Why Darbhanga killings might just crush the 'Return of the Jungle Raj'

It is not for nothing that the recent killing of two engineers working on a road project in Darbhanga has sparked fears of the return of “Jungle Raj” in Bihar. The gruesome double murder committed by criminals carrying AK-47s during daytime cannot be termed as a routine crime. This may well have far-reaching consequences.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar has made elaborate plans to accelerate development by creating requisite infrastructure across the state in his new innings. Several mega road and bridge projects worth crores of rupees are in progress as part of his ambitious plans to propel Bihar into the league of developed states. The Centre has also promised to provide more than Rs 55,000 crore for highway projects. But everything can go awry if the shadow of terror and fear is allowed to fall on the future of such schemes.

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Bihar has been no stranger to the extortionists, including the Maoists, demanding levy from the construction agencies over the years. During the 15-year-long Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) regime, this menace had assumed alarming proportions forcing companies to shut shop and making businessmen and doctors migrate to other states. Nitish Kumar, however, managed to restore the rule of the law in the past ten years.

But, he is in for a fresh litmus test despite his impeccable record. Though he has reiterated that the rule of the law will continue to prevail in Bihar, the latest incidents have put his government under the scanner. The opposition leaders have raised the decibel of their “Return of the Jungle Raj” cries insisting that the CM will not be able to contain crime with Lalu Prasad Yadav by his side. Many of them believe that the return of the RJD has emboldened criminals to bring back their good, old days in Bihar.

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Nitish needs to deal with the issue with an iron hand. It is good for him that an opportunity has come at the very outset of his fresh term. He must dispel the notion that his government will compromise on the law and order issue under compulsions of a coalition dharma. As in the past, he has to give absolute freedom to the state police and insulate them from external political pressures so as to nix the possibility of the return of Jungle Raj in Bihar.

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)