Bihar is caught in a vortex of crime again. On an average, 300 people are being killed, over 100 women raped and six persons kidnapped for ransom every month.
Not only that. Over 120 people are being robbed of their belongings, 125 houses are burgled and 47 dacoities are committed each month. Commercial banks have also become a soft target of criminals.
The soaring crime graph in the past eight months of 2014 has shaken the faith of law-abiding citizens in the law enforcing agencies. Till August 2014, the state had recorded a total of 1,30,800 cognisable offences, which included 2,386 murders, 816 rapes and 49 kidnappings for ransom.
The fast deteriorating law and order situation had played an important role in the formation of the JDU-led NDA government in the state under the leadership of former chief minister Nitish Kumar in November 2005. Over 12 criminals-turned-politicians were put behind the bars then, sending a strong message to the strongmen.
Law and order remained one of the top priorities of the dispensation till the two BJP and JDU were together in power till June last year. But criminal activities shot up after the break-up of the coalition as the JD’s focus shifted to protecting the government.
Political interference in the governance, which was missing during the first five-year rule of the NDA government, increased and reached its pinnacle second-half of the current year. “The situation is almost the same that used to be during the RJD rule in Bihar,” said an IPS officer posted in north Bihar.
The direct recruited officers are being allegedly sidelined and promotees are getting plum postings, thanks to their political connections. “If this trend continues, then days are not far when efficient and honest officers will start moving on central deputation,” the officer said.
Frequent transfer of senior police officers has also contributed to spurt in the crime. “Officers are being transferred before getting acquainted with the topography and the problems plaguing a given area,” the officer said.
Lack of political will power is another factor responsible for the rise in the crime. The situation can be gauged from the fact that a senior police officer was humiliated in public at a police station in Patna recently by a ruling party MLA, known for his muscle power.
What has come as a big surprise for most is the increase in atrocities against the members of the Scheduled Castes. “There has been a spurt in the number of cases of atrocities against the people belonging to Scheduled Castes in the past one-and-a-half years,” said Sonali Manjhi, a social worker fighting for the cause of Mahadalits in Patna.
He said hardly a day passed when incidents of attack on weaker sections of the society is not reported in the state having a Mahadalit chief minister. “It’s a fact that the number of such crimes is less compared to other states but the incidents have increased,” he said.
The number of violent clashes between two different communities has also increased. The state witnessed over 9,000 incidents of rioting in the past eight months alone.
Senior officers posted at the police headquarters denied any spurt in the crime, though. Additional director-general (headquarters) of police Gupteshwar Pandey said it was all about people’s perception. “It is not that the number of crimes has gone up. Rather, the perception of the common people has changed, which is taking its toll on the law and order machinery,” he said.
The ADG (headquarters) also rubbished the report that the drive against corruption had slowed down.
