Overview

• A Patna lawyer was shot dead in broad daylight on July 13, marking the fifth high-profile killing in ten days.
• Bihar Police have registered separate murder cases, sent bodies for post-mortem, deployed forensic teams and carried out raids and manhunts.
• One suspect in the Gopal Khemka killing died in an encounter but no major arrests have been announced in the subsequent shootings.
• Opposition leaders led by Tejashwi Yadav have blamed the Nitish Kumar government for failing to curb violence and demanded accountability.
• The wave of targeted attacks on businessmen, shop owners, BJP figures and now a legal professional has rattled public confidence and made security a focal point ahead of the assembly elections.