'Police raj': NDA minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal's viral video clip stirs debate, establish SITs in each district to shoot criminals

PATNA: NDA govt in Bihar has announced plans to establish SITs in each district with the authority to shoot criminals found carrying illegal arms in public, revenue and land reforms minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal of BJP allegedly says in a viral video clip.

The minister's alleged statement ignited protests from opposition Grand Alliance led by RJD and Congress, which called the move an attempt to impose a "police raj" in the state.

"... State govt has issued orders to police to shoot dead criminals found moving on the streets with illegal arms and ammunition," Jaiswal allegedly says in video from an election rally in Rupaul Tuesday, adding the state cabinet has also decided to form separate police teams exclusively for this purpose.

"Koi apradhi nahin bachega ab (No criminal will survive now)," first-time minister Jaiswal allegedly says in the clip, while campaigning for JD(U) candidate Kaladhar Prasad Mandal for the July 10 bypolls in Rupaul, where JD(U) legislator Bima Bharti resigned from the seat to contest LS polls on an RJD ticket, which she lost.

Opposition reacted to Jaiswal's alleged remarks, with RJD saying minister was speaking like a "goonda" and undermining the judicial process. RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan said: " Minister's statement means he doesn't have faith in the judicial process. Whether a person is a criminal or not is decided by the court. How can police decide about it?" Gagan expressed concerns about potential police abuses and asserted that Bihar govt has failed to control crime.