E-Paper
Gunning for Survival
Bihar records one of the highest crime rates in the country, although not the highest, as many insist.
Bihar records one of the highest crime rates in the country, although not the highest, as many insist.
According to Central police records, some 23,967 violent crimes were committed in the state in 2001- the second highest in India (though less than Uttar Pradesh's 38,173) - and contributing more than 10 per cent to the national total.
These included 3,643 murders - an average of 10 murders a day - 3,419 attempted murders and 2,159 kidnappings.
Also on the list were 1291 dacoities (highest in the country), 2,203 robberies (third highest), 8,606 riots (second highest) and 859 dowry killings (second highest).
Arms and the Bihari
Some 1,568 people were murdered by firearms - even higher than militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir's 1,388. Almost all of these victims were killed by unlicensed arms, pointing to the prosperity of the illegal arms industry in the state.
But crime against women and children is low compared to other states. In 2001, Bihar recorded some 5,356 cases of crime against women, the 12th highest in the country and less than 4 per cent of the national total.
It also recorded only 83 crimes against children, the 13th highest in the country and just 0.8 per cent of the national total.
Some 2,02,285 people were arrested on criminal charges in the state in 2001, the fifth highest in the country. Of these, a staggering 96.4 per cent were "new offenders".
Crime and Politics
Crime goes hand in hand with politics. More than 500 political murders, besides a number of attempted murders, kidnappings and so on, have taken place in the last decade. More and more criminals are joining active politics at the highest level.
Some 145 contestants for Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha seats in recent elections were facing criminal charges - including murder and attempted murder - according to declarations to the Election Commission. Many have won, and some have even reached the Central cabinet.
