Centre asks Modi to find how situation slipped out of hand

New Delhi, May 3 (UNI) With violence and arson continuing in Vadodara on the third day, the Centre today asked the BJP government in Gujarat to conduct a comprehensive inquiry to ascertain how the situation slipped out of control in the wake of the demolition of a century-old "dargah" by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation on Monday.

''The state government has to do it and we will see that it is done....this kind of situation can otherwise remain uncontrolled,'' Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said here today.

''The Gujarat government is requested to control it. We will also see to it that it is controlled. If we don't do it, we will be at fault,'' Mr Patil said, while offering all required assistance to the Narendra Modi government to restore peace in the troubled areas where the violence has so far claimed nearly six lives.

A Home ministry spokesman said the ministry had asked the state authorities to probe whether the district administration had acted appropriately to tackle the escalating violence.

The Home Minister said Vadodara incidents should not be taken lightly. At the same time there was no need to get scared. However, it was important that the situation should not go out of hand.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary V K Duggal told mediapersons the Centre was constantly reviewing the situation and was in touch with the state administration. ''The situation is still tense, but under control.'' He said the Home ministry had already despatched four companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and one company of CRPF. Out of this, three companies had already been deployed in sensitive areas.

Mr Duggal said more forces are being kept as stand-by.

Pointing out that the situation in Vadodara is very sensitive, he asked the media to ''stay closest to facts'' so that the situation did not escalate.

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