Back to 'Jungle Raj': Bihar's crime graph soars, Oppn corners JD(U)-RJD

Rising incidents of murder in Bihar have given an issue to the opposition parties to target the Nitish Kumar led Mahagathbandhan government.

More than that such incidents are creating fear among the common people and the majority of them claim it to be the start of Jungle Raj-2 in Bihar.

A murder in Karbigahiya wholesale market located adjacent to Patna Junction has made the traders furious. They claimed that Patna is no longer a safe place to run a business. Rahul Kumar (25), a grocery trader, was shot on Friday afternoon and succumbed in the hospital.

Sandeep Singh, additional SP of Patna (Sadar) said: "We have apprehended two persons on the charge of murder. The investigation is currently underway but the reason for the incident has not been ascertained yet. The shooters are gangsters."

"The way shootings are taking place in daylight, it is a scary atmosphere to open the shop and sit at the counter. No one knows when a bullet will pierce your body. The incident in Karbigahiya was an example of it when Rahul Kumar, a grocery trader came into the firing line and died in the hospital," said a local trader Sanjay Kumar.

"A similar incident took place in Danapur when a gang of six to seven persons barged into a shop with firearms, brutally assaulted the owner and employees and took away cash and valuables at gun point," said another trader Raj Kumar.

The situation in Arrah is even worse as 12 murders have taken place in two weeks including 7 in the areas coming under the jurisdiction of the town police station. One of the deceased was the nephew of a district level JD-U leader. The situation has reached such a stage that Bhojpur district magistrate Raj Kumar wrote letters to senior police officers to control crime. It is extremely rare for a top administrative officer of the district to point fingers at the deteriorating law and order situation in his own district.

Following the letter of the DM, Chatraneel Singh, DIG Bhojpur range, suspended the SHO of the town police station Anil Singh.

"We have directed the DSPs of Arrah Sadar, Jagdishpur and Piro to address 8 points related to law and order in the district and crime prevention. The officials are not bearing the responsibilities in the district and hence the crime incidents are taking place here," said Raj Kumar, the district magistrate of Bhojpur.

Following the incidents in Arrah, several leaders including Vijay Sinha, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly, Chirag Paswan, the president of LJP-R and four-time MP Pappu Yadav visited the house of the deceased and consoled the family members.

"The RJD has three 'jamais' (sons-in-law) in Bihar and they are militants, criminals and corrupt officers. We have wiped out the Jungle Raj of the Lalu-Rabri governments in Bihar and now we will wipe out the Goonda Raj of Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav. We had made Nitish Kumar a leader against Jungle Raj and now he is sitting in the lap of Jungle Raj. He forgot all those things for his personal interest," Sinha said.

Chirag Paswan, the president of LJP-R said: "After the formation of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, we are seeing 'Maut Ka Tandav' (dance of death) in every district. There is anarchy in the state. Not a single day goes when we are not hearing about murders, loot, kidnapping, rape and other crimes."

"Frequent murders in Arrah are the prime example of this. If Nitish Kumar who is also the home minister of the state, is unable to control crime, he should step down from the post. How long will we see the murders of Biharis in Bihar? How long can Nitish Kumar stay silent on the murders," Paswan said.

Pappu Yadav, the president of Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) said: "Murders in Bihar will not stop until people raise their voices against the public representatives. The MLAs, MPs and ministers need to be socially boycotted."

"The political parties are offering tickets to people known for carrying AK 47 and AK 56. They are giving tickets to gangsters and mafias. How can murders stop here? The criminals have no fear of the law," Yadav said.

"Bhojpur district has become a cremation ground in Bihar where murders are taking place frequently in daylight. A MLC of Arrah is involved in smuggling of heroin and marijuana. He is a noted sand mafia in the Arrah region, still the political parties are giving tickets to him," Yadav said.

The situation in other districts is also almost similar to Arrah and Patna. Begusarai is another district in Bihar with rising crime. Nalanda, Sitamarhi, Buxar, Saran Vaishali, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, West Champaran and Seemanchal are also the same, said sources.

At present the BJP is the opposition party in Bihar, hence it is spearheading protests against the rising crime graph but the situation during the NDA government was not much different from now, the sources added.

As per the official figures of the Bihar police there were 180 murders in January, 232 in February, 267 in March, 256 in April, 301 in May, 297 in June, 262 in July and 257 in August this year.

The cases of kidnapping were 767 in January, 823 in February, 1003 in March, 1084 in April, 1192 in May, 1080 in June, 1086 in July and 984 in August this year.

The cases of rape were 102 in January, 91 in February, 124 in March, 142 in April, 150 in May, 176 in June, 138 in July and 152 in August.

--IANS

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