Security lax at courts in state

Patna: The daylight explosion near the Sasaram court on Wednesday has once again exposed the poor security arrangements on judicial campuses across the state. This was the seventh such incident in three years. A number of courts in different parts of the state have witnessed explosions or firing on different occasions, yet police on Wednesday claimed there was nothing to worry as the blast took place outside the court campus.
In 2013, a bomb was blasted on Hajipur court premises to help some criminals flee from police custody. In September 2014, two persons were injured in a blast that rocked the Chhapra court premises. On January 23, 2015, two persons, including a policeman, died on the Ara civil court premises in a bomb blast.
Again, on March 11 this year, five persons were injured in three explosions outside the Sasaram court. On April 11, an undertrial in a murder case was shot dead on the Muzaffarpur court premises. On April 18, six persons were injured in a crude bomb explosion on the Chhapra court premises.
Police sources said hardly any court in the state has door-frame metal detector. After the blast at Chhapra civil court, authorities of a few districts visited the local court concerned to take stock of security measures, but after that nothing much has been done to beef up security.
ADG (HQ) Sunil Kumar said, “Except for a few instances, the violence took place near the court premises, not on the court premises. In the explosion on Wednesday, the bike was parked 15 metres away from the court premises. The low-intensity blast might have taken place due to a crude bomb. We have started investigations from both the angles — personal enmity and Maoist handiwork.”
He added, “We agree that court premises are yet to be 100% foolproof from security point of view. However, measures like installation of CCTVs and setting up of metal door-frame detectors are being taken on different court premises.”
The poor security measures at Patna civil court was also highlighted a few days back when a video footage showed prisoners being transported in an unlocked van from the court to jail. The video footage showed the security personnel of the prisoners’ van stopping in market area for shopping, without bothering about the prisoners in the van. They did not even bother to handcuff the prisoners.