Central team in Bihar

PATNA, June 17: A three-member Central team headed by additional Union Home Secretary R D Kapoor, which arrived here today, began an on-the-...

PATNA, June 17: A three-member Central team headed by additional Union Home Secretary R D Kapoor, which arrived here today, began an on-the-spot assessment of the law and order situation prevailing in the state in the wake of recent murder of two legislators.

The team met state Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari, Chief Minister Rabri Devi, Chief Secretary S N Biswas, leader of Opposition parties and other state officials to get first hand information of the situation in the state.

The team will visit Purnea and Motihari tomorrow before leaving for Delhi.

According to sources, the state officials briefed the team about the background of the killing of two legislators describing the incidents as a result of the war of attrition among different criminal gangs.

Chief Minister Rabri Devi and RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav were stated to have told the team that the opposition parties were quot;creating circumstances for the dismissal of the democratically elected state government on the pretext of adverse law andorder situation.quot;

Leaders of the Opposition parties, including the BJP, Samata Party and Janata Dal, held the RJD government responsible for the worsening law and order situation and demanded invocation of Article 356.

The team was sent by the Centre for investigation into the law and order situation in the state against the backdrop of the murder of two legislators. It will submit its report to the Union Home Ministry.When contacted, leader of the team, Kapoor, refused to divulge the details of the meetings which took place during the day and said the panel would submit its report to the Centre soon.

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Meanwhile, Justice Lok Nath Prasad of the Patna High Court would hold the judicial inquiry into the killing of two MLAs, Brij Bihari Prasad and Ajit Sarkar.

Chief Minister Rabri Devi said the inquiry committee would submit its report to the state government within the next three months. Meanwhile, keeping up the pressure on the government, Railway Minister Nitish Kumar today pressed the demand fordismissal of the Bihar Government saying the situation in the state was different from that in Tamil Nadu and warranted immediate Central intervention.

Reiterating Patna High Court8217;s observation that quot;there is no government worth the name and jungle raj is prevailing in Biharquot;, the Samata Party leader claimed that the situation in Bihar was quot;quite differentquot; from that in Tamil Nadu for imposition of President8217;s rule.

He said that quot;the state was steeped in financial anarchy, administrative mismanagement, corruption and breakdown of law and order machinery.quot;

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Replying to mediapersons at quot;meet the pressquot; programme whether use of Article 356 in Bihar would not provoke AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha to make a similar demand for dismissal of the Karunanidhi Government in Tamil Nadu, the Railway Minister said a Central team had already gone to Bihar to assess the law and order situation. quot;Let us see its report,quot; he added.

Explaining the situation that warranted dismissal of the Rabri Devi Government, the RailwayMinister said that quot;Bihar is steeped in financial anarchy, total administrative mismanagement, corruption and plunder of treasury with law and order touching the lowest ebbquot;.

Alleging that there was no rule of law, he said murder of several political leaders have further aggravated the situation. Besides, there was financial anarchy in the state where Central funds were being misutilised or remained unutilised as pointed out by even the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.