Patna, Jan. 3: The ascent of crime in 2014 has made a mockery of former chief minister Nitish Kumar's earlier jibes at the Lalu-Rabri's ' atankraj (reign of terror)'.
Figures released by Patna police for the past year show criminal incidents of different kinds were at the highest in the past five years.
Patna saw 318 murders last year as against 286 in 2013 and 356 in 2012. It was 248 in 2011; 304 in 2010 and 314 in 2009. The last year saw 646 burglaries, up from 591 in 2013 and 552 in 2012. The year saw 80 rapes, highest since 46 in 2009. There had been 76 rapes in 2013. There was also no let-up in vehicle thefts, up from 1,275 in 2009 to 1,755 in 2013 and 2,045 in 2014.
'This can be called the beginning of bad days. When the NDA came to power in 2005 (November), Nitish made a historical statement, saying Bihar would have the rule of law and anyone disregarding it should leave. Things were under control during Nitish's first term but after the JDU and BJP split, things have gone bad again. Employment generation has taken a hit, as investments are not happening. This is because the business community lost confidence after Nitish joined hands with Lalu, whose very reign he used to call atankraaj. It is a bad situation and could turn worse in the coming days with anti-social elements thinking they will be in power soon,' Satyajeet Kumar Singh, a prominent Patna-based businessman, told The Telegraph.
'Patna is the state capital and rise of crime here reflects the condition of the state. Political instability is brewing with each passing day. We have a chief minister who is known for controversial statements and the same can be said of most ministers. The non-serious attitude of the state government shows and a weak government always welcomes criminals, who do not fear the men-in-uniform and the law. Moreover, the detection of cases has been very slow. Fear is slowly creeping in and the future seems uncertain,' a businessman said on condition of anonymity.
The police blamed it on population growth. 'We agree there has been a rise in crime, but it isn't huge. Patna's population density has grown. Vehicle thefts have gone up but number of vehicles rises heavily every year. One reason behind increase is crime lies in the fact that people are reporting cases now. The police want each and every case to be reported. The police are trying to control crime by bringing about administrative changes. The recent appointment of three Patna SPs was one such decision,' DIG (central range) Upendra Kumar Sinha said.
