Law & order challenges kept police busy in 2022

The year 2022 was quite challenging for the Nitish Kumar government on the law and order front, especially in the second half of the year.

PATNA: The year 2022 was quite challenging for the Nitish Kumar government on the law and order front, especially in the second half of the year.

A railway coach set on fire during a protest against the 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme at Chapra railway station on June 16, 2022. (HT Photo)

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) had painted a grim picture of Bihar on the law-and-order front, as the state witnessed the second-highest number of 2,799 murder cases in 2021 while Uttar Pradesh was first in the country recording 3,825 cases.

Here’s a look at some of the important crime-related events which made the news in 2022.

Wanton shootout

On September 13, a 25-year-old man died while 10 others were injured after four unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire at 10 locations spread across over 30 kms in Bihar’s Begusarai district without getting caught or confronted by the police. Seven police personnel of the rank of assistant sub-inspector (ASIs) and sub-inspector (Sis), who were on patrolling duty at the time of the firing, were suspended on the charges of dereliction of duty. Footage of more than 100 CCTVs installed along the NH-28 was scanned and four suspects were seen travelling on two motorcycles were identified as Chunchun Singh alias Satyajit, Sumit Kumar, Keshav Kumar alias Nagwa and Yuvraj Singh alias Sonu. Police recovered four cell phones, two country-made pistols, five live cartridges, a motorcycle used in crime, besides used clothes from their possession.

Fake calls

On October 17, the economic offences unit (EOU) of the Bihar police arrested four persons, including one Abhishek Agarwal alias Bhopalka (42), who allegedly called the Bihar director general of police (DGP) by posing as Chief Justice of the Patna high court and asked him to close a case against former Gaya senior superintendent of police(SSP) Aditya Kumar, who allegedly conspired with the liquor mafia when he was posted in Gaya. The EoU registered an FIR against five persons, including 2011 batch IPS officer Aditya Kumar, Abhishek Agarwal, Gaurav Raj (24), Subham Kumar (20), and Rahul Ranjan Jaiswal (28), on the charges of cheating, impersonation, extortion, conspiracy, IT act, and cybercrime. The district and sessions court of Patna had on December 3 rejected the anticipatory bail petition of Kumar. Later, the court issued a proclamation order against the senior policeman.

STF successes

Bihar’s Special Task Force (STF) arrested 56 Maoists, including six, carrying rewards, 272 wanted criminals (including 19, carrying rewards), and recovered five police weapons, 13 sophisticated weapons including AK47/56, besides 7741 cartridges and 15kgs explosives.

Sand mafia

A shootout incident in Patna’s Bihta on September 30 among sand mafiosi jolted the state administration. Four persons were reported killed in the indiscriminate shooting which lasted for several hours, allegedly over the control of sand mining ghat. Illegal sand mining has remained a big challenge for the government. Three bodies were recovered from the Ganga while one Shatrughan Rai is still said to be missing. Two FIRs were lodged in the connection. In the FIRs, 28 persons have been named as accused, while several are unnamed. Eight persons, including a deputy pramukh of Danapur block, have so far been arrested and raids are on.

Gang war

The Katihar massacre of Bihar hit headlines this year after a shootout incident between two extortionist gangs led by Pikua Yadav and Mohan Thakur at Mohana Chandpur village under Barari police station on December 2. Armed men of the Thakur gang intercepted the associates of the Yadav gang and started firing on them. The latter also retaliated. Four people died and their bodies were recovered from two separate places. The body of Pikua Yadav - the fifth person - is still missing.

Hooch tragedy

Bihar witnessed the worst-ever hooch tragedy in the Saran district on December 13 when 70 people were feared killed after consuming spurious liquor. The government, however, put the death toll at 42, while the Opposition BJP claimed it to be over 150. A maximum of 31 deaths were reported from Masrakh block, while the remaining 39 casualties were from Isuapur, Amnaur, and Marhaura areas of the Saran district. The issue also figured in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) teams also visited Saran, which the state government took exception to. The issues flared up politics after the Opposition demanded compensation to the victims’ kin and the CM refused, saying there was no such provision. “Piyoge to maroge” (If you drink, you will die), as liquor is illegal in the state, the CM had said.

Agnipath protests

Between June 15 to 18, Bihar witnessed state-wide protests by army aspirants against the Centre’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme, with Railways becoming the soft target and leading to cancellation of 351 trains, including Rajdhani and Sampoorna Kranti, due to incidents of stone pelting and arson on the tracks. More than 10 trains, including four passenger trains, besides two rail engines, were set on fire by the protestors. Around 100 private and commercial vehicles were damaged and another 30, including police vehicles. Internet services were suspended in 12 districts while Section 144 was imposed in Siwan, Samastipur, Gopalganj, Katihar, etc. However, later in the year, there was a good response to recruitment drives under the Agnipath scheme.

The year ahead

Reigning liquor and sand mafia remain the biggest challenge for the state government, as both have assumed alarming proportions and developed a parallel economy, bleeding the state exchequer. A senior police officer said that besides the two, the focus would be on controlling extortion, and crime against women and stepping up time-bound investigations to reduce pendency. In 2022, the government appointed 22,000 policemen and constituted an anti-liquor task force (ALTF) to exclusively deal with the liquor mafia. Another force, VAJRA was constituted to exclusively focus on the arrest of wanted criminals. The objective is to reduce the load on police stations so that they could focus on law and order.