KOLKATA: Montu Mondal, a 33-year-old driver from Banikantha Nagar in Barasat, was traveling in the SUV with Suvedu Adhikari’s close aide Chandranath Rath and driver Buddhadeb Bera when the killers attacked. Mondal is the only one who escaped unhurt. Over 48 hours after the incident, his brother Jhantu, a lawyer, said Mondal is still in trauma. “My brother worked for Rath. As Rath had to travel long distances, Montu acted as his assistant and even drove the car at times. On Wednesday, they went to the state assembly before going to a party office near Lord Sinha Road. They were returning when the murder happened. Montu never sat in the front or middle of the SUV. The middle seat was where files were kept. He sat in the rear left side, which saved him as he went unnoticed by the shooters,” Jhantu said.Jhantu claimed Mondal saw a car blocking their path. “But before the three of them could react, a man on a bike shot five to six bullets at Rath. Then Bera was shot. As the attackers fled, my brother tried calling senior functionaries and also searched for help. But no one came forward and instead shot videos on their phones. Finally, two persons came forward. Montu picked up Bera, who had fallen over, and took both him and Rath to hospital. There, he kept honking to seek help,” Jhantu said.The SIT probing the assassination has turned its focus towards Mondal and see him as the most crucial witness. He has been subjected to extensive questioning in the past 48 hours. Investigators are banking on his detailed testimony to reconstruct the final moments of the assault and to identify the routes and the potential surveillance the victims were under.Witnesses reported the operation lasted 50 seconds. The hatchback blocked Rath’s SUV while gunmen on bikes opened fire from the left at point-blank range. According to primary rescuer Sushanta Sarkar, Mondal slumped into the gap in the seats to avoid the bullets. Witnesses also described him as being in such shock that he initially refused to roll down the car windows until he was certain that those approaching were local residents and not the assailants.The SIT is now scrutinizing his account to check if there were any suspicious calls made to Rath before the incident. Cops are tight-lipped about Mondal’s current whereabouts.
