The ties between crime and politics can be revealing. On the one hand, there is concern that Indian politics is witnessing growing representation from leaders with criminal records. This indicates collective electoral endorsement for politicians with chequered legacies. On the other hand, heightened criminal activity — the consequence of the failure of law and order — often leads to outrage and can have political repercussions. The latter phenomenon seems to be unfolding in poll-bound Bihar where the Opposition — the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress in particular — has been vocal about the poor law-and-order situation in the state. Data, too, point to a frightening spike in crime of late. Thirty-one murders have been reported in recent days, the most shocking being an incident in which five killers ambled into a hospital to kill a patient with a criminal record. Other victims have included a prominent industrialist as well as former and current leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party that is part of the ruling alliance with the Janata Dal (United). According to figures from the State Crime Records Bureau, Bihar recorded, on an average, 229 murders every month between January and June this year.
The epithet, junge raj, once synonymous with lawlessness in Bihar during the reigns of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, has now come to haunt those — the constituents of the National Democratic Alliance — that hurl it quite often to embarrass the RJD. The prime minister, who visited the state recently, kept mum on the rising crime graph. It will be interesting to see whether the BJP, adroit in the art of blame game, passes the buck to Nitish Kumar. The chief minister seems to be trying to douse the fire by conjuring a rain of freebies. Such political shenanigans cannot be ruled out in a year of a crucial election. But Bihar is tired of such antics. What it needs is firm administrative action to ensure the safety of people’s lives. What the government also needs to keep in mind is that law and order is contingent upon other realities. For instance, spiralling crime may not be a matter of surprise in a state where over 60% of the population is under the age of 30 and unemployed. The shadow of this lawlessness could also impair Bihar’s potential to attract business. The bloodshed must be made to stop — now.