Bihar government defends policy on 'criminal rehabilitations'

Patna, Apr 3 (UNI) Bihar Energy Minister Vijyendra Prasad Yadav today defended governments policy on surrender of criminals and their rehabilitation scheme saying that the new initiative would go a long way in checking crimes in the state.

Replying to a special debate on the issue initiated by Mr P K Sinha of Samta party, Mr Yadav allayed apprehensions of some of the members that new policy of the state government would encourage the youth to commit crimes to take benefit of the scheme in this regard.

He said state government had taken special care to thwart the move of any individual or groups of taking undue advantage of the rehabilitation schemes of the criminals.

''A committee of district magistrate, district police superintendent and a member of the crime branch of the state police would screen the cases of the criminals at district level,'' he added.

The minister informed the house that the committee would send its recommendations to state DGP, who would finally decide the matter.

With this kind of system introduced by the state government, there was no possibility of any elements taking undue advantage of the said scheme, he claimed.

Mr Yadav clarified that cases against the criminals surrendering under the said scheme would not be withdrawan but free legal aid would be extended to them if they wished.

He said it was not the first time that such kind of schemes were introduced adding similar schemes were also introduced to bring back the terrorists of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir into the mainstream of the society.

He refuted the allegations that state government was adopting soft policy against the criminals.

UNI XC/RS TJP SC HS1728