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Patna,(BiharTimes): It is double trouble for the train passengers passing through or within Bihar. While West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh have only Maoists to fear here in Bihar they have to face the onslaught of the dacoits too. 

The present spate of dacoity reminds one of the first few weeks of Lalu Yadav’s tenure as the railway minister. Criminal gangs took the trains by storm in the first couple of weeks after he became railway minister in May 2004. Observers were quick to point out political reason behind these crimes on wheels. 

The opposition parties got an opportunity to criticize the husband-wife duo. As it is the responsibility of the Government Railway Police––which essentially is a state government force––to provide security to passengers the criticism was also directed on the then Rabri Devi government in the state. However, after a few weeks the number of train robberies came down considerably, though it was never free from crime. Over three years back a retired DIG was killed in one such incident, moments after the train in which he was travelling to Mumbai, whistled off from Rajendra Nagar terminal. 

Of late the number of crimes in the trains have risen once again. In the last couple of weeks the journey especially between Mokamah and Jhajha, in fact upto the border of Jharkhand, has become all too unsafe. This area has always been known for dacoities. Passengers of this section along with that of Dhanbad-Mughalsarai section had to bear the burden of Maoists’ shutdown and threat to derail train service too. 

Neither the state government nor the railway ministry has any solution to tackle this twin menace. Mamata literally sees Red––not Maoists but Marxists––for everything which happens to railways, while the Bihar chief minister routinely backs her for whatever wrong goes on in the railways––even if there is head-on or rear-on accident.
In such a situation both Maoists and criminal gang lords get a field day. It is not yet clear as to who manages to wreak more terror––Naxalites or robbers. 

Though both Naxalites and criminal gangs have no collaboration whatsoever yet both work within their respective jurisdictions. While criminal gangs do not encroach into the area of others, Maoists have their own zone of operation under the local leadership. 

Police sources said that there are at least 15 major gangs operating in Bihar, especially on the Howrah-Delhi Grand Chord, Howrah-Delhi Main Line and Guwahati-Delhi route running parallel to Ganga in North Bihar. Besides, there are many smaller groups operating locally. 

Though police claim that each gang has 10 to 30 members what came as a big surprise is that earlier this month no fewer than 50 dacoits looted Lal Quila Express near Kiul Junction. The sheer number and daringness posed a big challenge to both the state government machinery and the railways. Dacoits never come in such a large number, Maoists do. It reflects only the deterioration in the law and order situation.

Police officials suspect the involvement of vendors, women and even some railway employees in such crimes. A few years ago a cabinman posted at Jhajha was arrested for his proximity to some gangs. 

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