A senior police officer in Bihar has blamed the recent spurt in crime in the state on seasonal unemployment among agricultural labourers.
ADG (Headquarters) Kundan Krishnan made the remarks during an interaction with journalists on Wednesday evening.
"Bihar has only two major crop seasons. Since there is no crop season between April and July, most farmhands remain unemployed during this period. Consequently, land-related clashes escalate. Some of them, especially the youth, even take up contract killings for quick money," Krishnan said.
Murder cases increase mainly between May and July, he added.
The comment has triggered outrage on social media, with many people accusing the officer of trying to come up with an excuse for failure to control law and order.
Contacted by PTI on Thursday, he said, "Whatever I have said is backed by data. The data shows that this period (between May and July) of the year witnesses a spurt in violent crimes." According to data, Bihar recorded 217 murder cases in April and 284 in May.
In 2024, 231 murders took place in April, 254 in May, 292 in June and 279 in July. In August, it came down to 249 cases.
"In 2023, 215 murders were recorded in April, 279 in May, 278 in June and 270 in July. It came down to 250 in August," he said.
"In 2022, the state witnessed 256 murders in April, 301 in May, 297 in June and 262 in July. Again it dipped to 257 in August", Krishnan added.
Reacting to it, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav told PTI Videos, "This shows the incompetence of Bihar Police. They say crimes increase before monsoon. Law and order has collapsed in the state. While they (NDA) call their administration a double-engine government, I must say that one engine is of corruption and another is of crime".
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