Suvendu Adhikari's PA Murder Case Handed To CBI, Agency To Probe 'Mastermind', Money Trail

Last Updated:May 12, 2026, 10:14 IST

The CBI SIT is likely to seek custody of three sharpshooters for questioning who were arrested by the state police from UP and Bihar

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe in the murder case of Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who was shot dead two days after the BJP swept the state. The move came after an order from the West Bengal government, which has restored the mandate for CBI probes in the state.

“The CBI has constituted a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the leadership of a DIG-rank officer to probe the case," a top official from the agency told CNN-News18.

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

Earlier, the state police had arrested three sharpshooters from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in connection with the murder. The CBI SIT is likely to seek custody of the trio for questioning. Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya and Raj Singh were allegedly the hitmen who shot Rath dead on May 6 in Madhyamgram. The CBI interrogation is likely to focus on the identity of the mastermind who gave them orders to carry out the murder.

Amidst allegations of this being a political murder, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had demanded a court monitored-CBI probe.

ALSO READ | ‘Rath’s Schedule Monitored, Attack Rehearsed’: Inside The 3-Day Plot Behind Suvendu Aide’s Murder

Officials in the central agency told CNN-News18 that the SIT reached West Bengal on Monday night and is likely to visit the crime scene on Tuesday. The agency will also focus on the money trail to ascertain who paid the sharpshooters to carry out the murder. Similar modus operandi to eliminate a BJP leader—Raju Jha—in April 2023 in Purba Bhardhaman area of the state is also being reviewed by investigators. Jha was shot dead outside a confectionary shop after assailants blocked his exit. Rath’s vehicle was also intercepted by the killers who shot him dead from point blank range as per eyewitness accounts and forensic investigation.

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