Tag: Bihar

‘He is a Babu…’: Giriraj Singh Castigates Official in Bihar for Sitting in Car While Talking to Him

Source: news18.com

Begusarai(Bihar): Union minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday gave a dressing down to a government official in his Lok Sabha constituency here for apparently showing reluctance to alight from a vehicle while speaking with him.

Singh has been touring flood-affected areas of his Lok Sabha constituency since Saturday. This morning, while he was travelling on foot, accompanied by supporters, local residents and a Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashish Anand, the car of Nishant, Sub-Divisional Officer of Teghra, pulled up close by.

When Singh addressed the official, he replied from within the car, irking the minister’s supporters.

The firebrand BJP leader got sore and remarked, “Why would he alight from his vehicle. He is a babu (an honorific used in Bihar to describe bureaucrats). I greet him with folded hands.”

The official, subsequently, got out of his car and tried to placate Singh, who gave him a piece of his mind.

“While touring this area I have heard a lot of tareef (praise) for you from the people. Please ensure that more of this does not happen,”

Singh remarked with trademark acerbity.

“You must ensure that relief is provided to all the people of the sub-division without any discrimination. I remember that a relief camp had been set up here in 2016 when areas were similarly inundated. A camp should be set up again. Else I am going to stage a dharna in front of your premises,” he told the official, who nodded with folded hands.

Singh also said that he would apprise the chief minister and the chief secretary of the flood situation in his constituency. “And please do not remain under the illusion that I will be content with speaking to you. I am going to speak to the Chief Minister as well as the Chief Secretary about the flood in my constituency. So you better set your house in order,” he warned.

Singh gave up his sitting seat of Nawada in the general elections this year and retained Begusarai for his party by trouncing CPI’s Kanhaiya Kumar by over four lakh votes.

Childline staff attacked as rumours continue to fuel mob fury in Bihar

Source: hindustantimes.com

A group of men working in Bihar’s Darbhanga for Childline, a telephone hotline meant for helping children in distress, was on Friday attacked by a mob on suspicion of being child lifers, the police said.

According to the police, Childline employees Raghav Thakur, Nilesh Kumar Karn, constable Gopal Ram and driver Daya Jha were attacked when they reached Koriahi village in Sitamarhi district to verify the address of one of the three children they brought from a Darbhanga-based shelter home. The mob also damaged their vehicle.

During the address verification process, the officials took help of a local boy to locate the house of the child. Some villagers thought they were child-lifters and started thrashing them, the police said.

A police team led by sub-inspector Dasrath Prasad Singh reached the spot to rescue the Childline employees and was initially attacked by villagers .

“An additional police force is camping in the village and the situation is normal,” said Sitamarhi superintendent of police Anil Kumar. He also urged the Childline team to keep the police informed when they travel with children. The injured men were treated at a t local primary health centre .

Several mob attacks have taken place in Bihar on people suspected to be child lifters. As many as 14 people have been lynched by mobs across the state in the past two-and-a-half months, but none of them proved to be a real child abductor, the police claimed.

“We have found that none of those killed in mob violence was a child abductor. The police headquarters is reviewing the situation on a regular basis,” said additional director general (ADG) of police (headquarters) Jitendra Kumar on Friday.

Bihar police have filed first information reports (FIRs) against 348 people in connection with these incidents. The ADG said 278 suspects have been arrested in 39 cases of mob lynching in the state so far.

Apart from the deaths, at least 14 people have been injured in attacks by locals over such rumours, police said.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar is set to review the situation in the next few days, according to officials.

State police headquarters has asked people not to spread rumours, and keep away from mob violence, warning them of serious consequences under law. Separate teams from the police and district administrations have also launched campaigns to sensitise people through audio/video clips and posters, besides making them aware that mob attacks were a cognisable offence.

“The police will deal with those spreading rumours sternly. Those seen involved in incidents of mob justice will not spared,” said a second senior police officer on condition of anonymity.

Tale of a Bihar school: Gunny bags for benches, open sky as roof for 250 kids

Source: indiatoday.in

The Rajkiya Utkramit Madhya Vidyalaya in Bihar’s Basanta village, 40 kilometre from Patna, teaches students from classes 1 to 8. Almost 250 children study here, however, due to lack of resources, the school runs from just two classrooms, forcing many to study in the open space outside.

“There is a lack of resources because of which children are studying outside the classroom. We have taken up the matter several times with the district officials but to no avail,” said Sanjeev Kumar Sah, a class teacher at the school.

India Today TV travelled to this government school in Vaishali district and found that there were no tables and chairs available for students from classes 1 to 4. Lack of resources compelled the children of these classes to get their own sitting arrangement to school.

“We don’t have a chair and table to sit and that is why we bring empty gunny bags to school to study”, said student of Class 2.

There is a separate room just outside the school premises which is being used by students of class 3 and 4 to study. Urvashi Kumari, teacher of these students, complained that the roof of the room is broken from many places because of which water fills up the classroom during the monsoons.

When India Today TV went into this classroom, it was found that the children were sitting on the floor with water and studying.

“The roof of this class is broken and we have raised this matter many times but nothing has been done. We have no option but to teach students in this situation,” said Urvashi Kumari.

Such is the condition of the school that students of classes 7 and 8 share a single classroom and two teachers use the same blackboard. While Ramanuj Prasad teaches History to students of class 7, Richa Kumari teachers Maths to students of class 8.

39 Mob Lynching Incidents Reported In Less Than 3 Months In Bihar: Police

Source: ndtv.com

PATNA: 

The police in Bihar have seen a rising number of lynching incidents in the recent months. According to data provided by the police headquarters, 14 people have been beaten to death, while 45 people have been injured in mob lynching incidents during the last two and a half months. During this time, 39 incidents of mob-lynching were registered in the state.

Bihar police headquarters is conducting awareness campaigns regarding such incidents in sensitive areas. Senior police officials have acknowledged that there have been no incidents of child abduction but people take to mob-lynching due to rumours. However, the police are sensitising people about such incidents along with a stern warning to those involved in the lynchings.

Locals in Madipur Chitragupta Nagar in Muzaffarpur thrashed two women on suspicion of child abduction. By the time the police reached the spot and saved them from the crowd, they had both suffered severe injuries.

In Samastipur district, a mentally-disabled woman was beaten up on a similar suspicion. Some people from the crowd saved her from the mob.

Such cases have been reported from Patna as well as other areas of the state too.

A man, identified as Shatrughan Sinha, a resident of Sitamarhi, was beaten to death on September 9 in West Champaran district.

On September 8, a 22-year-old man was beaten to death following rumours of child lifting.

The police have registered FIRs against 348 named accused and 4,000 unidentified people till now.

“Police is taking strict action against those involved in mob lynching incidents. We identify the accused from the video footage of the incidents and take action against them,” said Additional Director General (police headquarters) Jitendra Kumar .

Referring to the data, he said that since July this year, 278 people have been arrested in 39 incidents of lynching.

Mr Kumar said that the police have launched campaigns against mob lynching using audio clips and posters.

Lightning strike in Bihar kills 18 in 24 hours

Source: indiatvnews.com

At least 18 people were killed, while nearly half a dozen were injured in incidents of lightning strikes across Bihar in last 24 hours, an official said on Wednesday. The deceased also included women and children. 

According to an official of the Bihar State Disaster Department, the casualties were reported from Kaimur, East Champaran, Jehanabad, Gaya, Patna, Vaishali and Muzaffarpur.

Five deaths were reported from Kaimur, three from East Champaran and one each in the remaining districts, he said. 

“The state government has ordered ex-gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of those who lost their lives,” an official of the Disaster Management Department said.

According to the weather office, lightning strikes are usually reported during the June-September monsoon season.

BEWARE OF THE WATER: 17 killed by lightning in Bihar, flood-like situation in several parts of the state

Source: dnaindia.com

At least 17 people, including men and children, were killed in incidents of lightning strikes in different parts of Bihar in the last 24 hours. Four deaths were reported in Kaimur district, four in Gaya, one in Katihar, three in Motihari, one in Ara and two each in Jahanabad and Arwal.

In Kaimur, a woman and a child died due to lightning strike. In Gaya district, one person died due to lightning strike in Tankuppa block and two lost their lives in Imamganj block. In Katihar, a person identified as Bhumeshwar Yadav died due to lightning strike. Sources told Zee Media that Yadav, a resident of Sukhay village, was struck by lightning when he was working in his field. 

In Motihari, three people, including two girls, died due to lightning strike, while a young person lost his life in Ara. In Jahanabad, one person died in Jaffarganj, while one death was reported from Meerganj village in Ratni bloc.

Meanwhile, several parts of Bihar is witnessing a flood-like situation due to overflowing rivers caused by incessant rainfall. In Patna, the water level of River Ganga rose 55 cm above the danger mark at Gandhi Ghat. The capital city experienced torrential rains for five-straight hours, causing water logging in Adalat Ganj, Kankarbagh, Sri Krishna Puri, Pataliputra and Rajendra Nagar.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) on Wednesday issued a flood alert for all the districts in Bihar along the course of Ganga from Buxar to Bhagalpur and said that the situation along the course of the rivers should be monitored closely.

2.7 Lakh Prohibition Cases Pending, High Court Asks Bihar For Plan

Source: ndtv.com

PATNA: More than three years after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar rolled out an ambitious prohibition policy, its success remains a matter of debate. But one thing it has achieved is an alarmingly high pile of excise cases. Now, the Patna High Court has asked the state government to present a plan for how it plans to dispose these cases.

In a recent judgement, the court noted that the total number of such pending cases till July 8 this year is some 2.7 lakh.

In the absence of adequate judicial officers and support staff, the management of these cases is near impossible.

In an affidavit, the government has said that so far 67,000 people have been arrested and over 52 lakh litres of liquor has been seized. However, only 2,629 cases have been disposed of.

After the state government’s affidavit, the court has directed the Chief Secretary to file another about how the state hopes to tackle the problem of increased litigation.

The move is seen as one directed to draw attention to courts getting overburdened with excise and prohibition cases.

Bihar had banned country liquor from April 1, 2016 and prohibited the consumption of any alcohol six months later.

But at its peak, the law the led to an average of 172 arrests every day or one every 10 minutes.

‘Ploy by Companies to Pressure Govt to Lower Taxes’: Bihar Minister Says There’s No Economic Slowdown

Source: news18.com

Patna: The country is not facing economic slowdown and big companies are trying pressurise the government to lower tax rates by showing a decline in manufacturing, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi claimed on Wednesday. His comment invited immediate ridicule from the opposition RJD.

Modi, who also holds the finance portfolio in the Nitish Kumar government, cited the example of Parle G biscuits and said its demand had, in fact, increased in Bihar.

He doubted the claim of its manufacturers that a fall in demand of the company’s biscuits could have been caused by developed states opting for expensive pastries instead of the cheap confectionary with a higher tax rate. But it did not appear to be so.

Parle, the manufacturers of Parle G biscuits had recently warned of a massive lay-off following a slump in production which they blamed on a fall in demand caused by an increase in prices.

The rise in prices, it said, is due to a rise in the cost of production resulting from higher tax rates payable for confectionery items under GST, which came into force two years ago.

There is no mandi (economic slowdown). All these reports one gets to see in the media about automobiles and other sectors suffering is actually a ploy by lobbies in the corporate world to put pressure on the government for lowering tax rates, the senior BJP leader said at a programme organized by a news channel in Ranchi.

Sushil Modi was heavily trolled on Twitter by opposition RJD for his comments. Veteran RJD leader Shivanand Tiwary charged him with “trying to wish away a financial crisis that is too stark”.

“Of late, Sushil Kumar Modi has begun sounding like the French monarch who said if people did not have bread, they should eat cakes,” Tiwary told PTI here.

The phrase is commonly attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette supposedly uttered during one of the famines that occurred in France in 1789 during the reign of her husband

King Louis XVI ahead of the French Revolution.

Recently, he (Sushil Modi) said that the decline in automobiles was because people did not like to buy vehicles during the Pitri Paksha which in fact began only last week and continues for only a fortnight,” Tiwary, who was a member of the Rabri Devi cabinet, said.

“Before that he had scandalized all by claiming that economic slowdown was some sort of a seasonal phenomenon which occurred during monsoons and automatically got rectified later on. It all displays his utter ignorance about financial matters, though he is the minister in charge of the department, the RJD national vice-president said.

He said, the recent report by an international media house has stated that investors are withdrawing capital from the country and there are no fresh investments. Noted economists have time and again pointed out that the unimpressive GDP growth rate of five per cent too might be an exaggerated figure as it does not take into account the huge unorganized sector which is yet to recover from the impact of demonetization, Tiwary said.

Our Deputy CM seems to be in the same frame of mind as last year when he had hoped for less crime during a religious festival by cajoling criminals with folded hands to give up their activities for the period, he quipped.

At the inauguration of the Pitri Paksh fair at Gaya in 2018, Sushil Modi had urged those involved in anti-social activities to refrain from indulging in crimes during the fortnight-long congregation as visitors came from far and wide and they might return with a bad image of Bihar in mind. The deputy chief minister had invited severe ridicule from political opponents for it.

NCW chief to meet Nitish Kumar, Bihar DGP as Muzaffarpur ‘horror home’ inmate is raped

Source: theprint.in

New Delhi: National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma will meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the state’s director general of police (DGP) to discuss the alleged rape last week of a former inmate of the Muzaffarpur shelter where an abuse scandal was uncovered last year.

Sharma told ThePrint that she and her team will visit the state Thursday to take up the increasing incidence of crime in Bihar with the DGP and the CM.  

The 18-year-old victim had been living with her family since July last year, after leaving the shelter for destitute women where dozens of inmates were allegedly subjected to sexual abuse. She was reportedly on her way to a relative’s house in Bihar’s West Champaran district last Friday when four men pulled her into an SUV and raped her.

A video of the victim, seen in a niqab, detailing the crime has since gone viral. Latest reports suggest four arrests have been made in connection with the case.

Sharma said she will meet the teenager who had suffered the “horrific incident”.

“First, she suffered in the shelter home, then she had to go through this harassment… What kind of protection is she being given?” Sharma added.

“The NCW has been receiving increasing complaints from Bihar about violence against women — something needs to be done about this,” she said.

“I think the primary reason behind this is police apathy in the state. They don’t take women seriously, they unnecessarily delay filing the FIR,” she told ThePrint. “I will discuss all these matters with the state’s DGP.”

The Muzaffarpur shelter home

The Muzaffarpur sexual abuse scandal came to light after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) found in an audit that over 30 girls had been allegedly raped and assaulted at a state-funded shelter for destitute women and girls. Shelter owner Brajesh Thakur, who also ran a newspaper, has since been jailed.

In February 2019, the Supreme Court ordered the case to be transferred from Bihar to a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Delhi.

Owaisi-led AIMIM to contest on all seats in 2020 Bihar assembly polls

Source: hindustantimes.com

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has decided to expand its base in Bihar. The party is so far confined to Seemanchal region.

“To help Bihar come out of the sad state of affairs, the party following instructions from Asaduddin Owaisi has decided to field candidates in constituencies going for by-polls and contest on all seats for 2020 assembly elections. The party believes that AIMIM can provide a new political equation, which the state needs,” said Akhtarul Imaan, party’s Bihar unit president.

The party had contested on six seats – Kocha Daman, Kishanganj, Raniganj, Baisi, Amour and Balrampur – in the Bihar assembly elections in 2015, mostly in Seemanchal region, but met with no success. Imaan had contested from Kocha Daman constituency. The Seemanchal region accounts for 24 constituencies. But the party decided to field only six candidates.

Imaan is a former member of Bihar assembly. He was earlier with the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). He had also unsuccessfully contested from Kishananj constituency in the last Lok Sabha polls. The seat was won by Congress and AIMIM came third with 26.58% of total votes polled.

Owaisi during his last visit to Seemanchal region had said that his party would be making a beginning in Bihar. The Hyderabad lawmaker said his party was aware of its limitations and hence decided to contest a limited number of seats.

“It is clear that even after 72 years of independence, minorities, Dalits and backwards of Bihar have not got legitimate rights. It is a matter of shame that Bihar is standing along with lower rank states in the field of education, health, employment and development,” said Imaan.

The Owasisi-led party had to face criticism that it was contesting six seats in Seemanchal just to divide the secular votes.