Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asked the state police to use the National Security Act against any one trying to create communal tension in the state, officials said on Saturday.
A day after Janata Dal-United (JD-U) president Sharad Yadav said attempts could be made to foment communal riots in Bihar before the 2014 general elections, Mr. Nitish Kumar ordered police to be more vigilant against communal strife.
Anti-riot squads should be properly trained to deal with such situations, he said.
Police has also decided to impart special training to anti-riot teams of the Rapid Action Force.
In a JD(U) meeting in New Delhi on Friday, Mr. Sharad Yadav said he was apprehensive of communal polarisation in Bihar and other parts of the country following riots in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district.
“Since elections are due early next year, those with a divisive mindset will make all attempts to foment communal riots,” he said.
In August, Mr. Nitish Kumar said he was “disturbed” after a communal clash in Nawada town claimed two lives and left nearly a dozen people injured. It led to the imposition of curfew for the first time during his tenure of nearly eight years. The situation has since then returned to normal.
