Doctors surrounded by their bodyguards take out a rally to protest the murder of Dr. N.K. Agarwal and his assistant in Patna. (PTI)

Patna, Nov. 16: The Rabri Devi government continues to focus on the symptoms that have pushed Bihar into social anarchy while the disease of criminalisation of the state is far from being addressed.

But even the treatment of the symptoms is selective. At least, that is what the man on the street thinks.

He openly alleges a nexus between powerful politicians, police and the flourishing syndicates of extortionists and kidnappers all over the state.

?If this is not anarchy, then what is? Life is not safe for anyone on the streets of Patna. Even the confines of an individual?s home is no longer safe because the criminals, active outside or from behind bars, easily obtain telephone numbers of their prey.

?In the case of N.K. Agrawal (the doctor who was murdered), the media have been shouting aloud about the suspects but no action has been taken so far. I think the legal requirement of having witnesses and evidence should be waived for the special case of Bihar and there should be a ruthless crackdown,? said Om Prakash Agrawal, brother of the murdered doctor.

Agrawal?s father-in-law V.M. Mohanka said all indications of Bihar being a civil society have fast evaporated over the past few years.

?Is the situation hidden from anyone? We have been in Patna since 1954. It was an excellent place to live in but no longer. My daughter is devastated. What did we do to deserve this?? he asked.

Agrawal?s murder, the indefinite strike called by the doctors and the hue and cry being raised has not stopped the syndicates from operating. A renowned doctor of the city said he received an extortion call even today.

?The police often take our phone numbers on the pre text of providing us security. But it is strange how the private numbers of all prominent doctors reach the criminals. Many doctors think a hundred times before responding to a call coming from an unknown number,? the doctor said.

Security agencies that provide armed guards to those who can afford them have mushroomed in the city.

Even during the procession taken out by the local chapter of the Indian Medical Association, some doctors moved with armed guards.

?Is there an option? The police are busy providing security to politicians who do not probably need it. The common man has to fend for himself and if in the process, he is murdered, it is highly ?usual? for the authorities,? another doctor said.

Teachers who coach students for entry to engineering and medical students are also frequently targeted by the criminals. One of them has hired nearly a dozen security guards.

?I feel bad when I have to take classes with armed men around me. But the other option is to risk my life because I have received threat calls,? the teacher said.