A political angle has emerged in the investigation into the murder of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, with the CBI claiming that links to a rival political party in West Bengal have surfaced during the probe.
The agency revealed on Friday that two prime suspects — Sagar Sonkar and his brother Saheb Sonkar — have been arrested in connection with the case. Both accused had previously worked as associates of Rath.
According to CBI officials, investigators found that Sagar, while working with Rath, was allegedly in regular contact with the office of a rival political party through a landline number. The agency said the calls came to light during an examination of his call records and that the matter is currently under investigation.
The CBI is also attempting to identify the specific political leader with whom Sagar allegedly had contact. Officials further stated that before joining the BJP, Sagar had worked with an opposition party MLA until 2020.
Rath was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants while travelling in a car near Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas on May 6. Investigators claim that Sagar was in regular communication with the shooters and had allegedly paid them the contract amount for the killing. The CBI said evidence supporting these allegations has emerged during the investigation.
The agency has also found that the alleged conspiracy to eliminate Rath was planned much earlier, reportedly beginning in December 2025, but the execution was repeatedly delayed for various reasons.
Rath was considered a key figure in Adhikari’s political campaign preparations for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections in Bhabanipur.
So far, the CBI has arrested six shooters in the case— Manu Singh, Raj Singh, Golu Singh, Mayank Raj Mishra, Vicky Maurya and Naveen Kumar Singh. The agency has also arrested alleged intermediaries involved in the suspected contract killing operation, including Binay Rai, Sanjay Rai and Bikash Mishra.
With the latest arrests of Sagar and Saheb, the total number of accused taken into custody has increased further. The CBI said one accused is still absconding.
The investigation was transferred to the CBI from the West Bengal Police following a request from the state government. The agency has constituted a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a DIG from the CBI’s Special Crime unit in Delhi, with officers drawn from different branches of the agency.
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