Khemka murder: Bizmen ‘reminded of old Bihar’, demand security, arms

The government should, therefore, set up dedicated task force for their protection, provide security cover at trade and industry clusters and simplify process for granting arms licences, said the BIA president, who also runs an industrial unit at Hajipur.

Angry over the killing of Gunjan Khemka, son of a city-based industrialist, heads of a dozen leading trade and industry bodies came together on Monday to voice their concerns over the recent spike in incidents of crime against businessmen and demand immediate steps for “defusing the atmosphere of fear”.

Industrialist and their family member, hold a candlelight vigil during protesting murder of industrialist Gunjan Khemka,in Patna. Bihar (HT Photo)

Demanding immediate arrest and speedy trial in the December 19 killing of Khemka just outside his surgical cotton manufacturing unit in Hajipur, 20 kms north of state capital, Bihar Industries Association (BIA) president K P S Keshri said “speedy trials in cases related to Arms Act has yielded good results in the past and it should be revived for dealing with incidents of crime against businessmen.”

Keshri, who had met chief minister Nitish Kumar and DGP K S Dwivedi after the incident and appeared satisfied with their response, said Monday that businessmen were, once again, treated as soft targets.

“This perception needs to be reversed by strong administrative action,” said P K Agarwal, president of Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industries, underlining the adverse impact on industrialisation and economic growth if things did not look up.

The government should, therefore, set up dedicated task force for their protection, provide security cover at trade and industry clusters and simplify process for granting arms licences, said the BIA president, who also runs an industrial unit at Hajipur.

Insisting that a task force, with representation of stakeholders, should be constituted to for formulation of an effective security policy to restore investor confidence, PHDCCI state chairman Satyajit Singh said, “Trade and industry contribute almost 90% of state’s ₹25,000 crore revenue collection and also provide direct and indirect employment to 1.5-2 crore people.”

“It will be erroneous to consider business community as a voiceless entity. Government must treat all such incidents as a challenge and initiate concrete steps to end this environment of fear that eventually has a bearing on state’s development and economic growth,” he said. “We have also flagged our concerns, through a memorandum to powers that be.”

Manikant, president-elect of Credai, Bihar, said they would not be cowed down by such acts and were ready face the challenge. “But that cannot be the case for everybody. There is need to sensitise police and district administration towards the ground level problems faced by those involved in trade and industry. A large number of outsiders are engaged in infrastructure creation work here.”

N K Agarwal, president of Hajipur Industrial Area, could not agree more. “We face problems in getting FIRs registered, which, in turn, delay the process of initiating prompt action,” he said.

Manikant also demanded the setting up of special police stations for taking up such cases on priority basis.

P K Sinha, chairman, CII, Bihar chapter, said the work of infrastructure creation almost nearing completion, the state cannot afford to miss the chance for accelerating growth by allowing such incidents.

Usha Jha, president Bihar Mahila Udyog Sangh, said entrepreneurs worked in difficult circumstances.

“Purana Bihar yaad aa raha hai (It reminds of pre-NDA days),” said Uptal Sen, patron of Bihar Druggist and Chemist Association.

After their meeting, all of them participated in a candle march to register their protest.