As per police reports, Rath was driving home in a white Scorpio vehicle when he was attacked near Doharia on Jessore Road. Investigators revealed that a group of eight unidentified assailants on four motorcycles intercepted his car and opened fire at close range. Rath suffered critical injuries and was quickly taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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In the aftermath of the incident, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the attack had been premeditated. He referred to the act as a “cold-blooded murder” and asserted that the attackers had conducted prior surveillance prior to the assault.
“This is a cold-blooded murder. The way the attack was executed indicates prior planning,” Adhikari stated after visiting the hospital around midnight.
The incident incited unrest in the area as BJP supporters congregated outside the hospital soon after news of Rath’s death broke. Protesters shouted slogans against the Trinamool Congress and called for the swift apprehension of those responsible. Police deployed additional forces at the hospital and along Jessore Road to avert further escalation.
In North 24 Parganas’ Panihati, five BJP supporters were injured late at night in a separate crude bomb attack reportedly near the home of newly-elected BJP MLA Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar Hospital rape victim, according to Times Now.
The event took place near St Xavier’s Institution, where unidentified attackers targeted a group of party workers with crude bombs before fleeing the scene. The injured were transported to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata for medical assistance.
In another development, BJP activists organized protests in Salboni, Paschim Medinipur, as reported by PTI. About 200 supporters blocked a major road with burning tyres and raised slogans against the TMC, alleging its involvement in Rath’s murder.
TMC has condemned Rath’s killing and called for a court-monitored CBI investigation. The party also claimed that three of its members had been killed in separate incidents of post-election violence in recent days.
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The West Bengal Police have initiated an investigation into the murder. Officials reported that forensic teams recovered empty cartridges and live ammunition from the scene. Police also seized a small vehicle believed to have been used to block Rath’s SUV during the attack as part of the ongoing investigation.
