The mystery of Bihar's low crime rate

The chief minister claims the state has one of the lowest crime rates in the country, but police records and people paint a different picture

On February 12, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had just concluded his weekly “Lok Samvad” programme, where he interacts with people and takes their suggestions on policies, at his residence in Patna. As he fielded questions from journalists after the event, Kumar beamed with satisfaction while talking about the political scenario in the state. With Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party on his side and Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad in jail, the road ahead looked smooth for his government.

The expression on his face, however, changed when a journalist asked him about