Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has asked all Chief Ministers to maintain a tight vigil and deal with elements who provoke discord suitably. In a letter sent to the Chief Ministers,the Home Minister has pointed out that,Since the period from now until the end of January 2012 is marked by a number of religious occasions as well as commemorative dates and public holidays,it is important that state governments maintain high degree of vigil so that there are no communal incidents, he said. Asking the Chief Ministers to review the situation in their respective states and identify the towns or wards or neighbourhoods which are communally sensitive and instruct police and other officials to maintain constant vigil in such areas,Chidambaram also asked the states to be particularly careful and watch those elements that are likely to provoke discord among different communities and trigger communal incidents and ensure that such elements are identified and dealt with suitably. The Home Ministers letter comes in the backdrop of communal violence in Rajasthans Bharatpur and Uttarakhands Rudrapur. According to Home Ministry statistics,53 people were killed and 1,059 injured in 338 incidents of communal violence this year till August. Of these incidents,10 people were killed on September 14 in Bharatpur district,while four persons lost their lives in Rudrapur town on October 2.
