CPIM's Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya suggests Suvendu Adhikari's PA held "information" to implicate "high ranking figures"

Speaking to ANI, he emphasised that there is no fundamental difference between the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC).

"There has been no fundamental difference between the TMC and the BJP. Simply changing the colour of one's shirt or the bottle, the taste of wine does not vanish. Unfortunately, the victim likely had no direct involvement in politics. It is possible that the killers, or those who orchestrated the attack, knew this individual possessed information that, if disclosed during an investigation, could implicate high-ranking figures," he said.

"This is why you see some people constantly praising 'encounters.' The 'encounter theory' is often used to destroy evidence, and this incident may very well be a case of that," he added.

Earlier, Chandranath Rath, a former Indian Air Force personnel who had been serving as Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant, was shot dead near Madhyamgram on Wednesday night. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

The West Bengal Police have intensified their investigation into the case. Forensic teams examined the crime scene, while the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been questioning local leads as part of the probe. Senior officials, including the Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF), also visited the site earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has demanded a court-monitored CBI investigation into the incident, calling for an impartial and thorough inquiry.

The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee on Thursday also demanded an independent investigation under judicial supervision into the murder of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant Chandranath Rath, seeking strict punishment for all those involved in the incident.

Reacting to the incident earlier, Suvendu Adhikari termed it a "premeditated murder," alleging that Rath was targeted due to his proximity to him and his win against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. He claimed, "This was a planned operation. A recce was conducted for several days, and the victim was followed before being shot at close range." (ANI)