Ahead Of Assembly Polls, Bihar NDA Ally Chirag Paswan Raises Concerns Over Law And Order Situation After Spate Of Murders In State

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has slammed the law and order situation in Bihar, which is ruled by his party's allies BJP and JD(U).

This comes as the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar has been slammed by the Opposition over a spate of recent murders across the state, intensifying scrutiny of the state’s law and order situation ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, reported The Indian Express.

In a post on X on Saturday (12 July), Paswan questioned the functioning of the Bihar Police, stating, “Bihari ab aur kitni hatyaon ki bhet chadhenge? Samajh se pare hai ki Bihar Police ki zimmedari kya hai?” (How many more Biharis will fall victim to killings? It’s beyond understanding what the responsibility of Bihar Police actually is).

The comments drew a sharp response from Opposition leader and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, who said, “Jaake Pradhan Mantri ji se bolen ki jungle raj aa gaya hai” (He should tell the Prime Minister that jungle rule has taken over in Bihar).

The exchange follows a series of high-profile killings across the state.

In Patna alone, two murders were reported recently: shop owner Vikram Jha, 40, was shot dead in Ramakrishna Nagar on Friday night, and sand trader Ramkant Yadav, 50, was killed outside his residence in Rani Bazar on 10 July, IE reported, citing police sources.

On 4 July, prominent Patna businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead by a bike-borne assailant while he was in his car outside his residential complex in the posh Gandhi Maidan locality of the state capital.

Following these incidents, RJD leader Tejashwi took to social media to criticise the Bihar government.

After Ramkant Yadav’s murder, Tejashwi said in a post on X, “Businessman shot dead in Patna. Chaotic situation in the state under the leadership of an unconscious Chief Minister! BJP ministers and leaders are busy and engrossed in looting Bihar with criminals and corrupt individuals.”

Additional incidents have been reported in Nalanda and Buxar.

The worsening law and order situation has prompted concerns not only from Opposition parties but also from members of the ruling coalition.

The issue is expected to be a major point of contention in the lead-up to the elections.

Also Read : EC Survey Finds Bangladeshis, Nepalese, And Myanmar Nationals In Bihar Voter List: Report