Prominent businessman Gopal Khemka, owner of Magadh Hospital, was shot dead by unidentified bike-borne assailants near the Gandhi Maidan area in Patna on Friday night. The murder comes six years after his son, Gunjan Khemka, was killed in a similar fashion, raising serious questions about law and order in the state.
According to eyewitnesses, the assailants opened fire on Gopal Khemka just as he was stepping out of his car near an apartment close to his residence near Panache Hotel, one of the posh localities in Patna. The incident occurred around 11:40 pm.
The brother of victim ccused the police of gross negligence, claiming officers arrived nearly three hours after the shooting. “My brother was returning home and was attacked as he stepped out of his car. The police only reached the spot around 2:30 am, long after the murder,” he told reporters.
Gopal Khemka, who also served as a director of the prestigious Bankipore Club, was known for his contributions to healthcare in the state through Magadh Hospital, one of Bihar’s oldest private hospitals.
Political Outrage Before Elections
The incident has sparked a major political uproar, especially with Bihar Assembly elections just months away. MP Pappu Yadav visited the family and criticized the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government, questioning its claims of maintaining law and order.
RJD leader Rishi Mishra, while speaking to PTI, slammed the state administration, saying, “The Nitish government has lost its credibility. The CM is absent when the state needs him. Police are busy catching liquor smugglers while criminals roam free.”
Police investigation is going on. A senior official of Patna Police, Diksha Kumari stated, “We received information at around 11 pm on July 4 about the shooting of businessman Gopal Khemka in the south Gandhi Maidan area. The crime scene has been secured, and CCTV footage is being examined. One bullet and a shell have been recovered from the scene.”
Earlier Patna Business Man Gopal Khemka Son Shot Dead
This high-profile murder mirrors the 2018 killing of Gopal Khemka’s son, Gunjan Khemka, aged 38, who was also shot dead by unidentified bike-borne assailants in front of his cotton factory in Vaishali, on the outskirts of Patna.
