Govt cracks whip after crime-graph shoots up, withholds salary of 70 SHOs of Patna
Patna,(BiharTimes): Three days after a BMP havildar was killed and an SHO injured by bootleggers in Samastipur district the state government on Thursday withheld the payment of salary to 70 out of73 station house officers of Patna district as they could not arrest even a single accused in connection with major criminal cases like murder, loot and dacoity between November 23 and November 28.
Only the SHOs of Gaurichak, Kadam Kuan and Phulwarisharif police stations have been spared. The order in this regard came from the DIG (Central Range), Rajesh Kumar.
The DIG has also issued show-cause notices to 10 DSP-rank officers of the subdivisions under which the 70 police stations fall. They have been asked to reply within three days why police despite reminders failed to arrest the accused and suspects in the cases of major crime.
The DIG,"however, clarified that it would not be correct to say the policemen were sitting idle. A large number of arrests were made in connection with cases of violation of prohibition and Arms Act.
He said the order came because they failed to make arrests in cases of heinous crimes.
The killing of shoe shop,owner Jitendra Kumar Gandhi on November 21 night and the murderous attempt on one Ajay Verma, who has criminal antecedents, under the Sultanganj police station area in broad daylight on Wednesday, might have prompted the police high ups to take such action.
The DIG denied that such harsh measure might prompt the SHOs to arrest innocent people and show them as accused or suspects.
Observers are of the view that this unprecedented action confirms that the law and order situation is really bad. “The state government has taken action against police officers in Patna district, but what about in the rest 37 districts, where the situation is no better,” asked a commentator.
There is a general perception that the policemen are either busy in cracking the liquor mafia or in the investigation of a series of scams. The SSP Patna, Manu Maharaj heads a number of Special Investigation Teams probing cases of fraud and irregularities, the latest being Toilet Scam.
