Prominent businessman Gopal Khemka shot dead in Patna; Nitish chairs meeting to review law and order

Patna: Prominent Bihar-based businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead outside his residence in Patna by a bike-borne assailant, seven years after miscreants had gunned down his son in Hajipur, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place around 11.40 pm on Friday near the gate of Khemka’s house in Gandhi Maidan locality as he was about to alight from his car, they said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar convened a meeting on Saturday to review the law and order situation in the state during which he instructed officials concerned to complete the investigation into the killing of Khemka at the earliest, officials said.

SP (Patna Central) Diksha told reporters that officers of the local police station and personnel in patrolling vehicles had immediately reached the spot and secured the crime scene.

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

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

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

Meanwhile, some relatives and family members of Khemka alleged that police personnel arrived at the spot nearly two hours after the incident.

Talking to PTI, Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar, however, 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 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, adding police have obtained some crucial leads in the case.

“Khemka’s son was also killed in Hajipur in 2018. In the wake of that, security was provided to Gopal Khemka on a payment basis. It was withdrawn in April 2024, and he never requested for security thereafter. After yesterday’s incident, police have provided security to his other son, who is a doctor by profession,” Kumar 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.

Independent Lok Sabha MP from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, in another post on X, said, “No one is safe… Criminals are being protected by the current NDA government in the state. Nitish ji, please spare Bihar.”