On 15 May 2008, Lalit Mehta, a social activist and whistle blower, was killed in Palamu district. Mehta was an activist of the Right to Food campaign and the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. He was also the secretary of the Vikas Sahyog Kendra (VSK), a non-governmental organization based in Palamu, which is involved in the social audit of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in the district and seeks a better and more transparent implementation of this prestigious programme. His killing is a grim reminder for people in Bihar and Jharkhand of the multiple threats to whistle blowers. The reason is simple. There is an entrenched system of corrupt practices in both the states. The young and dynamic engineer, Satyendra Dubey, was murdered on 29 November 2003, when he complained against the corruption in the execution of the Prime Minister's Golden Quadrilateral road project in Bihar. He wrote to the Chairman of the Quadrilateral Prime Minister Road Project, complaining that his identity had been leaked to the authorities involved. After a few days, Satyendra Dubey was found dead, with bullet injuries. Chandrasekhar, a brilliant young person from Bihar and a research student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, was killed for raising an accusing finger at the powerful in Siwan.

What is the root cause of these tragedies? Why are "they" scared of whistle blowers? The prospect of an uprising by the exploited, drives vested interests to extreme lengths. They band together to eliminate the whistle blower. It is not difficult to identify these people. In the case of Lalit Mehta, the state police brushed off his death as having resulted from an attempted robbery. In many other cases, the casual approach of the state administration has proved that an 'Iron Curtain of Mafia Raj' is active in the state. There are many stakeholders in this mafia raj. It is difficult to say whether corruption breeds Naxalism or Naxalism breeds corruption in both these states. Politicians, criminals, bureaucrats, and Naxal leaders have formed a cohesive group, where officials embezzle funds at the block level and share the booty with the Naxal leaders, fearing for their lives. Any scam money is proportionally distributed amongst them. When the whistle blows, all the limbs of the mafia raj get together to silence the blower.

How did Bihar become a mafia state? It was regarded as one of the best administered states by the renowned scholar, Paul Appleby. Krishna Sinha was the state's first Chief Minister, and L. P. Singh, the Chief Secretary. They had a vision for the future, a passion for hard work, a mission for public welfare and a habit of impartiality and fair play. However, under pressure from landlords in the ruling party, nothing much was done to implement land reforms. The year 1967 was significant in the political history of Bihar. It saw the coming into power of non-Congress governments, ending the long-held Congress monopoly. Instead of improving the quality of educational institutions in the public sector, many were privatized. Several politicians set up schools and colleges, often in their own names. The quality of teaching quickly deteriorated and mass copying became the order of the day. In brief, the educational system was steeped in corruption. Further, along with the 'criminalization of politics,' 'politicization of crime' also took place on a large scale.

After the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution in 1992, the states were obliged to hold panchayat elections. Yet, these elections were not held until 2001. When they were finally held, many with criminal records were elected. Regular meetings of the panchayat were not held, fake signatures were placed on official papers, and schemes were selected at the whims of these elements. Many roads and drains were built only on paper. It would not be wrong to conclude that the panchayat system in Bihar is dysfunctional. Actually, it has led to the emergence of 'neo-feudalism' at the village, block, and district levels. Kidnappings and abductions have flourished, becoming an industry. The deep sense of insecurity has prompted many industrialists/traders and professionals (doctors, engineers) to flee the State. Similarly, cases of murder, loot and rape have increased since the culprits are rarely punished.

The Planning Commission recently observed that "Bihar is not making the desired development because of prevalent corruption among bureaucracy and lower echelons of the government in connivance with the public representatives' right from the panchayat level to the top. Important poverty alleviation programmes like Jawahar Rojgar Yojana, Indira Awas Yojana, and Training of Rural Youth for Self-employment are not being properly implemented in rural areas." To conclude, Bihar has been ill-governed for the last three decades. The present state government is trying hard to bring the system back on track, but three decades of neglect will take time to reverse.