Purba Medinipur (West Bengal) [India], May 7 : A large number of people on Thursday paid floral tribute to the mortal remains of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, at his native place, Purba Medinipur in West Bengal.
Rath was shot dead by unknown assailants near Madhyamgram on Wednesday. He had previously served as a former Indian Air Force personnel.
In the latest development, police have recovered the bike reportedly used by the assailants. The bike has been brought to Madhyamgram police station in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal.
Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the killing of his PA was a "premeditated murder", claiming he was targeted because of his association with him and his political defeat of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur.
Addressing reporters while the mortal remains of Rath were brought from the hospital to his residence in Madhyamgram, Adhikari said, "No matter how much we condemn the way this murder was carried out, it is not enough. He was killed because he was my aide, and I defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. This could be the reason for his murder."
Demanding action against the murdered he added, "I stand with his family, and the family's demand is to apprehend those who committed this murder and ensure they are punished. The postmortem revealed that 4 bullets were fired at him... this murder was premeditated."
He further cited medical findings, stating that the post-mortem indicated multiple bullets were fired at close range, adding that the attack was aimed at ensuring instant death.
Adhikari insisted that the killing was not random. "This was not an ordinary crime. It was a cold-blooded, planned attack executed by contract killers," he said.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy on Thursday termed the killing of BJP MLA-elect Suvendu Adhikari's PA Chandranath Rath as "tragic", while condemning the incident.
Speaking to ANI, Roy demanded "strongest" action against the perpetrators of the incident and demanded a court-monitored CBI investigation into the matter.
"It is a deeply tragic incident. We strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath in Madhyamgram. We demand that the strictest possible action be taken regarding this matter--including a court-monitored CBI investigation--and that those responsible for this crime be identified and arrested without delay. There is absolutely no place for such violence in a democracy... We (TMC) have absolutely no connection to this incident whatsoever... This is a part of the post-poll violence that has been taking place," Roy said.