Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has strongly criticised the Bihar government over 31 murders reported in just 11 days, and tagged the state the “crime capital of India”. He further alleged that there is “Gu-NDA Raj” in Bihar and accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of being preoccupied with clinging to power rather than addressing the law and order situation.
His remarks, coming in the wake of upcoming elections in the state, emphasised that the fight is not just about ousting the current government from power but about “saving Bihar” itself.
“Bihar has become the ‘Crime Capital of India’ – fear lurks in every alley, unease in every home!” read his tweet when translated from Hindi to English.
He further alleged that the state’s unemployed youth are being driven to violence under what he termed as “Gu-NDA Raj”.
Taking a direct swipe at the leadership, the 55-year-old politician said, “The CM is busy saving his seat, while BJP ministers are raking in commissions. I’m repeating again, this time, the vote is not just to change the government, but to save Bihar.”
His remarks came in the wake of a disturbing surge in violence across Bihar, where 31 people have been killed in just 11 days. The spate of murders began with the killing of businessman and BJP leader Gopal Khmeka. He was shot dead outside his home near Gandhi Maidan in Patna.
Today, a 25-year-old youth, identified as Amit Kumar, was shot dead, and another, Prince Kumar, was injured by unidentified miscreants in Bihar’s Begusarai district on Monday. On Sunday, a lawyer and a teacher were also shot dead in two separate incidents in Bihar.
These incidents follow the recent murders of the BJP leader Surendra Kumar, a 60-year-old woman, and a shopkeeper, rocking the poll-bound state.
According to the latest State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) data, the state recorded 1,376 murders with a monthly average of 229 between January and June, compared to 2,786 in 2024 and 2,863 in 2023.
Bihar has consistently ranked among the top five states for violent crimes, particularly those involving firearms, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The state held the second-highest violent crime rate in the years 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022, the NCRB further reported.