Chandranath Rath shot dead in West Bengal; 1,500 held over post-poll violence

The article notes ongoing political reactions, including the TMC condemnation of incidents and legal/political actions being contemplated, with security measures and arrests continuing as tensions rise ahead of May 9.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected in Kolkata on May 9 for the oath-taking ceremony.

Several former bureaucrats and advisers appointed by the Banerjee government tendered their resignations, including Alapan Bandyopadhyay, HK Dwivedi, Manoj Pant, and economist Abhirup Sarkar.

The Aam Janata Unnayan Party, formed by rebel TMC leader Humayun Kabir, approached the Calcutta High Court over alleged large-scale post-poll violence in Murshidabad district.

Chandranath Rath was shot dead and rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead; police said investigation is ongoing. BJP leader Koustav Bagchi said motorcycle-borne assailants followed Rath’s vehicle and fired near Doharia in Madhyamgram; another person in the vehicle was injured and admitted to hospital.

Authorities reported more than 1,500 arrests across West Bengal since Monday, as post-poll violence persisted.

Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand announced a ban on rallies involving earthmovers and bulldozers, with vehicle seizure and rally cancellation for such equipment, and legal action for organisers; police and CAPFs would respond to fresh complaints.

Security at Mamata Banerjee's Harish Chatterjee Street residence, the Kalighat Road headquarters, and Abhishek Banerjee's Camac Street office was scaled down; scissor barricades were replaced by manual guardrails, with personnel deployed beyond the Z+ tier withdrawn.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee indicated the party was considering taking legal action, speaking in Kolkata on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Advocate General Kishore Datta said he had submitted his resignation to the Governor on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

In the New Market area, BJP workers allegedly vandalised shops and attacked the Trinamool Congress office using a bulldozer, an incident condemned by the TMC.

After results were declared on Monday, May 4, 2026, Bengal experiences widespread post-poll violence with authorities reporting ongoing unrest and arrests beginning that day.