Despite tall claims of reinforcing the rule of law in Bihar following a recent review by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, BJP MLA from Pirpainti, Lalan Paswan, fears for his life.
Speaking to India today, Paswan recounted his ordeal. He stated that it began with text messages from alleged Naxalites demanding Rs 20 lakh as a levy. Refusal to pay the ransom, he said, could cost him his life.
Paswan raised the issue with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and subsequently with Bhagalpur SSP, who assigned Kahalgaon Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) II to handle the case.
Paswan now accuses Kahalgaon SDPO II of covering up the case. He said, “Kahalgaon SDPO II covered up the case after claiming to have solved it within 24 hours. Not a single arrest has been made in the past four months, and the issue was virtually dismissed.”
Paswan added, “Our area lies on the border between Bihar and Jharkhand. It’s a transit point for the illegal sale and mining of stone chips. I raised the issue in the state assembly, prompting the state government to take stern action, but the mastermind remains at large.”
He continued, “The stone mafia then targeted me and my family, and our locations were attacked. The SDPO II is part of the same nexus which keeps my family in constant fear.”
Seeking reparation, Paswan approached Chief Minister Nitish Kumar again, who directed state police headquarters to review Paswan’s security threat level and implement corrective measures.
