Chandranath Rath, the close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari who was shot dead in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, had travelled an unusual path — from serving in the Indian Air Force to becoming one of the Opposition leader’s most trusted political associates.

Rath, 41, originally hailed from Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district, the political turf that shaped Mr. Adhikari’s rise in Bengal politics, party sources said.