Urging the Bihar governor to intervene, Congress on Thursday attacked the Nitish Kumar government for the alleged rise in Maoist violence and deterioration of law and order in the state.
"Bihar has seen a huge increase in crimes and a steady deterioration in the law and order over the last one year or so," state Congress president Ashok Chaudhary said in a letter to Governor DY Patil. "The state government has displayed increasing incompetence in dealing with these issues of violence whether it is Naxalism or crime against women, caste violence or even terror attack, Bihar has been at the forefront," he said in the letter.
The criticism indicates Congress' disappointment with the JD(U) government of Nitish Kumar, which it had bailed out in the confidence vote on June 19 after the split in NDA. In the successive days too many instances of exchange of warmth between Congress and Nitish Kumar indicated their coming close for 2014 polls. The PCC chief said there has been a big increase in Naxal violence in 2012-13.
"The recent Naxal violence in Aurangabad (in which eight policemen were killed on Tuesday) and in Jamalpur (on November 30 in which three policemen were killed) are just the latest in a series of Naxal attacks where every month or so the state has been affected by Naxal violence killing a large number of people," the letter said.
Bihar has witnessed around 150 incidents of Maoist violence since January this year compared to 130 reported last year, showing a 41 per cent rise. Altogether 60 people, including 16 policemen have been killed this year compared to last year's 25, Chaudhary said.
Quoting a Central intelligence committee report recently submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he blamed the state government of 'slack' approach in dealing with Maoist activities. "While there has been decline in Maoists violence in other states, Bihar has seen a spike," he added.
Chaudhary quoting the central report said Bihar had utilised just 67 per cent of the fund under the Integrated Action Plan. Referring to the state government's announcement that escort teams on important trains would be strengthened and a concerted operation would be launched in the Maoist-hit Jamui-Munger region, he said nothing concrete had been done so far barring setting up of a police base camp at Bhimbandh at the juncture of Munger and Jamui districts.
On the alleged slide in the Bihar's law and order situation, he said there had been a consistent increase in crimes against women over the years - from 6,186 cases in 2008 to 11,229 in 2012. National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) figures from 2011 and 2012 have shown that Bihar has seen cases of violence against women rise from 10,231 in 2011 to 11,229 in 2012, an increase of almost 1000 cases in just over a year.
"The state now ranks first in the country in respect of dowry deaths, up from the second position in 2011. The number of dowry deaths in the state rose from 1,275 to 1,413 in this period," he said adding Bihar also presently ranks third in crimes against SCs in the country.
The state, he said, ranks in the top three in the country in respect to murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, kidnapping, dacoity, rioting and an overall second rank in the country in violent crimes as per figures released by NCRB. Referring to the CM's recent assertion that no state could totally stop murders, the PCC chief said it belied any hope of the state government being serious in dealing with the issue of law and order.
"The law and order situation is deteriorating with every passing day and soon the state will reach a nadir while the CM continues to claim that the situation is improving," Chaudhary said and requested the Governor to intervene and take necessary action.
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