Bihar, the third-most populous state in the country with the poorest of its people, has a crime rate much lower than more prosperous states with fewer people, such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala, a quick analysis of the national crime data reveals.
Data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on August 30 showed that against the national rate of total cognizable offences - those that can be investigated by the police without judicial oversight - at 234.2, Bihar ranks 22 among all the states and union territories with a rate of 171.6 - a dip from 174.2 recorded in 2014. Even in terms of total cognizable offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Bihar is at the ninth spot. A total of 176,983 cognizable offences under the IPC were registered in the state last year - around 600 fewer cases than the previous year.
Still, this is much lower than the figures of Maharashtra (275,000), Madhya Pradesh (268,000) and Kerala (257,000).
There has also been a marked decrease in cases related to rape, theft and assault in Bihar.
These figures for the state are, however, hard to believe amid the spurt in crime and allegations of "jungle-raj". The data do not reveal the real picture, say experts.
"As one studies the data, it becomes evident that some offences such as rape, theft and assault can be hidden or not reported," a political analyst said. "Others that result in a body -such as murder, kidnapping, dowry death, riots - are harder to hide and therefore, bound to be reported. Considering the NCRB data, the state government appears to be fighting crime by under-reporting or simply not reporting it."
Bihar Police reported a total of 3,178 cases of murder in 2015, which is the second highest among states and UTs. Uttar Pradesh topped this list with about 4,700 murder cases. In terms of dowry deaths also, Bihar was ranked behind UP at the top. In the attempt to murder category, Bihar was second only to West Bengal, says NCRB data. In kidnapping and abduction, it placed third behind neighbours West Bengal and Jharkhand.
In riot cases, Bihar topped the list for yet another year. There were 13,311 cases of rioting reported in the state last year, in which close to 20,000 people were injured. The state reported the third-highest number of caste conflicts and was fourth in communal clashes in the country. Maharashtra was second with 8,736 riot cases.
The most worrisome aspect in all this is the steep rise in agrarian clashes in Bihar during the last year. According to NCRB data, 1,156 agrarian clashes took place in the state last year - the highest in the country. Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand were second and third with 752 and 303 incidents respectively. Last year, Bihar also had the ignominy of the highest number of people getting killed - 971 - in property-related disputes. Experts blame these deaths on the obsolete land record system that the state government still uses.
According to state government officials, the rate of crime is still very low. "The data can't be interpreted in black and white," said Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Sunil Kumar. "Crime, on the whole, has dropped in Bihar. We had fewer cognizable offences last year compared to the figures of the previous year. We have a much lower rate of murder, kidnapping and other offences in comparison to the total number of cognizable offences. We rank 12 in the rate of murder cases, 15 in kidnapping and 26 in crimes against women."
Kumar said that while the state did report the highest number of riot cases last year, this had to be seen "in context". "Incidents of skirmishes or altercation among five or more people come under the category of rioting in Bihar," he reasoned. "It has the highest population density in the country. Therefore, a petty issue can lead to a quarrel or fight and people join in due to their proximity with the parties directly involved."
Kumar claimed that since the liquor ban was implemented in Bihar this year, crime had dipped. "Cases related to murder have decreased by 31.7 per cent during April-July 2016, compared to figures during the same period last year," he said. "The percentage of other offences have also decreased: 20 per cent for rape, 27 per cent for road robbery, 73 per cent for dacoity, 18.4 per cent for rioting and 61 per cent for kidnapping with demand for ransom. The number of casualties in road accidents has also slid by 26.15 per cent due to prohibition."
While analysts agree that prohibition can reduce violent offences such as murder and rape, in Bihar there has been a steady rise in the number of cases of murder, rape, kidnapping, theft, bank dacoity and bootlegging post the liquor ban. This, they say, is a matter of concern.
State government officials admitted on September 1 that prohibition was fuelling the illegal liquor business. "We have credible inputs, which suggest that hard-core criminals are turning to illegal liquor trade in the state as it gets them easy money," said Bihar Excise Commissioner Aditya Kumar Das. It seems Bihar's prohibition law, described as draconian by many, has failed to act as a deterrent, with almost 50 per cent of the violators booked under it still making bail.
"The law needs to be respected," former director general of police D N Gautam said. "It can be maintained by a police force with a high morale and confidence. That is what is lacking in Bihar these days. Hope and confidence in policemen are dwindling. The situation can be improved by infusing professionalism and transparency in the system."
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