Kolkata, 07 August (H.S.) : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet before a court in Barasat against 11 accused in the murder case of Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

According to the chargesheet, the CBI has alleged that two BJP worker brothers, who were recently arrested in Uttar Pradesh, hired professional contract killers to execute the murder and paid them a substantial amount for the crime.

CBI sources said the investigation revealed that the conspiracy to eliminate Rath had been hatched as early as December last year. The plan was allegedly revised several times before it was finally carried out on May 6, two days after the declaration of the West Bengal Assembly election results. Rath was shot at close range about 50 metres from his residence.

So far, six accused, Manu Singh, Raj Singh, Golu Singh, Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya and Naveen Kumar Singh, have been arrested in connection with the case. The CBI has also arrested three alleged middlemen accused of facilitating the conspiracy and arranging the financial transactions linked to the murder.

The investigating agency said sustained interrogation of the arrested accused has yielded several crucial leads. However, one more accused allegedly involved in the conspiracy remains absconding, and search operations are continuing to trace him.

The CBI is also probing whether the murder was part of a larger political conspiracy or involved the role of any influential individuals. However, despite filing the chargesheet against 11 accused, the agency has yet to conclusively establish the motive behind Chandranath Rath's murder.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh