The riots in Baroda, Ankleshwar and Bardoli on the day of the Ganesh festival serve as yet another reminder that in Gujarat a communal flare-up needs only a little spark.

The violence on Tuesday was also a reminder that the police force in the state has not only become politicised but also highly communalised. Otherwise, how can one explain the situation in Baroda where hooligans had a field day while the police just looked on and even aided and abetted anti-social elements? For one long hour, the police could not find the courage or the inclination to act decisively against the anti-social elements who ended up looting and burning nearly 100 shops and kiosks.

Even the Chief Minister, Mr. Chimanbhai Patel had to admit that the Police Commissioner of Baroda had erred in assessing the situation and in not taking necessary action. According to the Chief Minister, the government had received an intelligence report about the likelihood of communal trouble in Baroda, Surat and other places and senior police officers, including the Commissioner of Baroda, were alerted a full 24 hours in advance.

It is baffling why the police failed to take any precautionary measures to deal with the situation. According to reports from Baroda, only a handful of policemen, armed with lathis, were accompanying a procession of an estimated strength of nearly one lakh.

The speed with which the hooligans struck also surprised the Chief Minister. Within one hour, 6 persons were killed, more than 80 injured and shops on the entire route were either burnt or looted. This led the Chief Minister to conclude that the riots were pre-planned but he declined to name the people behind them.

Many observers are also surprised by the timing of the riots, which broke out simultaneously in four towns. Some believe it was a strategy to destabilise the Chief Minister, who is emerging stronger with each passing day. Significantly, soon after he assumed office in Gandhinagar, a chain of riots broke out in Gujarat. Leaders in the Janata Dal felt it was an attempt to malign the Chief Minister.

Even then, the Chief Minister had broadly hinted that certain communal forces, having political designs, were behind the riots. The recent riots are considered to be a trial run for the eventual showdown between communal elements and the Chief Minister, probably in October.

On several occasions, the Chief Minister has made it clear that he is fully prepared to meet the challenge on the law and order front. He told newsmen recently that he had issued strict instructions to the police to act firmly without succumbing to political pressure.

However, it is a known fact that it has been a tightrope walk for the Chief Minister from the day he assumed office and that his options are limited. Therefore, it is anybody's guess how firm the police would be in Baroda and other riot-torn towns.

Moreover, the police force itself is divided.

Another factor that has totally demoralised the police force is political interference in the posting of police personnel at all levels.

(Source: The Times of India, New Delhi, 8 September, 1990)