‘Crime new normal’ in Bihar: Rahul Gandhi slams BJP, Nitish Kumar over Patna businessman’s murder
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‘Crime new normal’ in Bihar: Rahul Gandhi slams BJP, Nitish Kumar over Patna businessman’s murder
Gopal Khemka, owner of Magadh Hospital, was shot dead late Friday night near his residence in the Gandhi Maidan area of Patna, according to the police. The incident occurred in the run-up to the Assembly elections and amid criticism from the Opposition against the Nitish Kumar-led BJP-JD(U) government for allegedly failing to maintain law and order in the state. Gandhi said the state government which cannot “ensure the safety of your children cannot be entrusted with your future either,” and urged voters for a change in dispensation in the upcoming Assembly elections in November. He wrote: “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’s future.”
Gandhi, who also serves as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, condemned the state government’s handling of law and order and called for change in government ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
“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,’” Gandhi wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in Hindi.
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“Today, Bihar lives in the shadow of loot, gunfire, and murder. Crime has become the ‘new normal’ here — and the government is utterly ineffective,” he added.
पटना में व्यवसायी गोपाल खेमका की सरेआम गोली मारकर हत्या ने एक बार फिर साबित कर दिया है – भाजपा और नीतीश कुमार ने मिलकर बिहार को “भारत की क्राइम कैपिटल” बना दिया है। आज बिहार लूट, गोली और हत्या के साए में जी रहा है। अपराध यहां ‘नया नॉर्मल’ बन चुका है – और सरकार पूरी तरह नाकाम।… — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 6, 2025
Khemka, the owner of Magadh Hospital, who was also reportedly affiliated with the BJP, was shot dead late Friday night near his residence in the Gandhi Maidan area of Patna, according to the police. Khemka’s elder son, Gunjan Khemka, was murdered six years ago in a similar manner in Vaishali district.
The incident occurred in the run-up to the Assembly elections and amid galvanised criticism from the Opposition against the Nitish Kumar-led BJP-JD(U) government for allegedly failing to maintain law and order in the state.
Gandhi said the state government which cannot “ensure the safety of your children cannot be entrusted with your future either,” and urged voters for a change in dispensation in the upcoming Assembly elections in November.
“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,” he wrote on X.
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Earlier, RJD leader and former deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav had tweeted: “Massacre in Bihar! Six people shot in Siwan! Three died on the spot! Under the leadership of an unconscious Chief Minister, law and order have collapsed!”