Cowardly execution by TMC goons: Dharmendra Pradhan on Chandranath Rath murder 

NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday condemned the killing of Chandranath Rath, Personal Assistant (PA) to BJP leader and outgoing Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, and accused the "goons" of Trinamool Congress of the attack.

In a shocking incident late on Wednesday night, Rath was shot dead while returning home from a party programme in the Madhyamgram area of the North 24 Parganas district.

Rath sustained multiple gunshot injuries to his head, chest and abdomen. He was immediately rushed to Viva City Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Another individual, identified as Buddhadeb Bera, who was travelling in the same vehicle with Rath at the time of the attack, also suffered multiple bullet injuries. He is currently undergoing treatment at Viva City Hospital and remains in critical condition.

In a post on X, Pradhan said, "A cold-blooded, barbaric and cowardly execution by TMC goons! The brutal murder of Chandranath Rath, aide to Suvendu Adhikari ji, is yet another grim reminder of the blood-soaked political culture unleashed by Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal."

He further alleged that the BJP workers and supporters have repeatedly been targeted, attacked, and murdered "simply for refusing to surrender to TMC's politics of fear and intimidation".

The Union Minister said that this is "not isolated violence, but a deliberate ecosystem of terror designed to crush democratic opposition".