The people of Bihar have been extremely unfortunate to elect the JDU-RJD-Congress government, given the state of law and order in the state. Goonda raj has resurfaced to terrorise the common man. Protection money rackets run by gangsters and Maoists have returned to haunt businessmen, traders, doctors, contractors and construction companies engaged in infrastructure development projects in the state. Maoists are also making money out of the prohibition, which was introduced in the state in April, by ensuring a steady supply of liquor in their areas of influence such as Aurangabad, Gaya, Rohtas, Kaimur, Buxor and Bhojpur.
The state government not only protects the goons, but also shares the booty. Media reports indicate a spurt in extortion-related crimes. Such cases went unnoticed till the murder of two engineers in Darbhanga district. (Jailed gangster Santosh Jha's men were allegedly behind the murder of the two engineers who worked for the Gurgaon-based BSC-C&C Joint Venture Ltd. The police have arrested Jha's sister Munni Devi and her husband, Sanjay Lal Dev, for the crime.) Then, jeweller Ravikant Prasad was killed in Patna, in broad daylight, after he reportedly refused to pay extortion money to Durgesh Sharma, accused in several murders and other serious crimes.
Doctors are soft targets for Bihar's extortionists. Dr Rani Devnath of Patna received a demand for Rs50 lakh, and was threatened with dire consequences if he refused to comply. Dr Vivekanand Jha of Hajipur was threatened, and his house was attacked when he refused to pay up. Dr Prem Pushp Lohia of Sitamarhi district was attacked in December after he failed to listen to a local gang. “Criminals across the state are trying to extort doctors, but very few victims file police complaints," said Dr Sachidanand Kumar Singh, president of the Indian Medical Association's Bihar unit.
Victim of jungle raj: Visheshwar Ojha
Maoists target road construction companies and contractors. Armed Maoists burnt down six machines, including earth movers, in Gaya district. The Indian Engineers Association demanded a judicial inquiry into Bihar's organised gangs patronised by politicians, and asked for the creation of a security force to provide on-site protection to engineers working on development projects in Bihar. “Many engineers say in private that they are being threatened by criminals. They are not coming out in the open because they are afraid,” the IAE said.
After officials of over a dozen construction companies—including Gammon India, Chadha and Chadha, Navyuga, SP Singla—engaged in mega projects in the state expressed concern over the rise in extortion threats, Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav promised them that he would visit project sites from time to time to remove the obstacles at the earliest. The Visakhapatnam-based Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd, which is constructing the Ganga Expressway in Patna, had sought security for its employees following the murders in Darbhanga.
Recently, the son of a prominent businessman of Gaya was killed by Rocky Singh Yadav, son of JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi. His crime: he dared to overtake the SUV driven by Yadav.
Another aspect of the jungle raj is the systematic killings of political opponents of the government. The murder of Visheshwar Ojha, vice-president of the state BJP, was the seventh high-profile killing since the government assumed office last November. Ojha was on his way to a market in Bhojpur, with his bodyguard and five others, when criminals gunned him down. Lok Janshakti Party leader Sudesh Paswan was murdered in Dumaria district near Gaya while campaigning for panchayat elections. In February, another LJP leader, Brijnath Singh, was killed.
The nexus between the government and the mafia has virtually crippled Bihar, prompting several parties, including the BJP, to demand president's rule in the state.
