PATNA: Two motorcycle-borne criminals opened fire at a youth near the high-security Polo Road, adjacent to the official residence of Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, in the state capital on Thursday.
The victim, Rahul Kumar, fortunately escaped unhurt as the bullets missed their target. However, the miscreants managed to snatch Rs 450 from his pocket.
Polo Road is a high-security zone that houses the residences of ministers, MLAs and senior bureaucrats. The Raj Bhawan and the chief minister’s residence are also a stone’s throw away from the site of the incident. The daylight firing has raised serious concerns over the law and order situation in Patna.
The incident occurred just hours before young IPS officer Kartikey Sharma took charge as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Patna. Sharma replaced Avakash Kumar, who was removed from the post allegedly for his failure to control crime in the capital. Prior to this posting, Sharma was the SP of Purnea.
Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav seized the opportunity to launch a scathing attack on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the NDA government. Recalling the incident, Tejashwi said, “There is complete lawlessness. It’s a reign of criminals. There is no sign of governance left, and the Chief Minister has lost all authority.”
He further alleged that the administration is in complete disarray under the current government. “No one is safe in Bihar. Nitish Kumar is creating rules to get AK-47 wielding criminals released from jail. Those who carry AK-47s are being protected by none other than him. He is facilitating their escape,” he added.
The broad daylight incident sent shockwaves through political and administrative circles, especially ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to poll-bound Bihar on Friday. “PM Modi will come and blame RJD for ‘jungle raj’ in Bihar. But I say that there is ‘rakshash raj’ (demon’s rule) in Bihar these days,” Tejashwi asserted.
He said criminals were now targeting people at will. “Criminals have become fearless in Bihar. I am a former deputy chief minister and also Leader of Opposition in the state assembly. There are residences of the development commissioner and many ministers near my residence. Still such incidents are happening.”
Continuing his attack, the RJD leader said, “If such things happen, they should be taken seriously. If the most secure area of the state is not safe and they can’t catch the offenders, then Bihar CM Nitish Kumar should immediately resign from his post.”
He also took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Bullet shots were fired outside my residence today. In the NDA-ruled Bihar, the morale of criminals, protected by government, is so high that they are roaming freely in the high security zone. They fired and fled the spot.”
Tejashwi also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of consistently targeting the RJD in his speeches.