The Bihar legislative Assembly passed the Bihar Crime Control Bill, 2024 and the Bihar Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Bill, 2024 on Thursday, following the declaration of chief minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA to check crime with an iron hand.

Both the bills, passed by voice vote, will become laws after governor Rajendra Arlekar gives his assent and is notified in the state gazette.

The two bills will give an edge to the law enforcement agencies while dealing with modern-day crimes and will also help the investigation and prosecution agencies in bringing those indulging in illicit activities to book.

Though Nitish was not present in the House at the time of the passage of the two bills, deputy chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president Samrat Choudhary congratulated him for them.

“I congratulate chief minister Nitish Kumar for bringing these bills. They will enable the government and enforcement agencies to act against sand, liquor, land, and human trafficking mafias and those who indulge in atrocities against women,” Choudhary said in the Assembly.

Though there were murmurs among the Opposition about the two bills providing sweeping powers to law enforcement agencies and the embedded dangers of compromising privacy and fundamental rights, there was no significant protest against them in the House.

A couple of MLAs did propose a few amendments, including seeking public opinion on the bills before passing them, but they were defeated by the treasury benches.