Webdesk: Five gunmen entered the hospital in Patna, Bihar, in broad daylight and blatantly opened fire on an ICU patient in a cold-blooded act of lawlessness. Their target, Chandan Mishra, a well-known criminal out on parole, was shot multiple times and later died during treatment.
The violent murder occurred at Paras Hospital, a premier private health facility in Patna, where the CCTV footage shows the hitmen calmly drawing their guns, entering the cabin of Mishra, and leaving the scene without attracting any opposition. This incident has again cast a deep doubt over the failed law and order in the state.
Chandan Mishra, a resident of Buxar district with over 30 murder cases registered against him, was recently transferred from Buxar to Bhagalpur jail. He was granted medical parole and admitted to Paras Hospital. Police suspect a rival gang carried out the attack.
“A criminal named Chandan Mishra, resident of Buxar district, against whom dozens of cases of murder are registered, was transferred from Buxar to Bhagalpur jail.
Chandan was on parole and admitted to Paras Hospital for treatment. The rival gang shot him. He is undergoing treatment, and with the help of the Buxar police, we are identifying the members of the rival gang, Chandan Sheru gang,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikay Sharma shortly after the incident. Mishra succumbed to his injuries soon after.
Authorities are also looking into the possibility of internal involvement. Investigators are examining whether the hospital’s private security staff had any role in allowing the gunmen to access the room so easily, despite the hospital’s reputation for tight security.
This deadly shooting has added to a string of recent high-profile killings in Bihar’s capital. Among the most well-known are: the businessman Gopal Khemka, murdered in a separate incident in recent weeks; the BJP leader Surendra Kewat, murdered in another incident in recent weeks; and lawyer Jitendra Mahato, murdered in the second incident in recent weeks. The brutality has provoked fear among citizens and intense political reprisal.
RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav hit out, saying, “Government-backed criminals stormed into the ICU and shot a patient admitted to the hospital. Is anyone safe anywhere in Bihar? Has this happened before 2005?”
Responding to growing outrage, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha called the attack “unfortunate” and promised strict action. “Such an incident is unfortunate. It will be thoroughly investigated, and the criminal will not be spared. The Chief Minister of Bihar has said the criminal will be caught and strictly punished,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bihar Director General of Police Vinay Kumar, speaking to NDTV, claimed the crime rate has declined over the years. Various measures are being taken to control crime. If we compare crime rates over time, around 2004, approximately four atrocities occurred daily. Since then, the number of murders has gradually decreased. Last year, around 2,700 murders were reported, a reduction of about 1,300 compared to 2004,” he said.
Talking about the hospital shooting, Mr Kumar acknowledged the victim’s criminal background. “In this case, the individual involved is a convicted criminal with about three dozen cases registered against him… The incident occurred at Paras Hospital, a well-known and reputable facility with robust security measures… Thus, it is under investigation how the criminals entered the hospital to reach the ward where the individual was admitted,” he added.
Despite such assurances, the brazen hospital killing has shocked many and raised fresh fears about the state’s safety, especially when even heavily guarded medical facilities aren’t safe from such attacks.
Lawlessness has become the norm in India. The audacity of a broad daylight murder inside a reputed private hospital in Bihar once again lays bare the deeply troubling state of internal security in India.
The fact that five gunmen can enter an ICU, commit a targeted assassination and drive off without interception is not merely a policing failure in that particular area, but a general collapse of governance and erosion of institutions designed to safeguard civil society.
Such cases challenge the constant assertions about a new India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which criminal networks can act with impunity even on heavily policed urban streets.
What is more telling is the silence at the Centre over the law and order decay in major states such as Bihar. Internal security, especially in politically sensitive states, is alarmingly weak, even as the ruling BJP government led by the Prime Minister has been noisy in terms of global diplomacy and big-ticket infrastructure projects.
Bihar, the state governed by a member of the BJP-led coalition, has experienced a chilling elevation in cases of politically affiliated killings and gang violence.
However, there is no apparent central action or emergency beyond the lip service. The absence of accountability on the part of a government that prides itself on firm leadership and decisive action when such chilling incidents happen under its watch is nothing less than telling.
78th murder in 46 days in Bihar 🚨
— Ankit Mayank (@mr_mayank) July 17, 2025
Few goons entered a top hospital in Patna, kílled a man & ran away
This is Gangs of Wasseypur in real life in Bihar or even worse 💔
But no Media will call it Jungle Raj of BJP 🙂👍 pic.twitter.com/8XB2BGkYsK
India cannot aspire to global leadership while citizens are gunned down in hospital wards and justice systems appear either compromised or overwhelmed.
A government’s strength is not measured by slogans or summits, but by how safe its citizens feel in the most basic spaces of life and death. On that count, both state and central leadership have a long way to go.
Read more: India-France jet engine deal raises alarms for South Asian security
