Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and prominent businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead late on the night of July 4 near his residence in Patna, Bihar. The incident occurred around midnight as Khemka was returning home.
65-year-old Khemka, who also owned Magadh Hospital, was attacked near Ramgulam Chowk in the Gandhi Maidan police station area. He was stepping out of his car when bike-borne assailants shot him at point-blank range. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
“An armed criminal shot at him from close range when he was about to reach his apartment located on the Exhibition Road late on Friday night. The businessman was rushed to a hospital where he died,” said Central City SP Diksha. The police have recovered one bullet and a shell casing from the crime scene. The SP said that CCTV footage is being analysed to ascertain the identity of the assailant.
The Bihar police have also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case.
CCTV visual of the incident has emerged, which show a man wearing a blue shirt and a black helmet standing outside the BJP leader’s home. After some time two cars arrived, waiting for the guard to open the iron gate. The first car was driven by Mr Khemka himself, while the second car behind him was driven by another man.
As Khemka was waiting in his car, the accused ran towards him, shot him in his car, and fled the scene on his scooter. When the guard opens the gate after that, Khemka can be seen lying forward on the steering wheel of his car, with the person in the second car rushing out. As per officials, the BJP leader died on the spot.
Shockingly, the police arrived at the crime scene nearly one and a half hours after the incident. According to officials, Khemka was returning from the Bankipore Club when the attack occurred. The Gandhi Maidan police station is only 300 meters from the spot. Despite this proximity, law enforcement was significantly delayed. Shankar Khemka, the victim’s younger brother, alleged negligence and slow response by the police.
Purnia MP Pappu Yadav visited Khemka’s residence later that night to offer condolences to the grieving family.
In addition to his hospital business, Khemka also owned petrol pumps and ran several other enterprises. The murder has drawn parallels to a previous tragedy involving his son, Gunjan Khemka, who was similarly shot dead in the Hajipur industrial area of Vaishali district.
Patna’s Senior Superintendent of Police, Kartikey Sharma, has constituted a special task force to track down the perpetrators. However, no arrests have been made so far.
The incident sparked strong political reactions, with the opposition lashing out at the Nitish Kumar-led government over the deteriorating law and order situation.
“Nitish Kumar is completely disconnected from ground realities, and bureaucrats have taken full control. He is only focused on clinging to power and targeting our leader Tejashwi Yadav, who has been consistently questioning the state’s law and order,” said RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmed.
Gopal Khemka’s son Gunjan Khemka was also shot dead by armed criminals in 2018. Gopal Khemka’s second son is a doctor in Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna while his daughter lives in United Kingdom (UK).
