NGO blames govt, police for 2015 riots in Bharuch

Inaction of the state government and police on complaints against illegal shrimp ponds at Aliabet in Bharuch district led to communal riots in the area in January 2015 in which three persons were killed, an NGO said in a report today.
Kolkata-based NGO Citizens for Justice today submitted its fact-finding report to Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.
Illegal shrimp ponds in Aliabet was the prime trigger for the communal tension and riots, the report said.
The investigation was conducted by a team led by former Gujarat High Court judge Justice S D Pandit.
"Inaction on the part of government as well as police on the complaints against the illegal shrimp ponds (are the main cause). Extortion money was used to create activities disturbing the peace...Of the locality....The government was inactive and police were not impartial," the report stated.

An attempt was made to create communal tension through a WhatsApp message hurting religious sentiments of Muslims. The message had been circulated a few days before the incident, leading to a protest by the Muslim community, it said.

Following this, Hindus in the area held 'Dharm samemlan' where they blamed the police and government of "inaction" over their grievances over illegal shrimp ponds and "biased" behaviour of the police, the report said.
"The government ought to have taken a serious view regrading agitation by both the communities," the NGO said, adding that a preventive action would have avoided the riots.

Three persons -- two Hindus and a Muslim -- were killed in communal riots in Hansot tehsil on January 14, 2015.
Justice Pandit, who met the CM today, said the government was thinking of legalising the shrimp ponds and developing the island in Narmada river, where the ponds are located, as a tourist spot.
It was also thinking of producing salt on the island, he told reporters.