Following the footsteps of neighbouring Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced on Monday (May 11, 2026) that the police would have full discretion to take action against criminals.

Mr. Choudhary said that if any criminal dared to challenge the police, the police would respond within 48 hours, and regardless of the caste or religion of the criminals, they would not be spared. He asserted that the objective was to keep Bihar free from crime. Indirectly, he hinted that criminals would be eliminated within 48 hours of committing any crime.

It was evident from the fact that last month, Ramdhani Yadav, the main accused in the murder of a Sultanganj municipal executive officer, Krishan Bhushan Kumar, in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, was killed in a police encounter within 24 hours.

Mr. Choudhary’s statement came a day after a major reshuffle in the bureaucracy with the transfer of 11 IAS and 16 IPS officers with an aim to focus on law and order.

The Chief Minister was speaking after the inauguration of a new road named after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin’s father, Naveen Kishor Prasad Sinha, in Patna. Mr. Nabin was also present for his father’s birth anniversary.

“I would like to extend my special thanks to former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Mr. Nabin for their role in the construction of this road. Mr. Nabin has served as the MLA for this constituency and shares a deep bond with the people of this region,” Mr. Choudhary said, inaugurating the road, which falls under the Bankipur Assembly constituency, earlier represented by Mr. Nabin, now a Rajya Sabha member.

The Chief Minister added that under the leadership of Mr. Kumar, an era of good governance had been established in Bihar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working tirelessly to transform India into a developed nation.

Good governance

“Our priority remains to uphold good governance in Bihar. The rule of law prevails in the State. If industries are to be brought to Bihar, the pace of good governance must be further accelerated. If any criminal dares to challenge the police, the police will respond within 48 hours. Regardless of a criminal’s caste or religion, they will not be spared. The objective is to keep Bihar free from crime,” Mr. Choudhary said.

He further instructed officials to instal a statue of the late Naveen Kishore Prasad Sinha at the location by next year, coinciding with his birth anniversary. Deputy Chief Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Minister for Urban Development and Housing Nitish Mishra, Cooperative Minister Ram Kripal Yadav and BJP State President Sanjay Saraogi were also present.

In another programme at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Mr. Choudhary also inaugurated the real-time monitoring system for the ‘Sahyog’ Helpline Number 1100 and the ‘Sahyog’ Portal (sahyog.bihar.gov.in), both associated with the ‘Sahyog Shivir’ (Assistance Camp) initiative through remote control.

Redress of grievances

The Sahyog Helpline Number 1100 and the Sahyog Portal were launched with the motive of resolving the grievances of the general public. Under the Sahyog Shivir programme, camps would be organised at the panchayat level on the first and third Tuesdays of every month to address and resolve people’s issues.

“The grievances will be resolved within a period of 30 days through Sahyog Shivirs at the Panchayat level. The District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police will monitor this process in real-time. If a concerned official fails to dispose of an application and issue an order within 30 days due to negligence in the discharge of the duty, they will automatically stand suspended on the 31st day,” Mr. Choudhary said.