Bihar to set up 43 more police sub-divisions to tackle communal violence

The move comes as part of the state home department’s measures to ensure better policing in the wake of a directive from chief minister Nitish Kumar to improve law and order in the state

The Bihar government has decided to set up 43 police sub-divisions with the aim of tackling communal incidents, people familiar with the matter said.

All thenew 43 police sub-divisions will be located in urban areas or district headquarters. (Representative Image)

The move comes as part of the state home department’s measures to ensure better policing in the wake of a directive from chief minister Nitish Kumar to improve law and order in the state.

All the 43 police sub-divisions will be located in urban areas or district headquarters, said an official of the state home department. The official said that the government has given its approval to the proposal, and it would soon be sent to the cabinet.

In March-April 2023, internet services were suspended in Nalanda, Rohtas, Gaya and Naugachhia districts after communal clashes during Ram Navami processions killed two persons and injured several people, including six with bullet injuries.

A police sub-division will be headed by a DSP-rank officer. The move comes against the backdrop of improper investigation and pendency of cases and the main objective of the move is to clear heavy backlog cases and lessen the workload.

At present, the state has 117 sub-divisions, including 12 rail sub-divisions. Earlier, the state government had also created posts of additional sub-divisional police officers (ASDPOs), but so far appointments could not be made on them. In July 2019, the state government had identified 43 “sensitive” sub-divisions.

Of a total of 3.5 lakh FIRs registered in the state, Patna alone accounts for over 48,000 FIRs per year. At present more than 3 lakh cases are pending for investigation/supervision.

“The proposed police sub-division areas account for 60% of the FIRs lodged, while they register 70% of the communal incidents. As per the national average, the areas have around four times higher workload,” the official added.