Tribal’s house `set ablaze’ in the Dangs district

Padvi told Express Newsline that when he suggested the fire was deliberate, the villagers picked a quarrel with him saying he was trying to exploit the situation by giving it a communal colour. He alleged he was even beaten up by three villagers.

General secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Dangs unit Dashrath Pawar accuses Padvi of fomenting trouble where there was none. Instead of thanking villagers for extinguishing the fire, Pawar says Padvi openly accused some of them of indulging in arson.

District Superintendent of Police Manoj Sasidhar says a short circuit was to blame. According to him, even the Gujarat Electricity Board which supplies power to the village has certified that it’s a case of short circuit. The GEB officials were specifically called given the sensitive nature of the case, Sasidhar states, ruling out the arson angle. “Also, it’s not in keeping with the pattern of attacks on prayer halls. No house of any individual has been set ablaze before”, he points out.

CNI superintendent Rev T V Gaikwad is not impressed. “What about the kerosene traces?” he asks, accusing the police of trying to hush up the case and fob it off as another case of fire.

Though Padvi tried to lodge a complaint, the police did not register any FIR. A sub inspector on learning of the incident immediately rushed to the village to collect details. “If he had not gone there immediately, the picture would have been different,” the DSP claims.

Though there is no eyewitness to the incident, Padvi claims one can still smell kerosene. Incidentally, he had to be hospitalised last year after being beaten up by three persons to whom he owed money. Padvi alleges that he has been harassed by other villagers ever since he started refusing to contribute to the fund collected by villagers before festivals. Padvi alleges that after putting out the fire, the Police Patel told the villagers that “henceforth no one should put out such fires.” Gaikwad says he will demand compensation for the victim. The DSP says the State Government will anyway pay compensation as the fire was caused accidentally.