Patna, Jul 19 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the law and order situation in the state, amid criticisms faced by his government over a recent spurt in crime.
Top officials, including Chief Secretary Brajesh Mehrotra and Director General of Police Rajwinder Singh Bhatti were present at the meeting held at the CM’s official residence that continued for more than two hours.
The longest-serving chief minister of Bihar asserted that “law and order is the government’s top priority” and that no laxity in ensuring crime control would be tolerated.
Kumar also called for steps to improve policing by recruiting more personnel where needed, intensifying patrolling and ensuring that quick help reached a site of incident.
The chief minister noted with satisfaction that there has been a drop in murders related to land disputes, which earlier accounted for more than 60 per cent of killings but have now come down to less than half of the total number.
Kumar also told the officials to be on guard against illegal mining activities, an offence in itself which also often led to other violent crimes.
The chief minister also highlighted the need for a “people-friendly” police and ensuring that adequate action was taken against personnel found wanting in discharge of their duties.
Incidentally, the meeting came a day ahead of a stir planned by the opposition INDIA bloc which intends to stage demonstrations at all district headquarters to highlight the NDA government’s alleged failure to control crime.
The law and order situation in the state has come under scanner in the recent past because of a number of serious incidents of crime, most notable being the murder of former minister Mukesh Sahni’s father who was stabbed to death earlier this week. PTI NAC ACD
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.