ABSTRACT
In Bihar the civil service is reasonably competent but elected governments have colluded in the privatization of violence. The paucity of human rights reporting on Bihar is not due to a lack of abuse. A change of government in Bihar in 2005 altered the caste composition of the state government and engendered a sense of hope among some, but the new government adopted many of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) strategies, and statistical evidence suggests at best modest improvements during its tenure. After influential Congress leaders associated with the independence movement passed from the scene, intra-elite competition re-emerged in Bihar. Eventually the RJD managed to form a relatively stable government, assembling strong backward caste and Muslim support under charismatic leadership of Laloo Prasad Yadav. The police and the state government have exacerbated the cycle of violence by providing support to some senas. As in many other Indian states, Bihari police often obtain jobs and promotion by paying bribes to politicians.
