Industrialist’s murder: Medical stores remain shut

PATNA: Govind Mitra Road, which is considered a hub of drug stores, wore a deserted look on Friday. Most of the surgical medical shops in the area remained shut in protest against the murder of 38-year-old industrialist Gunjan Khemka in Hajipur on Thursday.
Khemka was the owner of G K Cotton Private Limited which produced surgical bandages and sanitary napkins. Patna Surgical Dealers’ Association (PSDA) had announced on Thursday that all surgical medical shops in the vicinity of the PMCH would remain closed on Friday.

“Khemka was more like a family to us than our supplier. We closed our shops in protest against his murder and the government’s indifferent attitude towards our repeated demands of security, ” PSDA acting president Ashok Soni said.

A PSDA member, who did not wish to be named, pointed out, “It’s hard to believe that such a known figure was shot in broad daylight. We are all in a state of shock and fear. It seems as if ‘jungle raj’ is back.”

Patna Chemists and Druggists’ Association (PCDA) will also sit on a dharna on Govind Mitra Road on Saturday and demonstrate against the government for not taking appropriate action to arrest the accused. At least 850 medical shop owners in the city will participate in the protest.

“When it comes to safety, the condition of businessmen in the state is miserable right now. It’s high time the government took suitable measures to control the increasing crime rate in the state,” PCDA general secretary Santosh Kumar told this reporter and demanded arrest of the accused within seven days.

Santosh also threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the government “continues to ignore our demands”.

PCDA president Arjun Kumar Yadav said, “During the last one year, almost 12 to 15 medical shop owners have been attacked by criminals in and around Patna.”