BJP, Nitish Kumar made Bihar crime capital of India: Rahul Gandhi on Gopal Khemka’s murder in Patna

With prominent businessman Gopal Khemka being shot dead outside his residence in Patna, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (July 6, 2025) lashed out at the Nitish Kumar government and said the incident has once again proven that the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have together made Bihar the “crime capital of India”.

The prominent businessman, Khemka was murdered on Friday night in the State capital Patna soon after he reached outside his house at around 11:30 p.m., which falls under the jurisdiction of Gandhi Maidan police station. He was shot by a bike-borne criminal from point blank range.

The police took more than two hours to reach the spot of the crime when the police station was just 300 metres away.

“The brazen murder of businessman Gopal Khemka in Patna has once again proven – the BJP and Nitish Kumar together have turned Bihar into “India’s crime capital”. Today, Bihar lives in the shadow of loot, gunfire, and murder,” Mr. Gandhi said in Hindi in a post on ‘X’.

He further said, “Crime has become the ‘new normal’ here – and the government is utterly ineffective. Brothers and sisters of Bihar, this injustice can no longer be tolerated. A government that cannot ensure the safety of your children cannot be entrusted with your future either.”

The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha added, “Every murder, every loot, every bullet – is a cry for change. Now is the time for a new Bihar – where there is no fear, only progress. This time, the vote is not just to change the government, but to save Bihar.”

It has been more than 36 hours, however, police have not made any breakthrough in the case. Last night, Special Task Force (STF) and Special Investigation Team (SIT) teams, formed by Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikey Sharma, conducted intensive raids at several places to nab the killer.

According to a senior police official, the raids started at around 11 p.m. on Saturday and ended Sunday morning at 5 a.m. During the raids, over half a dozen suspects have been detained and questioning is underway.

“The last location of the shooter was found in Vaishali district and land dispute is believed to be the reason for the murder. The link of the murder is also connected to dreaded criminal Ajay Varma, who is currently lodged in Patna’s Beur Jail. Last night, a raid was also conducted in Beur Jail and Varma was questioned,“ police sources said.

The police have lodged an FIR on the complaint of Gaurav Khemka, the second son of Gopal Khemka, at Gandhi Maidan police station.

The incident brings back memories of a similar tragedy when Gopal’s son Gunjan Khemka was also shot dead by criminals in Hajipur industrial area of Vaishali district six years ago.

Last evening, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly Tejashwi Yadav, after meeting the businessman’s family members, called it a heart-wrenching incident. He also said that not only Patna, but the whole of Bihar has been shaken by the murder of Gopal Khemka.

“The incident has happened in the heart of the town where the DM and SP reside. There is a police station at a distance of about 200 yards. This makes it clear that the credibility of the government has ended in Bihar and criminals are getting protection from the government,” Mr. Yadav said.

Gopal Khemka’s younger brother Shankar too lashed out at Bihar government.

“These people call RJD’s rule a Jungle Raj, but for us, this is worse. The current government is running organised crime,” Mr. Shankar accused.