Other States - Rajasthan   

Minister's visit fuelled unrest: Gehlot

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, AUG. 10 .The former Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, has expressed concern over the sense of insecurity among the minorities in Udaipur district's Sarada town after the recent clashes between tribals and the minorities. There were visible signs of disquiet among the public, which got only aggravated with the visit of the Rajasthan Home Minister, Gulab Chand Kataria, Mr.Gehlot said.

Mr.Gehlot told The Hindu , after a visit to Sarada this weekend, that the partisan behaviour of Mr.Kataria during his trip to the affected areas had led to the local minority population leaving their home and hearth for fear of their safety.

"Mr. Kataria's visit failed to instil any confidence among the local people. In fact it proved counter-productive,'' he pointed out.

Mr.Gehlot expressed his dismay over the way the vested interests could transform a quarrel between two individuals of poor reputation belonging to two different communities into a strife between tribals and Muslims. "One has reasons to fear that the Gujarat pattern is being attempted in these parts of Rajasthan which is adjoining that State,'' he observed.

"It is still a mystery who had set fire to a shop initially triggering off the incidents. It is also not clear who beat the drums to collect the crowd of Adivasis who proceeded to attack the minority localities in Sarada town,'' Mr.Gehlot pointed out.

Only timely action by the police which opened fire to disperse the frenzied mobs saved many lives on July 27, he said.

However the decision to transfer the Superintendent of Police in the wake of firing not only led to the demoralization of the administration but also deprived the minorities of their confidence in the system, Mr.Gehlot said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• Minister's visit fuelled unrest: Gehlot
• Muslim forum sees Gujarat pattern

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu