Thursday, June 2 2005 16:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Appalled at the magnitude of extortion in Bihar, Governor Buta Singh today (Jun 2, 2005) said he would not tolerate it even as the Director General of Police candidly admitted "it is impossible to make Patna a crime-free zone."

"I am shocked after coming to know about the magnitude of activities of extortionists in Bihar. I came to know the word 'Rangdari' (extortion) only after coming to the State," the Governor told reporters while taking strong exception to the shooting to death of two passers-by, including a boy and wounding three others by inebriated gunmen in the Alamganj area of the State capital yesterday.

"The Alamganj incident alerted me," he said.

The Governor said he had asked the Director General of Police Ashish Ranjan Sinha to order a probe by a senior police official into the shooting and book the culprits.

The DGP who was also present at the Governor's chamber, however, candidly admitted "it will be impossible to make Patna a crime-free zone.

"We have taken a number of steps, including intensifying patrolling by flying squads, provided sophisticated weapons and given commando training to policemen," he said.

Sinha said that Officer-in-Charge of Alamganj police station Amrendra Mishra had been suspended.

The Governor said he would take immediate steps for opening a police training institute in Bihar to hone the skills of policemen.

"After bifurcation of Bihar, the lone Hazaribagh Police Training Institute is in Jharkhand and there is need for setting up one here (in Bihar)," he said.