Saturday, January 21 2006 12:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today (Jan 21,2006)said police and the general people should wage a 'combined war' to weed out crime targetting schoolchildren as schoolboy Nirmalendu Prakash Diwakar remained untraced for the fifth day with no significant breakthrough.

''The crime targetting innocent school children is heinous.We all, including police and the people, should relentlessly try to end kidnapping of schoolboys,'' he said after meeting a delegation of 19 students and representatives of Bihar School Children's Welfare Association at his residence.

A combined war is the need of the hour to effectively check kidnapping of schoolchildren, he told newsmen adding, ''I have given free hand to the police to tackle the criminals.''

Kumar said he had asked the state education commissioner to meet the representatives of the managements of various schools, besides the guardians to explore a mechanism to end kidnapping.

''I will also personally hold a meeting with top state officials, including the director general of police, tentatively on January 30 to chalk out a strategy for better safety of schoolchildren,'' the Chief Minister said.

Besides the students, officer bearers of Bihar School Children's Welfare Association, including its President D.K.Singh also met Kumar at his residence to demand effective steps for Nirmalendu's release.