Patna, Sept. 26: Union minister of social justice and empowerment Mukul Wasnik today expressed concern over the rising atrocities against people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Bihar.

He also criticised the state government for the alleged declining conviction rate in such cases.

Stating that the number of cases related to such atrocities has gone up significantly in the state since 2002, Wasnik said 3,730 cases were reported in 2011 as against 1,494 in 2002. On the contrary, he added, the conviction rate has declined from 31.82 per cent in 2005 to 10.90 per cent in 2011. “This is a cause of concern and the state government should take more proactive steps to reduce such incidents,” the minister said.

Wasnik was in the state capital to review the implementation of protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and schemes meant for rehabilitation of manual scavengers and people with different abilities.

He emphasised on the need to set up more special courts to reduce piling up of cases and speed up conviction rate. He pledged the state government of financial assistance for setting up more such special courts.

Wasnik said he was informed that the state government had identified 35 out of 38 districts as atrocity-prone districts. Suggesting measures to check such atrocities, he said arms licences of criminals should be cancelled and seized, persons posing threat to safety and security of Dalits barred from the districts and more police personnel deployed in areas inhabited by people belonging to the two categories.

The minister said the Centre has increased the quantum of compensation amount from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh in the event of death of an SC/ST person killed in any case of atrocity.