'Jungle Raj 2.0' in Bihar? Decoding murder of gangster Chandan Mishra

In this episode of Capital Beat, Faizan Ahmed, Ashok Mishra, and Siddharth Sharma join The Federal panel to unpack the chilling murder of gangster Chandan Mishra inside Patna’s Paras Hospital and the growing chorus around Bihar slipping into another phase of 'Jungle Raj' under Nitish Kumar’s governance.

With crime statistics soaring and political silence from key stakeholders, the panel examines whether Bihar is witnessing a systemic collapse in policing and governance just ahead of the crucial elections.

Brazen murder in broad daylight

The murder of Chandan, a known gangster with 24 criminal cases, right inside a hospital ICU, has triggered outrage across Bihar and beyond. CCTV footage showed five men casually walking into his room at Paras Hospital, shooting him, and escaping on bikes while brandishing guns. The visuals, which show one of the assailants flashing a victory sign, have gone viral, shaking public confidence in law enforcement.

Also read: What PM Modi said in poll-bound Bihar: Top 10 things

Senior journalist Ashok pointed out that this incident follows the murder of industrialist Gopal Khemka, and even now, very few arrests have been made. “It’s a free-for-all situation in Bihar,” he said. He also slammed the police for their “topsy-turvy” functioning, especially after a senior officer claimed that idle farmers during non-farming seasons turn to crime — a statement that went viral for all the wrong reasons.

Policing collapse and political silence

The episode highlighted the fragile state of Bihar’s policing and administration. Ashok emphasised that even the DGP and senior ministers have downplayed the incident by calling it mere gang rivalry. “Over 100 murders have been reported in the past three months,” he said, adding that the police’s response is negligible.

Also read: PM Modi attacks RJD over 'land-for-jobs' scam in Bihar rally

Neelu questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Bihar on the same day as the murder but did not comment on the incident. Ashok recalled how Atal Bihari Vajpayee had condemned lawlessness from the podium during a similar period, contrasting Modi’s silence.

'Jungle Raj' comparisons and electoral impact

Turning to the politics of perception, Faizan traced the origins of the "Jungle Raj" term to a 1997 Patna High Court PIL about waterlogging, not law and order. Yet, the term has since stuck to Bihar’s political narrative. “Now even the police are saying it's the 'season of murders' – what does that even mean?” Faizan asked, highlighting statements from both ADGP Kundan Krishnan and DGP Vinay Kumar, who bizarrely attributed the crime spike to agricultural cycles.

Also read: Bihar BJP leader shot dead, but Deputy CM claims good governance amid Opposition fire

Faizan also expressed disbelief at the lack of hospital security: “Paras is a corporate hospital where even police need ID to enter. How did five armed men get in and out without challenge?” He emphasised the seriousness of the security breach, questioning claims that the assailants would be caught in 24 hours — a deadline long missed.

Statistical reality and governance void

Siddharth brought in hard data to underline the extent of Bihar’s law and order crisis. Citing comparisons with Punjab, he noted:

- Bihar has 311 crimes per 1 lakh people vs Punjab’s 280

- 22 murders per 10 lakh in Bihar vs 16 in Punjab

- 26 crimes against women per lakh women in Bihar vs 22 in Punjab

- 50 crimes per 1 lakh Dalits in Bihar vs 2 in Punjab

Siddharth highlighted the massive police vacancy: “Only 1.1 lakh policemen are on the streets while 1.2 lakh posts are vacant. No police presence means criminals roam free, and people stay home in fear, damaging the state’s economy.”

He argued that Bihar’s per capita income — a mere Rs 60,000 compared to Punjab’s Rs 1.75 lakh — reflects the consequences of this breakdown. “This has gone beyond politics. It’s now a social crisis,” he warned.

Chirag Paswan’s strategy and BJP’s silence

Returning to the politics, Neelu questioned why BJP allies like Chirag Paswan have spoken up while the BJP itself remains silent. Ashok explained that Chirag has been targeting Nitish Kumar since 2020, using the crime issue now as leverage to demand a larger share of seats, possibly even all 243 in the upcoming elections.

“He’s playing a pressure game within the NDA and may be doing the BJP’s bidding,” said Ashok. “He’s raised issues not just about crime but also teacher appointments, SC/ST schemes, and more.” This, he concluded, seems to be part of a larger strategy to politically corner Nitish.

In closing, Faizan stressed that the 'Jungle Raj' narrative refuses to die because the situation continues to mirror it. With gang violence, brazen murders, and administrative paralysis all playing out just months before state elections, the question remains: Can Bihar ever shed this image, or is 'Jungle Raj' now baked into its political reality?

(The content above has been transcribed from video using a fine-tuned AI model. To ensure accuracy, quality, and editorial integrity, we employ a Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) process. While AI assists in creating the initial draft, our experienced editorial team carefully reviews, edits, and refines the content before publication. At The Federal, we combine the efficiency of AI with the expertise of human editors to deliver reliable and insightful journalism.)