NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the murder investigation of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant of the West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. According to sources, the CBI has formed a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), which will be led by a DIG-rank officer.
Chandranath Rath, former Indian Air Force personnel and aide to Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead near Madhyamgram on May 6 late at night. He later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. The court has remanded three accused โ Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya and Raj Singh โ to police custody till May 24 following their arrest from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐: ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ in the cold-blooded murder of Chandranath Rath, Personal Assistant to West Bengal BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari ๐ฅ
Mayank Raj Mishra & Vicky Maurya picked up from Buxar, Bihar Raj Singh nabbed fromโฆ https://t.co/a26BNKiXydpic.twitter.com/u4ZhpIXFIs
โ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ต๐บ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ถ (@TheRudra1008) May 11, 2026
Public Prosecutor Advocate Bivas Chatterjee said the prosecution also sought additional charges related to the destruction of evidence, which were added by the court. โThree persons have been arrested, and the court has sent them to police custody till May 24, i.e., 13 days of police custody. We also sought for the addition of the section relating to the destruction of evidence, which has been added by the courtโ, Chatterjee told the reporters.
Mayank Raj Mishra and Vicky Maurya were detained from Buxar in Bihar, while Raj Singh was apprehended from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh on May 10 based on investigative leads. All three were formally arrested after interrogation on Monday morning.
Adhikari had termed the killing a โpremeditated murder,โ alleging that Rath was targeted due to his association with him and his political victory over ex-Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. โThis was a planned operation. A recce was conducted for several days, and the victim was followed before being shot at close rangeโ, Adhikari had earlier said.
Trinamool Congress had demanded a court-monitored CBI investigation into the incident, calling for an impartial and thorough inquiry. The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee also demanded an independent investigation under judicial supervision. (ANI)
