‘Crime capital of India’: Rahul Gandhi slams Nitish govt after Patna tycoon shot dead

The brazen killing of a prominent Patna businessman in one of the city’s most secure zones has ignited a political firestorm in Bihar, with Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accusing the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government of turning the state into the “crime capital of India.”

Businessman and owner of Magadh Hospital, Gopal Khemka, was shot dead July 4 night by unidentified bike-borne assailants in the high-security Gandhi Maidan area — ironically, just six years after his son, BJP leader Gunjan Khemka, was murdered in a similar daylight attack. The chilling murder, caught on CCTV, has triggered outrage and intensified scrutiny over law and order in the poll-bound state.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, hit out at the state government in a blistering post on X. “Today, Bihar lives under the shadow of loot, gunfire, and murder. Crime has become the new normal, and the government has completely failed,” he wrote, urging voters not to back a regime “that cannot protect your children.”

“Every murder, every robbery, every bullet is a cry for change. This time, your vote is not just to change the government — it’s to save Bihar,” the Congress leader added, setting the tone for a charged election season.

Law and order collapse, say rivals

The fallout was swift and sharp. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav launched a stinging critique, questioning why it took Patna Police two hours to respond despite the murder happening in the city’s VIP zone. “It’s a horrible incident. Businessmen now want to flee Bihar. If this can happen in the heart of Patna, what safety can one expect elsewhere?” he said, speaking to ANI.

He further accused the administration of dysfunction and corruption: “When postings are decided through bribery, not merit, and when the chief minister is tired and detached, chaos prevails. No one is safe in Bihar.”

Independent MP Pappu Yadav, who visited the crime scene shortly after the murder, also demanded answers. “How can such a killing take place in an area where top bureaucrats, including the District Magistrate, reside? Does the government want the entire Khemka family wiped out?” he asked.

An election flashpoint

With Assembly elections just months away, the killing of Gopal Khemka has escalated into a defining flashpoint, bringing Bihar’s deteriorating law and order to the center of the political discourse. The Khemka family's earlier loss—Gunjan Khemka’s unsolved murder—only adds to the narrative of a state where impunity reigns.

For the Opposition, the incident reinforces a theme they intend to hammer home: that Nitish Kumar's administration has lost its grip, and Bihar is paying the price.