Patna Jan 24 (IANS): RJD vice president Shivanand Tiwari criticised Nitish Kumar government over rise in crime in Bihar.

Reacting to the loot in a jewellry shop in Patna's Bakarganj on Friday, Tiwari said that such a loot had not happened in Patna in the past.

"Crime rate in Bihar has reached to the highest level but Nitish Kumar and officials of his government are busy in the search of liquor. People are laughing when they see that senior officials in the rank of chief secretary and DGP in Bihar are searching for liquor bottles," Tiwari said.

"The entire police and civil administration of Bihar are in the search of liquor in the state. Every time, when a liquor related incident comes to light, they use to suspend sub-inspectors or SHOs but they never held any police officer accountable for other heinous crimes like murder, gang rape, rape and loot. For Nitish Kumar, liquor consumption is the only crime in the state," he said.

"The awareness policies to avoid consumption of liquor not effective in the state too. The local police, on the ground, either having links with mafias or are scared of their liquor operations," Tiwari said.