Goa, July 13 -- Just a week after the sensational murder of businessman Gopal Khemka outside his Patna residence, the city has been rocked by yet another killing-this time of BJP leader Surendra Kewat. The 52-year-old, a former president of the Punpun BJP Kisan Morcha, was gunned down late Saturday night by two unidentified assailants on a motorbike in Sheikhpura village under the Pipra police station limits.

Kewat was working in his fields when the attackers fired four bullets at him before fleeing the scene. Locals rushed him to AIIMS Patna, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

The killing has sparked a political uproar in Bihar, intensifying scrutiny of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government's handling of law and order. ...