Nitish Kumar, Jungle Raj and vikas can't go together in Bihar
Law and order problem is not a new phenomenon in Bihar. Successive governments have, over the years, found it to be the most difficult issue to address. The state was once referred to as the "wild east" because of the recurring incidents of crime ranging from massacre over caste to killing over abduction for ransom.
Still, the crime graph in the past one month has alarmed people simply because they did not expect it to happen during the tenure of chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Nitish has had an impeccable record on the law and order front so far. The crime rate had declined remarkably after he took the reins of the state government in 2005 on account of a slew of measures taken by him. The Nitish government had set up speedy trials for long-standing cases pending against politicians with criminal antecedents, given the state police a free hand and generally eschewed from giving patronage to dons who had been enjoying tacit immunity from the law till then.
It was primarily because of Nitish's track record that Bihar was expected to remain peaceful during his present term as well. But a few recent incidents have raised apprehensions over the law and order situation. The horrific murder of two engineers of a private construction company over ransom demand in Darbhanga last month and the killing of a jewellery shop owner in the heart of the state capital came as a big shock since both incidents were said to be the fallout of extortion demands.
The Darbhanga killings, in particular, exposed the failure of the state police. The company engaged in the construction of a highway in the north Bihar district had duly informed the police and sought security after its employees received a ransom demand from the gangsters. The security was subsequently provided to its workers, but it was inexplicably withdrawn by the local police shortly before the twin murder took place. In Patna, the police failed to keep tab on the activity on the absconding history-sheeters.
The jeweller had been receiving ransom demands by the members of an old gang for quite some time, though he had never reported the matter to the police. This was reportedly known to all the people in the slain trader's neighbourhood but the intelligence network of the police apparently had no clue about it.
These incidents have prompted the opposition to throw the "rerun-of-the-Jungle Raj" barbs against the Nitish government. Allegations are also flying thick and fast that the chief minister is under pressure of his powerful ally, Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad, whose 15-year-long reign between 1990 and 2005 is often referred to as lawless regime.
It is true that such incidents cannot be checked by the police without the cooperation of the public. But the state cops are often accused of not taking adequate confidence-building measures to win the trust of the people. Instances such as withdrawal of security to the individuals under threat could hardly earn them the trust of the people.
Nitish has reiterated that the rule of the law will continue to prevail under any circumstances.
He has also stressed that he does not work under pressure but he needs to deal with the prevailing situation with an iron hand - just the way he did in his previous two terms. His government must fix responsibility for any lapse on the part of the officials of the law-enforcement agencies.
The chief minister has already talked tough to the state police brass and expressed his resolve time and again to maintain peace at all costs but he should not hesitate to take action against any laxity. It is good for him that he has got an opportunity to set things right at the very outset of his fresh tenure.
Given his past, this should not be a difficult proposition for him. Nobody knows it better than him that Bihar can forge ahead on the development path only if it remains peaceful. A bad law and order situation will only push the state back into the dark days.
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)