‘Crime in Bihar below many states’: Police headquarters

Against the average national rate of total cognizable crime per lakh, which is 487.8, it is 211.3 in Bihar

Bihar police headquarters has tried to dispel the perception of crime spurt in Bihar with statistics of the national crime record bureau (NCRB), which puts Bihar at the 25th spot in the country.

Image for representation. (File photo)

“Statistics speak for themselves. Law and order remain the topmost priority of the state government and that gets reflected through the statistics of the Centre, not the state government. For police, every crime matters and we are trying our level best to ensure rule of law in the state. In case any no debt, there is prompt and decisive action,” said ADG (headquarters) Jitendra Singh Gangwar.

Against the average national rate of total cognizable crime per lakh, which is 487.8, it is 211.3 in Bihar, with much bigger states ahead of Bihar. The crime rate in Bihar in 2019 was recorded at 164.8 which witnessed a 5.1% decline in 2020 at 159.7. Even in the case of murders, the rate in Bihar was 2.6, slightly higher than the national average of 2.2, but it was still ranked 8th.

In dacoity, the state ranks 11th with the rate same as the national average (0.2), while in robbery the national average is 1.8 and the state rate 1.6, placing it at 13th place in the country.

According to the data provided by police headquarters on Saturday, in the first 11 months (January to November) of 2019, Bihar witnessed 353 dacoity cases while till November 2021 only 239 cases were registered this year.

Similarly, in robbery cases, the state recorded 2399 cases in 2019 while 1694 cases were registered till November 2020. In murder cases, the state witnessed 2910 cases between January and November in 2019 but this year till November, only 2607 FIRs have been registered.

Gangwar said that though every incident of crime was a matter of concern for the state, it would be wrong to project it as lawlessness. The murder ratio went down in the state since 2019 as 2.6, 2.6 and 2.3 respectively.

In kidnapping for ransom, Bihar’s rate is 12th in the country. In the eleventh month of 2019, Bihar registered 42 cases while in 2021, only 34 cases were registered.

Gangwar said that Bihar had a very high population density and as such any comparison with other states would not be appropriate. ”What is important is that police are active to nail the culprits,” he added.

Law and order have always been a big issue in Bihar and it was one of the reasons that led to the installation of the Nitish government in 2020 and ‘rule of law’ became the buzzword to give Nitish-led NDA a clean sweep in 2010.

Gangwar said that in the most sensitive crime against women, Bihar was ranked 29th in the state, while in heinous rape incidents, Bihar is at the bottom at the 31st place. In cases related to the SC/ST atrocities act, Bihar ranked third across the country with 44.5 ratio while the national ratio is said to be 25.0.

“In many cases of kidnapping, police have detected instances of elopement or teenage issues or domestic violence. It is not always for a criminal purpose. Many instances of forcible marriage have also come to light,” he added.

In the case of road robbery, as compared to 2005, the state witnessed a 38.8% decline in 2020. Till November 2020, at least 137 cases were registered while in 2005 Bihar police registered 224 cases. In cases of bank dacoity, police registered 12 cases in 2020 while in 2015, a total of 26 cases were lodged.