KOLKATA: The family of Buddhabeb Bera, the driver injured in the shooting that killed BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's close aide Chandranath Rath, demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible and urged the new government to ensure such incidents do not happen in West Bengal.

Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram near Kolkata on Wednesday night, triggering a political storm in the state. Bera, who was driving the vehicle at the time of the attack, sustained gunshot wounds and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital. Family members said they learned about the incident through television and immediately left for Kolkata. "We came to know from TV reports that my nephew had been shot. We still do not know who carried out the attack or why it happened," Buddhabeb's uncle Biswajit Bera said.

"Our only wish now is that he recovers and returns home safely," he added. Buddhabeb, 25, hails from Majnaberia village in the Chandipur police station area in Purba Medinipur district. According to family members, he mostly stays in Kolkata for work and visits home occasionally during weekends. Besides his parents, his younger brother, sister-in-law and several relatives have also travelled to Kolkata following the incident.

Demanding strict action against the perpetrators, the uncle said, "We want the government to conduct a proper investigation and identify those directly involved in the crime. They should be given exemplary punishment so that such incidents do not happen again in West Bengal and no other family has to go through this grief." A neighbour, Ranjana Ghorai, also sought stringent punishment for those behind the attack. "In our neighbourhood, we call him Sona. We want exemplary punishment for the people responsible for this incident," she said.

Rath's family members have demanded life imprisonment for the accused, while Adhikari has called for capital punishment for those involved in the killing.