CBI takes over probe into murder of Suvendu Adhikari's PA in Bengal

CBI registers FIR to probe the murder of Suvendu Adhikari's PA, Chandranath Rath, in West Bengal's Madhyamgram. The case was taken over from state police. Three accused have been arrested and remanded to police custody until May 24.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR to investigate the murder of Chandranath Rath, the PA of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Rath, who had worked in the Indian Air Force, was shot dead near Madhyamgram on May 6 late at night. He later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

CBI Registers Case Under New BNS

The case was taken over from the West Bengal Police following parallel notifications issued by both the Government of West Bengal and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India.

The CBI, re-registering it as a regular case, has invoked Sections, including Section 103(1) (murder), Section 61(1) (criminal conspiracy), Section 111(2)(a) (organised crime), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, alongside Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.

The probe agency registered the FIR based on the complaint filed by the victim's brother, who alleged a professional and highly organised conspiracy carried out by multiple unknown individuals.

Subhash Chander Kundu, Superintendent of Police, CBI, SC-I, New Delhi, has been designated as the Investigation Officer for the case.

Forensic Team at Crime Scene, 3 Arrested

On Tuesday, teams of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) arrived at the spot in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, on Tuesday, where Chandranath Rath was killed last week.

A Central Bureau of Investigation official told ANI, "We are doing our work" without divulging any details about the probe.

Meanwhile, the court has remanded three accused--Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya, and Raj Singh to police custody till May 24, following their arrest from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Public Prosecutor Advocate Bivas Chatterjee said the prosecution also sought additional charges related to the destruction of evidence, which were added by the court. "Three persons have been arrested, and the court has sent them to police custody till May 24, i.e., 13 days of police custody. We also sought for the addition of the section relating to the destruction of evidence, which has been added by the court," Chatterjee told the reporters. (ANI)

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