Let's face the situation together: Nitish on kidnapping
by Ajay Kumar

    Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday appealed to the students and teachers of the Don Bosco School, whose student Nirmalendu was kidnapped on January 17, to have faith in the administration, which he said was on the job of trying to rescue him. Expressing optimism about Nirmalendu's recovery sooner than later, Kumar said: "We all have to face the situation together. Police is doing its duty round the clock to find out the student. We should be optimistic about his recovery. It is the time to have patience."

    Students, who were scared due to increasing incidents of kidnapping also became optimistic about recovery of their friend after getting an assurance from the Nitish Kumar. "We were very scared with increasing the kidnapping incidents. We could not concentrate on our study because of fear but after getting assurance from the Chief Minister we got a morale boost up. We hope that the kidnapping will be checked from its root," Abhishek, a student of the school, said. The police are yet to find a clue regarding 15-year-old Nirmalendu's kidnapping. A class IX student, Nirmalendu Diwakar, was kidnapped on January 17 soon after he left for his school in his car with the driver. O P Diwaker, the child's father, said the abductors smashed the windscreen, pulled out the driver, shifted Nirmalendu Diwaker and sped away to an unknown destination. It was the third kidnapping incident in Bihar in the month of January, and sparked off fears of a return to the rampant kidnapping for ransom days.

    Last Wednesday, the Bihar chief minister had summoned the Director General of Police, Additional Director Generals, all zonal Inspector Generals, range Deputy Inspector Generals and Superintendents of Police of all districts for the urgent meeting in the backdrop of the latest round of kidnapping. All officers were asked to present crime figures in their respective areas of jurisdiction. The available data is now being segregated on lines of serious offences like murder, kidnapping for ransom, dacoity and Naxalite violence, police sources said. Nitish Kumar, who has often stressed crime control as a prerequisite for state's economic progress, is facing fire from the opposition and public disappointment over the spiralling crime graph, despite the government giving a "free hand" to the police to deal with the crime situation. It maybe recalled that Nitish Kumar had promised to make Bihar "crime- free" by January 24. It was Kumar's third review meeting with top police officers after two earlier meetings during which the DGP, ADGs and IGs posted at the police headquarters had made presentations on the crime situation in Bihar before Nitish Kumar.

    Bihar, known for its high crime rate, is notorious for its extremely powerful gangster cartels, which analysts say are backed and protected by politicians and literally remain untouched by law. It is fast spreading to other states targeting traders and businessmen who are often seen as soft targets. Lawyers, doctors and wealthy businessmen have been the prime target of extortionists in the state, and hundreds have over the years migrated to bigger cities or sent their children to boarding schools. Businessmen also allege that there is a nexus between kidnappers, local politicians and the Bihar police. Analysts say the Bihar crime situation is so grave that over 10,000 small and big businessmen have fled the state, shrinking the state economy to abysmal depths.

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