Opposition leaders in Bihar on Wednesday criticised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the murder of an IndiGo Airlines executive in Patna, The Hindu reported. They alleged that there had been “a complete collapse of law and order” in the state
Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal United’s ally in Bihar, also hit out at Kumar over the incident. The Bihar government is also facing criticism over the rape and killing of a minor in Muzaffarpur district earlier this week.
Rupesh Kumar Singh, a manager with IndiGo Airlines, was on Tuesday evening shot dead outside his home in Patna, which is close to the chief minister’s residence, according to NDTV. He was politically well-connected. Kumar promised that strict action would be taken against the accused and the case was handed over to a Special Investigation Team.
Congress National Secretary Tariq Anwar said the killing showed that Kumar has lost control over the law and order situation in the state, according to The Hindu.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav said that Kumar should resign from his post if he cannot bring crime under control. “I’ve been saying ever since this government was formed that Kumar is a selected and nominated chief minister who is tired and retired,” he said.
BJP MLA Nitin Navin, on the other hand, said that Bihar needed a model like Uttar Pradesh to bring crime under control. His party colleague Vivek Thakur suggested that the government hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation, if the police fails to make progress over the next few days.
“In the last few days, there have been some such incidents which have become a matter of concern,” Thakur tweeted. “This should seen as a challenge by the Bihar government. The government should think about why the Patna Police cannot control crime and bring the investigation to a logical end.”
Gopal Narayan Singh, a BJP MP, also said that Kumar’s government had no control over law and order. “There is no visible grip of our government on the current police system presently,” he said, according to NDTV.
The JD(U), on the other hand, appeared blame officials. “Our leader’s [Kumar’s] commitment to maintaining law and order will bear no fruits until and unless officials concerned pull up their socks,” MP Sunil Kumar Pintu said.
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