Keep vigil to allay violence, PC tells CMs

Home minister P Chidambaram has voiced concern over incidents of communal violence in several parts of the country that killed nearly 30 people in less than three months. In a letter to chief ministers, Chidambaram asked them to comprehensively review the situation in their states and identify the towns, wards or neighbourhoods that are communally-sensitive. Police and administrative officials should be instructed to maintain vigil, he said. HT reports.

Home minister P Chidambaram has voiced concern over incidents of communal violence in several parts of the country that killed nearly 30 people in less than three months. In a letter to chief ministers, Chidambaram asked them to comprehensively review the situation in their states and identify the towns, wards or neighbourhoods that are communally-sensitive. Police and administrative officials should be instructed to maintain vigil, he said.

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The home minister pointed that an analysis revealed that violence usually started with trivial issues. In some cases, it appears that the incident was deliberately provoked, he said.

On an average, 115 people lost their lives in communal violence in 2009 and 2010. But 129 communal incidents over the last 70 days has already claimed 31 lives. "A strict watch should be kept over elements that are likely to provoke discord among different communities," he wrote.