PATNA: Close on the heels of the murder of prominent businessman Gopal Khemka, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in Bihar’s Patna district late on Saturday night.
The incident took place when Surendra Kewat, 52, a resident of Sheikhpura village, was returning home from his farmland. He was critically injured and rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
The motive behind the killing is yet to be established. R K Pal, Station House Officer (SHO) of Pipra police station, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, stated that the attackers fired at Kewat from close range while he was riding his motorbike home from his farmland.
According to initial reports, Kewat had dinner with his family before riding to a cabin near his farmland along the Bihta-Sarmera State Highway-78 to switch off a water pump, as irrigation work was in progress.
SHO Pal added that Kewat was locally known as a veterinarian and a farmer. Though he held no official post within the BJP, he was an active member and frequently participated in party activities under the Punpun block in rural Patna.
The body was sent to Patna Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination. Police have launched an investigation based on technical evidence and are working to identify and apprehend the assailants.
Local MLA Gopal Ravidas and former state minister Shyam Rajak visited the hospital, met the bereaved family, and urged authorities to expedite formalities so that the body could be released for the last rites.
Patna’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikey Sharma said that a forensic team had visited the crime scene and collected scientific evidence. “Raids are underway to arrest those involved in the incident,” he said, adding, “No one will be spared.”
Locals stated that the deceased had earlier served as the block president of the BJP Kisan Morcha and was known for his active participation in party functions. “It’s shocking to learn that Kewat has been killed. He had no known enmity with anyone,” they said.
This is the second high-profile killing in Patna in just over a week. On 4 July, businessman Gopal Khemka was gunned down by a sharpshooter while returning to his residence from Bankipore Club. He was declared brought dead at a private hospital in Kankarbagh. Police later claimed that Khemka was killed due to a land dispute in Vaishali district. The alleged mastermind and a shooter have since been arrested.
Opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav sharply criticised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his cabinet over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, especially in the capital. “Nobody is safe in Bihar these days,” he posted on X.
Reacting to the surge in violent crime, the former deputy chief minister said on X, “Now a BJP leader shot dead in Patna! What to say, and to whom? Is there anyone in the NDA government willing to listen to the truth or admit their mistakes?”
Intensifying his criticism of the Nitish Kumar-led government, Tejashwi added, “Everyone in Bihar knows about the chief minister’s health. But what are the two (useless) deputy chief ministers doing? No statement from the corrupt ‘Bhunja-DK party’?”