PATNA: CM
Nitish Kumar has countered the opposition’s charge about crime rise in the state, attributed it to increased reporting of such incidents to police even as the state has seen a trend of ‘regular decline’ in crime graph.
“Each and every incident of crime in
Bihar is reported to police stations. We don’t conceal. The trend of reporting crime to police, not the crime, has increased and yet the state ranks 22nd in India, according to the Union home ministry, insofar as the crime ratio to every one lakh population is concerned,”
Nitish told reporters on Monday.
The CM, however, admitted that the state’s position was not so good in the matter of dowry-related murders and other atrocities against women. “If we improve the crime ratio in these two heads, the state’s overall crime figure will sharply decline,” he said and pointed out the state government has already launched a social movement against dowry and child marriage. In many cases, Nitish said, police swiftly acted and arrested the criminals within hours. “Our policing is prompt,” he said.
Referring to the case of murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru without taking her name, Nitish asked what happened to that case. “Panel discussions on it are no longer held... Why?” he asked and added even a simple incident of crime in Bihar, unlike that in other states, is highlighted by the media at national level.
Nitish, who is also the JD (U)’s national president, defended his party’s decision not to contest for Araria parliamentary and Bhabhua and
Jehanabad assembly seats where byelection is scheduled next month. He said the JD(U)’s state unit had taken a policy decision not to field candidates for seats which fall vacant following the death of non-JD (U) sitting members.
