No law and order in Bihar; Nitish Kumar has failed: Lalu Yadav

Slamming the NDA government over the torching of houses in Nawada, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday, 19 September, claimed that there was no law and order in Bihar and chief minister Nitish Kumar had failed.

Prasad also lashed out at Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who has claimed that "90 per cent of the people arrested in the Nawada incident belong to a particular caste and are RJD supporters".

Police arrested 15 people, a day after arsonists torched 21 houses in Nawada district's Manjhi Tola.

Preliminary investigations indicate that a land dispute may have triggered the violence, which occurred in Manjhi Tola within the Mufassil police station area on Wednesday evening.

Speaking to reporters, Yadav said, "Jitan Ram Manjhi is completely misled and he is trying to mislead the people of the country. I will find out what has happened there (Nawada). Law and order has collapsed completely in the state."

"This is very wrong. There is no law and order in Bihar. Nitish Kumar has failed," he later added.

Chief minister Kumar has condemned the torching of houses and directed the additional director general of police (law and order) to personally visit the site and oversee the probe.

Nawada district magistrate Ashutosh Kumar Verma told PTI, "The district police has arrested 15 people for allegedly torching the houses. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to further investigate the matter, and searches are ongoing to apprehend any remaining suspects."

Verma said around 21 houses, some semi-pucca, were destroyed by a group in Manjhi Tola. Senior administrative and police officials on site will report the exact extent of the damage, he added.

Investigations have revealed that of the 34 houses that were set on fire, 21 were completely destroyed and 13 partially damaged.