Prominent businessman shot dead in Patna, Nitish chairs meeting to review law and order

Patna, Jul 5 (PTI) Prominent Bihar-based businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead near his residence in Patna by a bike-borne assailant, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place around 11.40 pm on Friday in the Gandhi Maidan locality.

“Officers of the local police station and personnel in patrolling vehicles immediately reached the spot and secured the crime scene. Forensic experts are collecting evidence. Investigation is underway,” SP (Patna Central) Diksha told reporters.

“A bullet and a cartridge have been recovered from the spot. CCTV footage is also being examined. Preliminary investigation suggests he was gunned down by an unidentified bike-borne assailant,” she said.

According to Khemka’s family members, his son was also shot dead by criminals six years ago in Hajipur.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday chaired a meeting to review the law and order situation in the state, officials said.

The death of Khemka was also discussed in the meeting attended by Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar and other senior police officers, they said.

“The CM emphasised that the rule of law is top priority for the NDA government, and warned of strict action against police personnel in case of negligence,” a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said.

“He also instructed officials concerned to complete the investigation into the killing of Khemka at the earliest,” it added.

Some relatives and family members of Khemka have also alleged that police personnel arrived at the spot nearly two hours after the incident.

Talking to PTI, Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar denied the charge.

“There is no question of delay in police action. In fact, information about the incident reached the police around 12.30 am on Saturday. After the shooting took place at 11.40 pm on Friday, his family members took him to a private hospital in Kankarbagh locality, which took almost 30-35 minutes. It was the hospital authorities that alerted the police. Senior officers reached the crime scene around 12.40 am,” Kumar said.

An SIT, comprising officials of the Special Task Force and sleuths of the central district police, has been constituted to supervise the ongoing investigation into the businessman's murder, the DGP said.

The possibility of an old enmity as the cause of killing can’t be ruled out, he said.

Reacting to the incident, Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, said in a post on X: “A few steps away from the police station in Patna, a prominent Bihar businessman was shot dead! Hundreds of businessmen/traders are being murdered in Bihar every month, but people are not calling it jungle raj. This is called media management and image building exercise by the government.” Bihar Congress Spokesperson Rajesh Rathod said it has once again “exposed” the law and order situation in the state.

“The Bihar government headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has failed to check the deteriorating law and order. The state is witnessing cases of murder, rape, kidnapping, extortion and abduction everyday,” Rathod told reporters. PTI PKD RBT