Following the sensational murder of two engineers in Darbhanga two days ago, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday held a meeting on the law and order situation and expressed his anger over the incident and rising crime graph in the State. He asked the top officials, including the DGP, to check the crime at any cost and take action against the criminals without considering their political affiliation.
“Take the murder of engineers in Darbhanga as a challenge and curb the crime at any cost. All efforts have to be made to eliminate the organized crime,” the CM said sternly at the review meeting of the home, the department under him, and said for the modernization of the police force fund would not be a constrain. He ordered that in all the municipal areas in all towns CCTV cameras would be installed at numerous public places to help catch the offenders.
The daylight murder of two engineers Brajesh Kumar and Mukesh Kumar in Darbhanga by four motorcycle borne criminals on Friday for extortion, both working with a rod construction company, shocked the month old Maha gathbandhan government led by Nitish and provided enough ammo to the opposition. Suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad even demanded imposition of President rule in Bihar as there was a flurry of charge of the return of Jungle Raj. “There had been strong apprehension of the return of Jungle Raj but we did not know it will return so early,” commented BJP leader M J Akbar who was here on way to Begusarai.
Trying to play down the murders, DGP P K Thakur said it was not that such incidents did not take place earlier but the police would leave no stone unturned in arresting the culprits. ADG Alok Raj added, “We have formed SIT to fight with the organized crime and STF is being used to arrest the killers.
The CM at the meeting said that all the vacant posts in police should be filled in a transparent manner. On the suggestion of a separate commission for the appointment of cops, the CM asked to bring a proposal.
The STF which has started investigation into the murder of the two engineers suspected that the killers might have fled to Nepal and it is in touch with Nepal police. Thakur said intensive combing operation has been launched in districts bordering Nepal. A particular organized gang is on the radar of the STF and its head Santosh Jha, lodged in Gaya Central jail and Mukesh Pathak’s wife Pooja, languishing in Muzaffarpur Central jail are being interrogated. Jha’s sister Munni Devi, who is Pramukh of Baheri block in Darbhanga where the crime was committed, and some of her relatives have been detained.
Senior BJP leader and former Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said a pall of fear has gripped Bihar following unending crime as the State was returning back to pre 2005 situation. He said before the killing of engineers, an electrical supervisor engaged in rural electrification was gunned down in Sheohar for extortion. “the government and the police seems to be helpless and people are frightened. The companies engaged in construction work are forced to think of abandoning their projects and leave the State.