Subhechcha Ganguly 
Rajesh Jha, who was fatally shot on April 1, ran a number of establishments, including a mall and hotels in the West Burdwan district’s Durgapur town, where he resided. According to East Burdwan district police investigating the slaying, Abdul Latif, who was listed as an absconder in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charge sheet in the cattle smuggling case, is wanted in connection with the slaying of businessman Rajesh Jha on April 1. Jha was shot dead in front of a restaurant on NH-2 in East Burdwan district as he was riding in Abdul Latif’s SUV. Jha joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2020 and was under investigation for illicit coal mining operations.
The murder, which is thought to have been committed by hired hitmen, has sparked a political brawl. Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister, attacked the BJP on Tuesday while speaking to Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in the East Midnapore area. “A coal mobster was murdered. Who formerly frequented his hotel? Who minister of the Union did he have a connection to? Who did he give money to? Why is the Party being so silent about this incident? In the West Burdwan area of Durgapur town, where Jha resided, he controlled a number of companies, including hotels and a retail centre.On April 1, Abdul Latif was driven by Sheikh Noor Hossain from his home in Birbhum district’s Ilambazar to Durgapur, the investigating official said on condition of anonymity. He was operating the SUV at the time of the attack. “Hossain claimed that Latif, Jha, and the latter’s friend Brotin Mukherjee were making their way from Durgapur to Kolkata in the SUV. They halted at a restaurant near Shaktigarh, where the assassins started shooting. Mukherjee was shot in the arm, while Jha passed away. Since then, Latif has gone missing,” the officer continued.
Mukherjee was found injured on the back seat of the SUV, while Jha was discovered dead on the front seat. The driver told detectives that Latif was in the car when the incident occurred, but Mukherjee said Latif was not travelling with them that day, according to a second East Burdwan police officer. “Mukherjee is being questioned repeatedly since surveillance footage reveals Latif being close to the SUV prior to the incident. He was spotted on the phone talking to someone, the officer reported.
