Adhikari aide killing: CBI conducts searches at multiple locations
New Delhi (PTI): The CBI conducted searches on Saturday at multiple locations here in connection with the murder of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's aide Chandrakant Rath, officials said.
The search operation was conducted late Friday night which continued till the early hours of Saturday, they said.
The CBI has taken over the probe into Rath's murder from the West Bengal Police following a request from the state government.
The agency has formed a seven-member special investigation team under a DIG of Special Crime from Delhi, comprising some of the best investigators drawn from various units of the agency, officials said.
The team will report to the Joint Director, Kolkata.
Rath, the executive assistant to Adhikari, was shot dead in Madhyamgram on May 6, two days after the declaration of results of the fiercely fought West Bengal Assembly polls. The incident took place on a public road at Doharia in the Madhyamgram area.
The state police had arrested three persons in the case. Two accused - Mayank Raj Mishra and Vicky Maurya - were detained from Buxar in Bihar, while the third, Raj Singh, was detained from Ballia, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
Police said at least eight people were allegedly involved in the conspiracy and execution of the murder. They believe the attackers carried out a detailed reconnaissance before targeting Rath.
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Mamata asks TMC candidates of recent polls to rebuild party, says 'those who want to leave can go'
Kolkata (PTI): After the TMC faced an electoral setback, party supremo Mamata Banerjee urged its candidates who contested the recent assembly polls to rebuild the organisation, asserting that those wishing to quit the party were free to do so.
At a meeting with the Trinamool Congress' contesting candidates at her Kalighat residence on Friday, attended by its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, she said the organisation would rise again despite suffering a crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections.
"Those who are leaving for other parties, let them go. I will rebuild the party afresh. To those who are staying, I say rebuild the damaged party offices, paint them and reopen them. If needed, I too will paint them. Trinamool Congress will never bow down. People's mandate has been looted," Banerjee was quoted as saying by party sources.
The remarks came days after the TMC was reduced from the ruling party to the opposition benches following a dramatic reversal in electoral fortunes.
Of the 294 assembly seats in the state, the party managed to win only 80.
Mamata Banerjee herself suffered defeat in Bhabanipur, long considered her political bastion.
The TMC had fielded candidates in 291 seats, leaving three seats in the Darjeeling hills to its ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) led by Anit Thapa. Of these, only 80 candidates emerged victorious, while 211 lost, including several heavyweight leaders and ministers.
The meeting at Kalighat was convened for candidates who had contested the elections on the party's ticket amid reports of internal discontent and speculation over possible defections after the electoral debacle.
The meeting echoed Banerjee's remarks made a day after the results were declared. Addressing a press conference on May 5, the party supremo had said she was aware that some leaders might switch camps.
"I know many will leave for other parties. They may have their own compulsions. I have nothing to say about that. Whoever wants to go may go. I do not believe in forcibly holding anyone back," she had said.
The TMC's official X handle later posted photographs of the meeting and praised the contesting candidates for their fight during the election campaign.
"Today, our Hon'ble Chairperson @MamataOfficial and our Hon'ble National General Secretary @abhishekaitc met with our contesting candidates at Kalighat. They fought with unmatched courage despite facing unimaginable atrocities and relentless intimidation.
"The Trinamool Congress stands united as one family. We will never bow before those who loot the people's mandate. Truth will prevail," the party posted on X on Friday.
The post also reiterated the party's charge that the electoral mandate had been "stolen", a claim repeatedly raised by TMC leaders after the poll results.
Party insiders said Banerjee used the meeting to boost the morale of candidates who had contested the polls and send a message of unity amid a difficult phase for the organisation.
Today, our Hon'ble Chairperson @MamataOfficial and our Hon'ble National General Secretary @abhishekaitc met with our Hon'ble Parliamentarians, at Kalighat.
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 14, 2026
Bengal has been burning under @BJP4India's watch. Violence, fear, and chaos have engulfed the state over the past few days… pic.twitter.com/nYGdiIAdYD
