Gopal Khemka, (65), was shot dead by a sharpshooter near the entrance gate of his apartment on Friday night. He was shot from a point-blank range while waiting on driver’s seat to open the entrance gate.
Police did not rule out the possibility of a professional criminal committing the murder as the assailant fired one shot, hitting the target. Khemka, who was returning home from Bankipore Club in his car, was rushed to a private hospital where he was declared dead.
Khemka’s younger brother Shanker Khemka alleged that police reached the site of occurrence three hours after the incident despite information about the incident given to district control room.
Gopal Khema’s elder son Gunjan Khemka was killed under Hajipur Industrial area in 2018.
Gopal Khemka didn’t have any security cover. Police said that he was provided a body guard on payment after his son’s murder but it was withdrawn in April 2024 and he never requested for security thereafter.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar hurriedly held a high-level meeting with state chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena and DGP Vinay Kumar to take stock of the situation. He directed the officials to take stern action against criminals involved in serious crimes as per law.
Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar later told media persons that a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to crack the case at the earliest. In addition, separate teams of STF and other state investigating agencies have been roped in to solve the mystery behind the murder.
Meanwhile, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav expressed his deep concern over Khemka’s killing in the heart of the town. He sarcastically commented on X, “We will not call it jungle raj."
Attacking chief minister Nitish Kumar, Purnea MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav said, “Nitish Ji, please spare, Bihar’. Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar also took a jibe at CM Nitish and alleged that law and order machinery had collapsed in Bihar.
Union minister Chirag Paswan said, “This is a serious matter. Government should look into such incidents.”
JD(U), however, defended the government and said that the criminals involved in the crime will not be spared, whosoever they may be. “Government has taken a serious note of the incident,” JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar contended.
