A 35-year-old woman, identified as Surabhi Raj, was shot dead by unidentified assailants at a private hospital in Patna on Saturday, a police officer said. The deceased was the director of the hospital located in the Agamkuan locality, but she was not a doctor, according to Atulesh Jha, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Patna City-1.
The Agamkuan police station received a call at around 3:30 pm reporting the shooting. Upon arrival, police found Surabhi Raj in a pool of blood with multiple bullet wounds. She was initially admitted to the hospital’s ICU before being shifted to Patna AIIMS, where she succumbed to her injuries in the evening, Jha said, as per news agency PTI.
The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, and forensic experts are collecting scientific evidence from the scene. The motive behind the killing remains unclear, and further investigations are underway, he added.
“At 3:30 in the evening, we got information that Surbhi Raj, the director of Asia Hospital, had been shot. When the police team reached there, they were told that when some staff went to the director’s room, they found her unconscious and covered in blood. She was shifted to the ICU, where she was diagnosed with multiple gunshot injuries, and from there, she was referred to AIIMS. Right now, the news of her death has come. The police team is collecting evidence from all angles. Investigation is underway,” news agency ANI quoted him as saying.
#WATCH | Bihar: Atulesh Jha, SDPO, Patna City says “At 3:30 in the evening, we got information that Surbhi Raj, the director of Asia Hospital, has been shot. When the police team reached there, they were told that when some staff went to the director’s room, they found her… pic.twitter.com/MBlPUafZ0o
— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2025
Reacting to the murder, Bihar Congress spokesperson Rajesh Rathore questioned the state’s deteriorating law and order situation. “Why is crime increasing in Bihar? Why has Bihar turned into a state of lawlessness? Earlier, incidents of robbery, murder, and rape would create an uproar, but now, along with these crimes, doctors, police officers, and engineers are also being murdered. Today, in Patna, the director of Asia Hospital was shot six times inside his chamber and killed,” he said, as quoted by news agency IANS.
Patna, Bihar: On the murder of Surbhi, the owner of Asia Hospital, Bihar Congress Spokesperson Rajesh Rathore says, “Why is crime increasing in Bihar? Why has Bihar turned into a state of lawlessness? Earlier, incidents of robbery, murder, and rape would create an uproar, but… pic.twitter.com/w1XPUgCP0A
— IANS (@ians_india) March 22, 2025
Recent Surge in Shootings Across Bihar
The killing of Surabhi Raj is the latest in a series of violent incidents in the state.
In another case, a teacher, identified as Ravindra Paswan, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Bela Bagroli village while travelling from his ancestral home to his residence in Saharsa. Local media reports suggest he had stepped out to file a police complaint regarding a land dispute when two men on a motorcycle intercepted him and fired six rounds.
Two months ago, another teacher, Abind Kumar Yadav, was killed in Gopalganj’s Jirwa village in a similar fashion. Yadav was on his way to a middle school when two men on a bike shot him five times. Reports suggest his murder was linked to political enmity.
An NRI working as an engineer with the United Nations in the US was also killed in Bihar on Saturday, March 22. Anand Shankar, who had returned to India to celebrate Holi, was shot dead during a robbery bid in Vaishali district, reported Deccan Herald.
Shankar was travelling to his native village, Sakrauli Buchauli, when robbers intercepted him near Ufraul Dainipul under Rajapakar police station limits. When he resisted their attempt to snatch his gold chain and money, one of the assailants shot him at point-blank range. He was rushed to a hospital in Patna but was declared dead.
Over the past two weeks, Bihar has witnessed several killings, including those of two assistant sub-inspectors and a Union minister’s relative.
ASIs Santosh Kumar Singh and Rajeev Ranjan were shot dead in separate incidents in Munger and Araria. Additionally, Union Minister Raj Bhushan Nishad’s uncle was shot at in Begusarai on Friday, sustaining injuries to his leg. A day earlier, Union Minister Nishad Rai’s nephew was killed in a gun attack in Bhagalpur.
