Rajkumar Singh, the primary shooter accused in the murder of Chandranath Rath, appeared before a Special CBI Court in Barasat this week [1, 2].
The case is significant because it involves the personal assistant to Suvendu Adhikari, a prominent political figure in West Bengal, and suggests a coordinated contract killing involving interstate criminal networks.
Singh was apprehended in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh [2]. He is accused of participating in the killing of Rath, which occurred on May 6, 2024 [3]. The murder took place in Madhyamgram, located in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal [3].
Investigators said the incident was a post-poll contract murder [4]. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing links between the crime and criminal networks operating across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar [4].
Singh is one of four accused in the case [2]. Three other suspects have been remanded to police custody until May 24, 2024 [2]. The investigation continues to focus on the logistics of the hit and the identity of those who commissioned the crime.
The appearance of the main shooter in court marks a critical step in the CBI's effort to dismantle the network responsible for the attack. The agency is working to establish the full chain of command from the shooters to the financiers of the operation.
“The killing was a post-poll contract murder linked to Uttar Pradesh-Bihar criminal networks.”
The involvement of the CBI and the arrest of a shooter from Uttar Pradesh indicate that the murder of Chandranath Rath was not a localized crime but a professional hit utilizing an interstate criminal pipeline. The link to post-poll motives suggests that the assassination may have been intended to destabilize the political environment or target the inner circle of a high-ranking official.
