60,000 security personnel to be recruited in Bihar: Deputy CM

Patna: Deputy CM-cum-home minister Samrat Choudhary claimed in the assembly on Friday that the state has become Maoist-free. He also announced that over 60,000 security personnel, including police, Special Auxiliary Force (SAF) jawans and home guards, would be recruited in the 2026-27 fiscal to strengthen policing.Choudhary said 143 Maoists carrying rewards on their heads have been arrested. The police have also seized 2,727 cartridges, 174 detonators and 127 improvised explosive devices from them.To enhance policing, the govt has decided to recruit 31,000 police personnel, 17,000 SAF jawans and 13,500 home guards.He added that until now, SAF jawans were stationed only at the state headquarters, but they would now be deployed in districts as well. A relaxation in recruitment norms for Agniveers is also being considered.Choudhary was replying to the House debate on the budgetary demand of the home department amounting to Rs20,132.86 crore for 2026-27, against which a cut motion had been moved by BSP MLA Satish Yadav. The House passed the budget by voice vote, while opposition members staged a walkout.Referring to jail reforms, he said a high-security jail would be constructed in a mountainous area within the state, with complete restrictions on cellphone access. Regular raids are being conducted in prisons across the state, and all activities inside jails, including meetings with visitors (mulakatis), will be monitored through CCTV cameras.On the lines of the Centre’s CISF, two battalions of the Bihar Industrial Security Force (BISF) will be set up to provide security to metro rail projects in Patna and other cities, industrial areas and proposed airports. BISF-3 will be established in Nawada and BISF-4 in Motihari or Bettiah, for which land acquisition has begun.An off-campus of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) and a Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) will also be built in Punpun block of Patna district. The process to acquire 50 acres of land has already begun.Choudhary further said ‘Police Didis’, equipped with 1,500 scooters and 2,500 motorcycles, will be deployed across districts to enhance security around schools.Jeevika Didis have started operating a canteen at the Patna police line, and the initiative will be expanded to all 40 police lines in the state. Additionally, a school will be opened at every police line for the education of children of police personnel.