Patna, Jan. 8: Director-general of police (DGP) P.K. Thakur today cited crime charts of the past three years to deny that the law and order situation in the state was alarming.

His statement comes in the wake of sharp criticism from Opposition leaders over a spurt in crime after the Assembly elections. Yesterday, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had come down heavily on chief minister Nitish Kumar, advising him "to quit" if he felt somebody was undermining him and not allowing him to function independently.

Earlier, after the killing of two engineers in Darbhanga, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, whose party is the single largest constituent of the ruling Grand Alliance, had expressed unhappiness with policing.

Today, DGP Thakur released comparative crime figures of the past three years. He said 2,949 people were killed in the state between January and November 2015, compared to 3,168 and 3,202 cases during the corresponding period in 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Similarly, 55 cases of kidnapping for ransom were lodged in the state between January and November 2015, whereas 61 and 67 persons were kidnapped for ransom during the same period in 2014 and 2013 respectively. However, there has been a slight increase in cases of dacoity and house robbery, he said.

The state police chief said there was a noticeable dip in all kinds of crime in 2015. He said only two cases of kidnappings for ransoms were reported in the past two months but the police managed to rescue the victims safely. He said one should not form an opinion on the basis of a few sporadic incidents.

Nitish had, however, asked senior police officials during last month's crime review meeting to pull up their socks or be ready to face the music.

After the meeting, Nitish had told journalists: "There would be no compromise on law and order."

Despite the assurance, a jewellery shop owner was kidnapped from Gaya last night before the police rescued him today.