Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday stated that his personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, was killed because he worked for the BJP leader, while also alleging that contract killers were involved in the murder. He claimed that Rath had no political enmity with anyone.
Speaking to reporters at the Barasat State General Hospital, where the post-mortem examination of Rath's body was conducted, Adhikari also claimed that the former Indian Air Force personnel wouldn't have been killed if the BJP leader had not won the Bhabanipur seat in the Assembly elections.
"The ex-serviceman of the Indian Air Force might not have been killed had he not been my PA and had I not won from Bhabanipur. His only fault was Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant. Five bullets were fired at him to ensure his death," the BJP leader said.
Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday night.
Senior BJP leaders, including the party's state unit president Samik Bhattacharya, paid tributes to Rath before the hearse left for Chandipur around 3 pm.
Referring to the probe, Adhikari said the DGP had informed him that a motorcycle allegedly used in the crime had been recovered around four kilometres away from the spot.
"Police are working. I spoke with the DGP; they have leads, and some people have been rounded up. I am confident the police will be able to arrest the assailants. CID, forensic and SIT are in action, and police are heading in the right direction," Adhikari told reporters outside the hospital.
He claimed that the police were capable of solving cases but alleged that "they were not allowed" to do so earlier, in an apparent dig at the TMC government.
When asked about the TMC's demand for a CBI inquiry into the killing, Adhikari said, "There is no relevance of the TMC now. Police will be able to solve this."
The BJP leader urged the police to identify everyone involved in the killing and ensure they receive capital punishment.
Rath's mother, however, demanded life imprisonment instead of a death sentence, as she understood a mother's pain.
She is also a BJP activist in Purba Medinipur.
Adhikari said BJP leaders in Purba Medinipur would stand beside Rath's wife and daughter.
(With inputs from PTI)