Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed its primary charge sheet against 11 individuals — including two BJP workers who joined the party in 2020 — in connection with the fatal shooting of Chandranath Rath, a personal assistant and close aide of chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, on May 6.The incident took place less than 72 hours after the Assembly election results were declared. The central agency has indicated that supplementary charge sheets may follow.Among those named in the agency’s formal court filing are brothers Sagar Sonkar and Sahib Sonkar, who were arrested by CBI on Saturday. Sagar Sonkar, who had previously worked with Rath in managing election campaigns, has been identified as a key conspirator who allegedly planned, financed and orchestrated the contract killing by hiring hitmen from Uttar Pradesh.Investigators said Sagar worked for an MLA of a rival political party until 2020 before joining the BJP. The CBI is now examining call detail records showing repeated contacts with a local office of the rival party to determine whether broader political forces were behind the crime.The charge sheet was filed on Thursday following an extensive investigation into the high-profile murder, which took place in Madhyamgram, barely metres from Rath’s home. He was travelling in an SUV when bike-borne assailants opened fire at close range.Central investigators said the conspiracy to eliminate Rath — who played a key role in managing electoral campaigns in the Bhowanipore constituency — had been in the works since Dec 2025. However, the execution was repeatedly postponed because of logistical adjustments.The charge sheet details the roles of six arrested contract killers —Monu Singh, Raj Singh, Golu Singh, Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya and Naveen Kumar Singh — who were apprehended across multiple states in joint operations with local police.Besides the shooters, three middlemen — Vinay Rai, Sanjay Rai and Vikas Mishra — were arrested for negotiating the contract killing and coordinating logistics between the alleged masterminds and the hired assassins. CBI investigators claimed that the accused, during interrogation, made crucial disclosures about financial transactions, weapons procurement and surveillance of the victim before the attack.While the filing of the charge sheet marks a major milestone in the investigation, the CBI said one suspect remains absconding and search operations are continuing to trace him.The central agency said the investigation remains open as it seeks to establish the primary motive behind the murder, identify who ordered the contract killing, and determine whether any higher-level political links were involved.
