Slain Chandranath Rath: From air force serviceman to Suvendu’s trusted troubleshooter

Chandranath Rath, the shut aide of BJP chief Suvendu Adhikari who was shot dead in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, had travelled an uncommon path — from serving within the Indian Air Force to changing into one of many Opposition chief’s most trusted political associates.

Rath, 41, initially hailed from Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district, the political turf that formed Mr. Adhikari’s rise in Bengal politics, social gathering sources mentioned.

Soft-spoken and low-profile, he remained largely away from public consideration regardless of being a part of Mr. Adhikari’s inside circle for years.

Before getting into energetic political organisational work, Rath had spent almost 20 years within the Indian Air Force after finishing his research at Rahara Ramakrishna Mission.

People shut to the household mentioned he had as soon as thought-about a religious life and was deeply influenced by the Ramakrishna Mission ethos throughout his scholar years.

After taking voluntary retirement from the Air Force, he briefly labored within the company sector earlier than steadily transferring into political coordination and administrative obligations.

His household, like Mr. Adhikari’s, had earlier been related to the Trinamool Congress.

His mom Hasi Rath had held a place in an area panchayat physique in Purba Medinipur through the TMC years earlier than shifting allegiance to the BJP together with Adhikari in 2020.

Family acquaintances mentioned the connection between the Rath household and Mr. Adhikari went again greater than 20 years to the early years of the TMC’s growth in Purba Medinipur.

Rath formally grew to become a part of Mr. Adhikari’s official group round 2019, when the latter was serving as a Minister within the Mamata Banerjee authorities.

He initially dealt with obligations linked to Mr. Adhikari’s ministerial workplace and later continued in an identical function after Mr. Adhikari crossed over to the saffron camp.

Over the years, Rath emerged as a key backroom determine in Mr. Adhikari’s political operations, coordinating organisational work, managing logistics and sustaining communication with social gathering staff.

BJP insiders described him as somebody who loved Mr. Adhikari’s full confidence and was usually concerned in delicate assignments linked to marketing campaign administration and political coordination.

He was additionally a part of the core group throughout a number of high-voltage political battles, together with the BJP’s Bhabanipur marketing campaign.

Within sections of the BJP organisation, there had even been hypothesis that Rath might be entrusted with a bigger administrative duty if Mr. Adhikari assumed an even bigger function in authorities after the Assembly polls.

Also Read : West Bengal elections: Trinamool involved in 64% of the poll violence in past decade

Those discussions got here to an abrupt finish on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) evening when motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly intercepted his automobile close to Madhyamgram’s Doharia space and opened hearth at shut vary.

His killing has triggered sharp political reactions in Bengal and intensified the already risky ambiance following the Assembly election outcomes.