I now start with the story. I got posted as the Superintendent of Police in Rohtas District of Bihar in August, 2008. I had earlier been posted as the Superintendent of Police in Bagaha on the Nepal border. It had been very tense, when I assumed charge in December, 2006, when about 2 persons had been killed in police firing after a protest against perceived police inaction against gangs operating in the Gandak diaras, one of which had recently kidnapped and killed 4 farmers residing in the diara.

The police district presented tough topographic and geographic challenges, being on the extreme north-west corner of Bihar, in which while the northern part densely forested and lying in the Himalayan terai provided safe haven to Maoists and criminals popularly known as ‘Jungle parties’, the southern part with extensive sandy and bushy diara of the mighty river Gandak (which entered into India at Valmikinagar) was a den of crime. The diara stretched for several kilometers at places and was approachable only by way of crossing the river and walking through on foot. As I realized pretty early, it was virtually impossible to physically dominate the diara by mere presence of force.

The diara with several streams flowing provided safe havens to the criminals who apart from kidnapping persons for ransom also cultivated sugarcane on the captured lands. A mixed strategy worked in Bagaha where the change was most visible in the figures for kidnapping for ransom over the years which stood at 34 in 2002, 15 in 2003, 55 in 2004, 15 in 2005, 27 in 2006 and which got reduced to just 5 in 2007 with no case being reported till the July of 2008.

To be continued.....