Bengal Under Siege: BJP man killed and hundreds arrested following elections.

Suvendu Adhikari’s PA Chandranath Rath ( Photo source: Instagram)

KOLKATA – Police forces remain heavily deployed across West Bengal which is witnessing a steep rise in political violence. Following the assembly elections, late Wednesday after a prominent aide of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari, Chandranath Rath, was shot to death in North 24 Parganas district of the state. 

More than 433 people have already been arrested as per the state authorities in connection with the various incidents. Reports state that police have already launched a crackdown across the state. Political violence has ensued following the BJP’s mandate victory earlier this Monday which led to the ousting of the 15 year tenure of the Trinamool Congress. 

 Targeted Killing and Political fallout

It was 10:20 PM when Rath was ambushed in the Doharia region of Madhyamgram when his car was blocked and gunmen armed with motorcycles shot him point blank multiple times before escaping the scene. The deceased was immediately rushed to a nearby private nursing home in Madhyamgram from where he was later brought to Kolkata. Rath succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.

 Speaking to reporters outside the hospital in Kolkata that morning, the grieving BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said: “It was a targeted killing and a political conspiracy by the rival political parties,” he added.“We are all shocked, pained and deeply hurt about what has happened. The murder was pre-meditated, cold-blooded and executed.”

The TMC has strongly denied that anyone in the party was involved having any links to the shooters. The party leadership issued an official statement in Kolkata on Thursday afternoon condemning the incident and demanded a neutral investigation. The statement said “There is no place for violence and political killings in democracy, the culprits must be brought to book at the earliest.” In the days that followed the announcement of results, various offices of the party were also attacked or vandalised by opposition workers, it alleged.

Security Crackdown and State-Wide Tension

Due to the deteriorating law and order situation, West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Siddh Nath Gupta said so far more than 200 criminal cases were registered as of Monday. Currently, 433 arrests have been made spread across sections of the two districts of North 24 Parganas and Hooghly as well as different parts of Kolkata.

The Election Commission has said that central paramilitary forces, originally on duty for the polls, would stay in the state for the next 60 days to maintain peace. With reports of arson and physical confrontations ringing out in rural areas below.

This election cycle had this “purification” process earlier in the year where thousands of voters, millions I think, were taken off the rolls and that just leaves a particularly charged atmosphere. As the BJP is set to form its first government in the state, handing power there has been one of the most unstable transitions in the region over recent decades. The investigation into Rath’s murder is still ongoing, and local authorities have urged citizens to stay calm.