A file photo of businessman Gopal Khemka, who was shot dead near his residence at Gandhi Maidan area by a bike-borne assailant on July 4, 2025, in Patna
| Photo Credit: PTI
The killing of Patna businessman Gopal Khemka is proof that Bihar is witnessing “goondaraj” under the National Democratic Alliance regime, the Congress alleged on Saturday (June 5, 2025), as it demanded a special session of the State Assembly to discuss the breakdown of law and order.
The special session must also discuss the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly election, the Congress said, alleging that the ongoing exercise is a “deliberate conspiracy” to help the BJP win power in the State.
“It is humanly impossible to carry out this exercise among eight crore voters of the State,” Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Prasad Singh said, addressing a press conference on the “lawlessness” in Bihar, at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters. Mr. Singh claimed that the people of the State have been left to the mercy of God, while “Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has become a puppet in the hands of the BJP”.
Criminal impunity
The Congress MP said that Mr. Khemka, the owner of Magadh Hospital, had been shot dead by criminals near his home in Patna on Friday (July 5, 2025) night, a few years after the murder of his son. The crime took place near Gandhi Maidan despite the police presence there, with the criminals executing the murder openly before fleeing the scene, Mr. Singh said.
Referring to the killing of three people in Siwan three days ago, Mr. Singh said that there is hardly any district in Bihar where murders are not a daily occurrence.
He added that while the ADG (Law and Order) himself admits that rising attacks on police are a serious concern, the criminals who dared to open fire at Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav’s official residence are still at large.
“Murders are happening daily in almost all districts of Bihar, but the government seems unaffected by it. The government has left the people of Bihar to fend for themselves. Bihar is currently passing through a crisis, for which we should exert pressure on the government to convene a session of the Legislative Assembly on the issue of Bihar’s ‘goonda raj’. Bihar, once known as a land of peace, harmony, and knowledge, is now burning in the fire of gun violence and criminality,” Mr. Singh said.
Astronomical growth in crime
Citing official data, the Congress leader claimed that large numbers of minor girls are being raped and policemen are being murdered. “In Patna alone, this year, there have been 116 murders and 41 rape incidents,” he claimed. “Last year, data released by the police headquarters stated that in 151 days, there were 1,297 attacks on the police,” he added.
Quoting the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), Mr. Singh claimed that the total number of crimes in Bihar rose from 1,60,664 in 2005 to 3,47,835 in 2022. “This means there has been a 323% increase in this number. In terms of murders, Bihar ranks second after Uttar Pradesh,” the Congress leader said, adding that there have been more than 53,000 registered murder cases in 17 years of NDA rule.
“In Bihar, 2,21,729 women have fallen victim to crime, and there has been a 336% increase in crimes against women. There has been a 1,097% increase in cases of abduction of women, and a horrific 7,062% increase in crimes against children,” he added.
Published – July 05, 2025 09:57 pm IST
