Bihar witnessed another round of terror by hardcore criminals. Five gunmen, carrying pistols, entered Paras Hospital in Patna, and pumped bullets into a life term convict undergoing treatment and fled.
The convict, Chandan Mishra, a criminal from Buxar, was facing 24 cases of murders, robberies and kidnappings. He was convicted in one case for life term imprisonment, and had come out of Beur jail on parole for treatment.
The cctv footage of the killers leaving hospital after committing murder looks like a film scene, but sadly, this is a real-life incident, not a reel-life one.
The killers had made a reel outside the hospital a month ago threatening to kill Mishra. They posted it on social media, but Patna police was caught napping.
The worrying part of this sordid episode is the remark of Bihar police chief Vinay Kumar, who said, Chandan Mishra should have taken care about his security and police had advised him to be careful. The DGP did not say what the police was doing.
Police have identified the shooters. One of them is Tauseef Badshah ‘Sheru’, of Phulwari Sharif, who has more than a dozen cases of murder, etc. against him. Police went to his home and, as expected, he was not there. Police went to the school where his mother is a teacher and enquired about his whereabouts. The police chief described this murder as an outcome of a gang war.
In Danapur near Patna, a 20-year-old youth Shivam’s throat was slashed by killers. His body was found in his grandfather’s village. In Rohtas, a JD(U) leader’s father Paras Nath Singh’s blood-stained body was found in the ‘gaushala’ where he used to sleep. Police attributed the motive to a land dispute.
The most surprising remark came from Additional DGP (STF) Kundan Krishnan, who blamed parents for not paying attention to the youths, who take to crime to earn quick money through ‘supari killing’. He also said, April to June is the lean farming season, when the number of supari killings spirals.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav lambasted the police official for saying that this was the crime season. JD(U) leader Lallan Singh reminded reporters about the terror of criminals during Lalu Yadav’s ‘jungle raj’. He said, most of the murders that have taken place were due to personal quarrels or land disputes, and police must not be blamed.
The main question is not that there used to be more killings during Lalu Yadav’s rule compared to Nitish Kumar’s reign. Theis not a T20 match for crimes.
The questions that people are asking: What order has Nitish Kumar given to the police to curb crimes? Has Bihar Police conceded defeat as far as criminals are concerned? Why have the criminals become fearless? Why is the police finding itself helpless in the face of spiralling crimes?
The compulsion of police can be gauged from the remarks of its Additional DGP, when he says that since it is a lean farming season, crimes are on the rise, and the spiral will stop with the advent of monsoon. Is it not a reflection of mental bankruptcy?
One official says, farmers who have no work to do are responsible for crimes, another official says, society and family elders are not doing their job. Do they want to say that society or farmers are responsible for the recent spurt in crimes?
Criminals calmly leave a hospital after pumping bullets into a man lying on a bed and the police official says, we will create a data bank of all such shooters.
For the last 20 years, the chief minister Nitish Kumar has been holding the Home portfolio. He is ultimately responsible for ensuring law and order, and he is absent from the scene.
Nitish Kumar will have to bear the consequences for such irresponsible remarks of his police officials. If Tejashwi Yadav goes to town and makes it an issue, there is nothing wrong in it.
Nitish Kumar’s role reversal : pre-poll freebie
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Thursday announced a freebie ahead of assembly elections. He announced free electricity up to 125 units a month for all consumers, and this will be reflected in the July bill from August 1 onwards. Consumers who use more units, will have their bill reduced for the first 125 units.
State minister Ashok Chaudhary said, the government was already footing 80 per cent subsidy on power, and after the caste census was carried out, it was found that there are 94 lakh families which are extremely poor and they need relief.
RJD leader Manoj Jha said, Tejashwi Yadav had promised 200 units free electricity, and Nitish Kumar has copied the idea by announcing free power up to 125 units. Similarly, Nitish Kumar had copied Tejashwi ‘s idea of giving old age pension.
One should remember it was Nitish Kumar who had been opposing election freebies in the past. He had then opposed free electricity. The same leader has now announced 125 units free electricity.
Heavens will not fall if leaders of Nitish’s party JD(U) admit that this freebie has been announced in view of forthcoming elections.
All leaders of political parties announce freebies before elections. This has been the practice in the last two decades. Tejashwi Yadav had promised free electricity, pension for old people and widows, and allowances for unemployed youths. That was also part of election strategy.
The people know this. Instead of trying obfuscate the issue, leaders should clearly admit that this is a freebie announced ahead of elections. Period.