Property worth more than Rs 20 crores was reported to have been destroyed in the rampage, which was allegedly masterminded by five union leaders: Purshottam Tripathi, Gurung Master, Urmila Rana, Nandu Kariyanwala and one Raghu cha ni laari. Tripathi and Rana were arrested later in the day for their alleged role in the incident.

According to sources, the cause of today's violence was the accidental death of one Raju, a worker in Shri Krupa Industries, more than 250 m away from the KIE, late last night. The police said the owner of the unit offered to pay Rs 1.45 lakhs in compensation to his next of kin, when Tripathi intervened to say the money should be handed over to him for disbursal as the deceased was a member of his union. The unit-owner did not agree to the proposal, the police said.

Subsequently, around 8 in the morning, a 1500-strong mob allegedly all residents of a nearby slum descended on the KIE, piled up three or four vehicles at distances of about 50 feet and set them on fire. ``They were armed with cutters and petrol bottles. First they cut off all telephone wires and then set the vehicles on fire'', Karsanbhai Jeevanbhai, a worker who lost his motorcycle, told Express Newsline.

Four people, all employees of the units in the estate, were reportedly injured when they tried to resist the mob. The 350 powerloom units in the KIE also suffered minor to heavy damage. More than 60 vehicles, including jeeps, motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, were reduced to a pile of mangled iron.

While the rampage continued for almost two hours, the police put in an appearance only around 10 a.m. Workshop owners alleged that the police had ``deliberately delayed their arrival''. Complained another person, whose scooter was charred beyond recognition, ``We called up the police within minutes of their appearance, but they didn't come for almost two hours.'' Subsequently, however, all the senior officials, including Police Commissioner Maniram and Mayor Savita Sharda, visited the spot.