In high-security Patna hospital, 5 gunmen walk in to shoot notorious criminal inside room, flee on bikes

A man from Buxar, who faced several murder cases and was out on parole, was shot dead inside Patna’s Paras Hospital on Thursday morning, police said. The incident has triggered a renewed political storm about law and order in the election-bound state.

Police sources said five men, all carrying guns, shot 36-year-old Chandan Mishra in his hospital room at 7.15 am before fleeing on motorcycles.

“Buxar district’s notorious criminal, Chandan Mishra, who was out on parole for treatment, was attacked inside the hospital premises. The attackers are suspected to be members of a rival gang, or possibly Mishra’s own associates involved in a gang-related dispute,” Inspector General of Police Jitendra Rana said, adding that investigations are underway.

Rana also said that security protocols at the hospital, including frisking of visitors, are being scrutinised. “Anyone entering the hospital is subjected to frisking by the management, so the possibility of security personnel colluding with the attackers cannot be ruled out. We will interrogate those on duty to ascertain how the assailants managed to enter with weapons,” the IG said.

Police said the shooters have been identified and that searches are underway at multiple locations. An FIR has been lodged at Shastrinagar police station.

Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya Sharma said there were several criminal cases registered against Mishra. “It appears that the assailants tracked him down and shot him inside the hospital,” he said.

A forensic team, along with a dog squad, collected evidence from the hospital premises. CCTV footage from the hospital and the surrounding area is being reviewed, officers said.

“We are also questioning the security staff about how the attackers entered and left without being stopped. The hospital’s possible involvement is also under investigation, and we are assessing the overall security arrangements at the hospital,” SSP Sharma said.

Sources said investigators suspect that the gunmen had carefully mapped the hospital’s entry and exit routes in a well-planned manner, indicating possible involvement of accomplices in planning their escape.

“Several staff have been detained and are being questioned,” a source said.

Mishra’s family has said that he had been receiving death threats.

According to police, Mishra had been serving a life sentence in connection with the murder of businessman Rajendra Kumar. He had over 24 criminal cases registered against him, including charges of murder, conspiracy, extortion, arms violations, and offences under the Prisoners Act and IT Act, spanning multiple police stations across Buxar, Dumraon, and Arrah districts of Bihar.

He had been lodged at Beur Jail, but was recently transferred to Bhagalpur Jail due to security reasons, officials said.

Targeting the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government over Mishra’s killing in the hospital, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav quipped in a social media post that goons have become “vijay (victorious)” and that criminals have become “samrat (emperor)”. BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha are the Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar.

Tejashwi further said in his post on X: “Criminals entered a hospital and opened fire. This is the same jungle raj that the Prime Minister is coming to Bihar to give a lecture about.”

Chirag Paswan, leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and an ally in the ruling NDA, also wrote a social media post expressing “grave concern” over the law and order situation in Bihar.

“Murders are happening daily, and the morale of criminals is sky-high. The functioning of the police and administration is beyond understanding. The incident of criminals openly firing shots inside Paras Hospital, located in a residential area of Patna today, is proof that criminals are now directly challenging the law and administration. The increase in criminal cases just before the Bihar Assembly elections is alarming. It is hoped that the administration will soon take concrete and strong steps to bring the law and order situation back on track.”

Earlier this month, prominent businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead outside his apartment building in Patna. Since then, several shootings have been reported in Bihar’s capital city, including one that led to the death of a former BJP leader.

In this context, a comment by Additional Director General (ADG) of Police Kundan Krishnan courted further controversy. “Bihar has only two major crop seasons… During the off season, most farmhands remain unemployed… Some of them, especially the youth, even take up contract killings for quick money,” he told reporters on Wednesday evening.

Chirag Paswan was among those to criticise the senior officer’s remarks.

“The statement…is extremely condemnable and unfortunate. Indirectly calling our food-provider farmers murderers is not only an insult to their dignity and honour, but also a disrespect to their sacrifice and hard work. Instead of cracking down on criminals, Bihar Police seems more focused on making unnecessary statements, which is very concerning. The administration should make its priorities clear,” Chirag said in another social media post on Thursday after the Patna hospital shooting.

ADG Krishnan, however, told The Indian Express on Thursday that his remarks from the previous evening were “misinterpreted”.

He said that police data indicates a rise in violent crimes during the gap period following the second crop cycle, particularly after Holi.

“According to police records, we typically observe an uptick in violent incidents during the post-Holi period, which coincides with the interval between Bihar’s two main crop cycles. Given the state’s predominantly agrarian economy, this trend is consistently reflected in the data,” he said, emphasising that his comments were “not directed at farmers”.

Krishnan further noted that, despite such seasonal fluctuations, Bihar’s overall crime rate has shown a consistent statistical decline over the years.