Chandranath Rath was shot dead. The incident took place just two days after the results of the West Bengal Assembly elections were declared, in which the Trinamool Congress suffered a crushing defeat.
Although the Chief Minister did not name anyone directly, by using the term 'nephew-gang' he clearly pointed towards Trinamool Congress general secretary and the party's Diamond Harbor Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the nephew of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Chief Minister Adhikari said that I have received concrete information that 'nephew's gang' was behind Chandranath's murder. The murder was done by taking betel nut for Rs 2 crore. I have heard several call recordings which clearly show that the 'nephew's gang' was involved in the murder conspiracy.
He also said that this tragic death of retired Indian Air Force soldier Chandranath Rath happened only because he was his key ally when he was the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.
While returning to his home in Madhyamgram, Chandranath Rath was fired at from very close range. West Bengal Police started the initial investigation, but the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) later took over the investigation.
So far, seven people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in Chandranath's murder. However, there is still confusion about who is behind this.