Chief minister Nitish Kumar at the review meet in Patna on Wednesday. Telegraph picture

Patna, Aug. 22: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today said women were feeling empowered and fearless, as the state had witnessed marked improvement in the overall law and order situation.

“The state’s schools have registered three-fold rise in the girls attending classes in the recent years. Women in far more number have been going out to work and returning home safely. They are an empowered lot because they have got 50 per cent reservation in the local ladder of governance,” the chief minister said, while presiding over a high-level law and order review meeting with the chief secretary, director-general of police (DGP), the zonal inspectors-general and superintendents of police (SPs) through video conferencing.

The comment was an apparent contradiction to the National Commission for Women (NCW)’s recent remark that “there was no rule of law and women were unsafe in the state”.

An NCW member, Charu Wali Khanna, who recently visited the city to probe the alleged gangrape of a Class XI student at an apartment here, had said that Bihar was in the grip of “jungle raaj”, stating that the women were subjected to torture in the state.

Without naming Khanna or the NCW, Nitish directed the police officers to be “more vigilant towards crime against women and children”.

“The faith of the people has grown in the state and its machinery. The media and the society, as a whole, are keeping a close eye on you (police). In such a situation your responsibility has grown manifold.

“There were multiple factors behind the incidents taking place. But no one should try to vitiate the atmosphere on the pretext of the incidents,” he added.

The chief minister directed the officers to ensure that the situation that has improved after a great deal of effort should not be allowed to deteriorate at any cost.

Supporting his contention with statistics, Nitish said: “Around 74,000 criminals have been convicted during the NDA rule. The state’s efforts against the criminals have yielded results in a big way. You (police) have to keep on with the efforts to further improve the situation in the state.”

While the speedy trials against the criminals through fast-track courts are underway, the government has turned its attention on the lawless elements, who had come out on bail and were engaged in crime. The chief minister directed the cops to move the high court for the cancellation of the bail to the criminals.

On the occasion, DGP Abhayanand said: “The police have identified 492 offenders, who had come out on bail and were engaged in crime. They (police) have already moved the high court for the cancellation of bail to 234 offenders.”

Nitish also cited the instance of how the police machinery is using the Forensic Science Laboratory to scientifically investigate the cases. He, however, strictly asked the officers to never ignore the law and legal procedures, while dealing with the offenders and cases against them.

The CM directed the senior officers, particularly the SPs, to hit the spots if they came to know about any incident in their respective jurisdiction. “Besides, the SPs should personally take up the cases reported against the thana-level officers rather than leaving the onus on the deputy SP-rank officer.”

Chief secretary Navin Kumar, too, addressed the cops suggesting them to be more vigilant towards the cases of street crimes, road hold-up and offences against women and children. “The police officers must reach the spot soon after getting to know about the incident,” he said.