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There are countless such stories recorded in the politics of Bihar, which even today leave people shocked and curious. One such very interesting and unique incident is from the year 1990, when youth leader Lalu Prasad Yadav took command of Bihar at the age of just 42. He was full of energy and enthusiasm and was known for making surprise inspections and taking drastic measures to streamline the administrative system. But one day the matter was not limited to just administrative monitoring, rather the Chief Minister himself came into the role of a secret agent i.e. ‘James Bond’.
This incident happened in August 1990. Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was present at his official residence. His security guard was deployed near him. Suddenly an emergency message echoed on the security personnel’s wireless set. In the message, the control room was being informed that a girl has been kidnapped in a white colored Maruti car in the Station Road area of Patna and the car is running away at a high speed.
Usually, in such a situation, the Chief Minister issues immediate instructions to the police department, DGP or concerned senior officials. However, that day Lalu Yadav did something which no one had expected. As soon as he heard the emergency call on the wireless, Lalu Yadav decided that he would personally go to the spot, take charge of the situation and save the girl.
Without wasting a moment he ordered his driver to immediately take out the vehicle. But at the same time he gave such an instruction which gave this entire incident the form of a filmy espionage thriller. Lalu Yadav clearly said that the red lights and sirens installed on VIP vehicles should be switched off. Besides, instructions were given to keep the hoppers of escort and pilot vehicles completely silent. He did not want the noise to alert suspicious car drivers or criminals.
The Chief Minister’s car started running on the busy roads of Patna without any security frills and without sounding the siren. The driver was asked to take the vehicle in the same direction from where the location tracking reports were coming. The Chief Minister himself was sitting on the next seat and keeping a sharp eye all around.
There was a lot of activity around Patna Station Road. At some distance, the Chief Minister’s driver saw a white Maruti car on the road. Lalu Yadav immediately signaled the driver to stop the car by overtaking it in such a manner that the person in front does not get a chance to recover. The driver cut the car in film style and parked it right in front of that Maruti.
The people traveling in the Maruti car got scared due to the sudden stop of the car. Although the siren and red light of the car were off, a person came out of the Maruti after seeing the structure of the VIP car. As soon as Lalu Yadav lowered the glass, he was surprised. The person coming out of the car turned out to be not a criminal, but a local leader of his own party ‘Janata Dal’.
When that leader suddenly saw the Chief Minister in front of him, he got scared. Lalu Yadav realized that this was not that suspicious vehicle. While talking to Netaji briefly, he said that he will meet later, work is important now. After this he again asked the driver to move the car because the kidnapped girl had not been found yet.
Lalu Yadav’s car once again started speeding on the streets and main roads of Patna. After going some distance, the security team saw another white colored Maruti car in suspicious condition. That too was immediately stopped by siege. But when it was examined, it turned out to be a well-known lawyer.
For a long time, the Chief Minister’s car kept roaming on various roads of Patna city without any siren or hooter. However, despite intensive search and reconnaissance that day, the kidnapped girl was not found at the spot due to lack of coordination between the police control room and ground information.
But this entire incident gave a big practical lesson of ground reality to Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. He himself experienced how the police work in emergency situations, what are the loopholes in the information system and how criminals manage to fool the police and security agencies. This unique ‘James Bond’ style rescue operation is still discussed with great interest in the political streets of Bihar.