CBI Arrests Two Accused in Chandranath Rath Murder Case

PTI, June 5, 2026, New Delhi : The CBI has arrested two accused in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, an aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, officials said on Friday.

The accused, Vikas Mishra and Golu Singh, were arrested from Lucknow and Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, respectively, during searches conducted by the agency, they said.

Officials said Mishra was apprehended from a hotel in Lucknow, while Singh was arrested from Ballia.

In a related development, another accused in the case, Gyanendra Pratap Singh alias Monu, surrendered before a Gangsters Act court in Ballia on Thursday and was remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody.

Monu, a history-sheeter facing 12 criminal cases, is also wanted in the Rath murder case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), according to local police.

Rath was serving as the executive assistant to Adhikari, who was then the BJP’s principal face in West Bengal and the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, when he was shot dead in Madhyamgram on May 6, two days after the declaration of the fiercely fought West Bengal Assembly Poll results.

The incident took place on a public road in the Doharia area of Madhyamgram. Rath sustained critical injuries in the firing and was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The CBI took over the investigation in May and registered an FIR in the alleged murder case after assuming charge of the probe from the West Bengal Police.

Officials said all three accused will be produced before the special CBI court in Kolkata as the agency continues its investigation into the conspiracy and circumstances surrounding the killing.

The CBI 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.