Kolkata, 18 May (H.S.): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has detained a suspect in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The accused was apprehended from a toll plaza in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.

According to CBI sources, the suspect, identified as Rajkumar Singh, is a resident of Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh. Investigators believe he was planning to flee to another location via Delhi.

On Sunday, a joint team of the CBI and Uttar Pradesh Police had conducted a raid at a house in Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar area in search of the accused, but he had managed to evade arrest at that time.

The murder took place on the night of May 6, just two days after the Assembly election results were declared. Chandranath Rath was travelling in a car in the Madhyamgram area of North 24 Parganas district when unidentified assailants on motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle.

Rath, who was seated beside the driver, sustained fatal bullet injuries, while the driver was also injured in the attack. Both were rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared Rath dead.

The incident occurred during a politically sensitive period in the state, shortly before Suvendu Adhikari took oath as Chief Minister.

Earlier, the state police had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder. During the investigation, two persons from Uttar Pradesh and an alleged sharpshooter from Buxar in Bihar were arrested.

On Sunday, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited Rath’s residence during his funeral rites and assured the bereaved family that the culprits would be brought to justice. Rath’s mother, Hasirani Rath, expressed confidence in both the Chief Minister and the ongoing CBI investigation, saying she hoped her son would receive justice.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh