Chandranath Rath's Death Revives 2013 Mystery Around Suvendu Adhikari’s Ex-PA Pradip Jha

The killing of BJP leader and Bengal’s chief minister-probable Suvendu Adhikari’s close aide Chandranath Rath has revived memories of another mysterious death from over a decade ago—that of Pradip Jha, a former personal assistant of Adhikari, who was found dead under unexplained circumstances in Kolkata in 2013.

Rath, a former Indian Air Force personnel who had emerged as one of Adhikari’s most trusted political aides in recent years, was shot dead near his residence in Madhyamgram late on Wednesday night. Probe so far has shown it was a planned attack, with investigators saying the assailants tracked his movements for days before intercepting his SUV and opening fire at close range, killing him on the spot. The murder has triggered political outrage

in Bengal, especially because this is not the first time someone closely associated with Adhikari has died unnaturally.

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According to Hindustan Times, back in August 2013, when Adhikari was still with the Trinamool Congress and serving as the Tamluk MP, his then-personal assistant Pradip Jha was found unconscious on a pavement on Kolkata’s Strand Road. He was later declared dead at a hospital. Jha, who was reportedly handling election-related work and office management for Adhikari at the time, was only 42 years old.

According to reports from that period, investigators had found alcohol in Jha’s stomach and suspected choking after food particles were discovered lodged in his windpipe. His death, though not officially treated as murder, had raised questions because of his proximity to political operations.

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The latest killing has once again put focus on the unusual pattern surrounding Adhikari’s inner circle. Apart from Rath and Jha, another close associate, Adhikari’s personal bodyguard Subhabrata Chakraborty, had also died under mysterious circumstances in 2018 after allegedly shooting himself with his service revolver at a police barrack in East Midnapore. In 2021, police initiated a murder case following a complaint by Chakraborty’s wife but the investigation is still inconclusive.

Yet another death that was unexplained was of Pulak Lahiri, Adhikari’s counting agent in Nandigram. Lahiri, who was part of the political team of the BJP leader, was found dead in 2021.

Adhikari, on Thursday, called Rath’s killing a “cold-blooded murder” and said the accused would not be spared.