THE REAL CHALLENGE OF CRIME CONTROL IN BIHAR IS LIQUOR BAN AND ITS DARK SIDE

THE REAL CHALLENGE OF CRIME CONTROL IN BIHAR IS LIQUOR BAN AND ITS DARK SIDE

14-JUNE-ENG 7

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------I have a clear understanding of the changing nature of crime in Bihar and the challenges of the police – you may agree or disagree with it, but the truth is getting exposed day by day.

It has been many years since liquor ban was implemented in Bihar, but its impact has not been as positive as it should have been. On the contrary, another crime system has taken birth – illegal liquor trade and increasing consumption of dry drugs. Today the situation is such that from village to city, from child to old, everyone knows where and how to get liquor. The networks associated with it have become so strong that now they are not "small businessmen" but have become players of organized crime.

When officers like Rajwinder Singh Bhatti, Vinay Kumar, and Kundan Krishnan, who are counted among the country's sharp IPS officers in crime control, are not able to be completely successful even after being posted in a state, then understand that the situation is not normal. These are the same officers who have set examples of crime control in their respective areas, but their struggle in Bihar shows that the problem here is not police-related, but systemic.

Today, those who say that “kidnappings do not happen in Bihar anymore”, are speaking the truth, but it is incomplete. The reality is that when more profit is being made from alcohol smuggling with less risk, then what is the need for risky crimes like kidnapping? The criminals have only changed their business, not their temperament.

I also believe that if in future the Bihar government ends the liquor ban – as is often debated – then the one year immediately following it will be very unstable. Why?

Because today the thousands and lakhs of people who are involved in the illegal liquor trade – from mafia kings to delivery boys – will become unemployed in one stroke. And when the source of income is snatched away, it becomes a compulsion for them to turn to crime. The underworld history of Mumbai is a witness to this. When smuggling stopped, the same people started walking on the path of extortion, contract killing, weapons and murder.

But it is also true that if Bihar police and administration take decisive action in that "transition period", the foundation of a new Bihar can be laid. There is a need to dismantle the mafia network in that one year with complete honesty, technical resources and political will.

To make Bihar crime free, we will have to bring honesty and strictness not just in the law but in the system. Otherwise, the "artificial peace" that is visible under the guise of prohibition is a signal of a deep crisis - ignoring which can become a bigger danger in the times to come.