious gunshot injuries and was admitted to Kolkata’s SSKM Hospital.

According to investigators, Rath was seated beside the driver when one of the attackers walked up to the vehicle and fired three rounds through the window before fleeing.

A senior police officer described the killing as “a planned murder”, claiming the assailant waited to ensure Rath had died before escaping.

Rath was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. The injured driver remains under treatment.

As news of the attack spread, Adhikari and Rath’s wife rushed to the hospital.

West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya accused the TMC of orchestrating a targeted political attack. “Killing the Leader of Opposition’s PA sends a message. Earlier too, attacks were carried out on Suvendu Adhikari, Dilip Ghosh and other BJP leaders. We will pursue legal action,” he told reporters.

The TMC condemned the murder and, in a statement posted on X, also referred to the deaths of three party workers in separate incidents of post-poll violence allegedly involving BJP-backed miscreants over the past three days.

“We demand the strongest possible action, including a court-monitored CBI investigation, so that those responsible are identified and punished without delay,” the party said, adding that political killings have “no place in democracy”.

Police have launched a probe and are scanning CCTV footage from the area to identify the attackers.

Originally from Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district, Rath had earlier served in the Indian Air Force before becoming associated with Adhikari in 2018. After Adhikari joined the BJP, Rath became his personal assistant and later his executive assistant when Adhikari took over as Leader of Opposition.

The killing comes amid escalating violence across Bengal following the declaration of election results on May 4.

Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta said authorities had registered over 200 FIRs linked to post-poll violence and arrested 433 people so far.

“Since May 4, there have been incidents involving threats, assaults and intimidation. More than 1,100 people have also been detained under preventive measures,” Gupta said.

He added that two other deaths linked to post-poll violence, one in Nanoor and another in New Town, are also under investigation, with arrests already made in both cases.

In a sensational bust of what could be the country’s biggest fuel diversion racket, Delhi Police have uncovered a sprawling ₹54-crore Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) theft operation that had been thriving for nearly three years.

Acting on weeks of intelligence gathering, the Crime Branch raided a warehouse in Mundka on June 23, seizing 72,000 litres of stolen jet fuel and arresting eight people, including the alleged mastermind, Gaya Prasad Yadav.

Yadav, a 43-year-old former tanker driver, allegedly orchestrated a highly sophisticated siphoning network targeting the HPCL aviation fuel depot in Bahadurgarh, Haryana. Every day, around 5,000 litres of ATF — intended for flights at Indira Gandhi International Airport — were illegally diverted, repackaged, and sold in the grey market disguised as Mineral Turpentine Oil (MTO), police said.

“This gang went to extraordinary lengths to avoid detection — manipulating GPS trackers, forging dip rods, and using counterfeit keys to breach secured tanker compartments,” said DCP (Crime Branch) Aditya Gautam. The stolen fuel was then funneled to industries in the ink, paint, and manufacturing sectors, where cheaper substitutes like MTO are in demand.

The operation’s scale is staggering: investigators estimate over 54 lakh litres of jet fuel were siphoned off, yielding the gang massive illicit profits. Yadav allegedly purchased the stolen ATF from complicit tanker drivers at ₹30 per litre and resold it at nearly double the price. His network included key operatives such as transporter Ashpal Singh Bhullar, multiple tanker drivers, and handlers, all now under arrest.

During the raid, police seized three trucks, two pickup vans, and a full set of forged equipment used to tamper with delivery routes and depot logs. The syndicate exploited a clever loophole — choosing a godown location that allowed tankers to discreetly reroute fuel shipments without tripping logistical alarms.

Authorities suspect a much wider interstate racket involving multiple layers of middlemen and illegal buyers. “This may only be the tip of the iceberg,” a senior investigator said. “We are now tracking financial trails and supplier links that span far beyond Delhi.”

More arrests are likely as the police continue to dismantle the criminal enterprise that brazenly hijacked the country’s aviation fuel supply chain, right under the radar for years.