After spate of murders in two days, Opposition questions Bihar government on law and order
On Sunday, police said that a lawyer identified as Jitendra Kumar was allegedly shot dead in Patna city by unidentified assailants. He was at a roadside stall having tea when he was killed. The assailants fled the scene after shooting him.
Superintendent of Police Parichay Kumar told The Hindu that a sub-divisional officer, along with a forensic team, had visited the shooting site and collected evidence, adding that those accused of carrying out the murder would be arrested soon.
Jitendra Kumar's killing came a day after Surendra Kumar, a former president of the Bharatiya Janata Pary Kisan Morcha, and Waseem Anwar Khan, a local businessman, were shot dead on Saturday night, the newspaper reported.
The superintendent of police said that unidentified assailants had opened fire at the former BJP functionary when he was inspecting his field on Saturday in the Pipra police station limits in rural Patna district. He was taken to a hospital but died during treatment.
Khan was also shot dead by three unidentified assailants in Sitamarhi district around 9 pm, police said, adding that one person had been detained and a Special Investigation Team formed to look into the matter.
'Wasim Anwar Khan, alias Puttu Khan, was shot at by three unknown criminals,' Superintendent of Police Amit Ranjan told The Hindu, adding that the businessman had also died during treatment at a hospital.
Ranjan noted that the killing seemed to be related to land and money transactions as per the preliminary investigation, adding that Khan was involved in real estate.
Responding to the killings, the Congress asked whether anyone was safe in Bihar under the National Democratic Alliance government in the state.
'In the last 24 hours, a teacher, a businessman, a GNM nurse, a BJP farmer leader, and now a lawyer have been murdered in the state,' it said on X. 'In [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi-Nitish's goon rule, who is safe in Bihar?'
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Tejashwi Yadav asked 'if there was anyone in the NDA government willing to listen to the truth or admit their mistakes'.
Dipankar Bhattacharya, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation general secretary, on Sunday said an atmosphere of peace and harmony was essential for business but 'crime, madness and anarchy' prevailed in society today, which was 'fatal' for traders, The Hindu reported.
Addressing a traders' conference in Patna, Bhattacharya said that there was a need for change in Bihar.
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), a key ally of the NDA in the state, also criticised the state government for the spate of murders.
On Saturday, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan asked how many more Biharis will fall victim to the killings? 'It's beyond understanding what the responsibility of Bihar Police actually is,' Paswan said on X.
The spate of killings comes days after Gopal Khemka, a businessman linked to the BJP, was shot dead near his home in Patna on July 4. Khemka was shot dead in Patna's Gandhi Maidan area as he was stepping out of his car. He was allegedly shot at close range by assailants on a bike.
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