Saturday, February 5 2005 11:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Disputing police claims on release of hostages in Bihar, the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) today (Feb 5, 2005) called for a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge into politician-police-criminal nexus in cases of abduction.

''Police continue to make false claims about the release of the abductees, including businessmen and schoolchildren from the clutches of kidnappers. As reported, the hostages have returned home on their own on several occasions,'' BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley told a press conference.

''The circumstances in which the abductees return to their houses or their release under pressure have left several questions unanswered. No abductors are nabbed on the spot while the police claimed to have raided a hideout for the recovery of kidnapped persons,'' he said.

Jaitley said in the case of Dipak Kumar, a student of DAV public school at Bhagalpur, the schoolboy claimed to have returned on his own on February 2 though the police said his release was possible because of mounting pressure by it.

The people of the country and the State want to know the facts relating to the alarming rise in cases of kidnapping and subsequent releases, he said and called for a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of a High Court to probe the politician-police-criminal nexus.

The nexus, he said, was responsible for the cases of kidnapping for ransom.

''The inquiry should also bring to the light to what extent the abductors enjoy political patronage and who are really involved in the kidnappings in Bihar,'' he added.