Law and order crumbling under Nitish's rule

IN recent weeks, the political and legal battle over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls had pushed to the sidelines a burning issue plaguing Bihar — the virtual breakdown of law and order. Now, it seems that things are finally coming to a head. A woman was allegedly raped by two men in an ambulance which took her to a hospital after she fainted during a government recruitment test. The absence of a female attendant in the vehicle reflected poorly on state-run emergency health services. The shocking incident in Gayaji — the new name for Gaya — has laid bare cracks within the ruling NDA months before the Assembly elections. Union minister Chirag Paswan described the situation as “scary”, while expressing regret that he was supporting a regime that was incapable of controlling law and order.