Still recovering from the riots, fear gripped Ahmedabad again as news of the attack on the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar filtered in. While shopkeepers downed their shutters, office-goers rushed home. What made matters worse was the rumour mills that started working overtime.In between grabbing soundbites on TV, people discussed the fall-out of the attack. Security stepped up at temples AHMEDABAD: Security in several parts of Central Gujarat, including Vadodara, Bharuch and the Panchmahals, has been stepped up. It has also been strengthened around Swaminarayan temples in the state. Entry points to Vadodara have been sealed. (ENS) At Naroda-Patiya, which witnessed large-scale riots, the mood was tense, but no incident was reported. Most shops in the area closed down, but traffic continued on the road passing through the area. Two police jeeps were stationed outside Naroda-Patiya, while dozens of policemen were seen along the road which connects Naroda-Patiya to Kalupur.The police, on its part, stepped up security. The department simultaneously launched a massive vehicle-checking drive. In sensitive areas like Dariapur, Shahpur, Rakhial, Gomtipur, Naroda, Bapunagar, Vejalpur and Danilimda, police stopped all vehicles and checked them thoroughly before allowing them to go.On the Dariapur Road, police were seen stopping each and every four-wheeler. ‘‘The checking has been intensified. This will continue all night,’’ said a constable, while checking a car at Prem Darwaja. ‘‘Within minutes of the news, all shopkeepers began to close their shutters,’’ said Manish Damor, a paan shop owner in the Kalupur fruit market. ‘‘We just hope matters do not worsen again. People here have gone through the worst time of their lives during the riots,’’ said Ayub Shaikh.At Tambu Chowky area of Dariapur, one of the most communally sensitive spots of the city, dozens of policemen took up positions. Police were seen asking residents not to walk around in groups and preferably stay indoors.
