The police are on their toes in the tribal-dominated districts of central Gujarat because the rain-bearing clouds are keeping away. A spurt in criminal activity with farmlands going dry has forced villagers to form groups for keeping night vigil to keep thieves at bay. Fear has particularly heightened after three suspects were lynched at Kadwal village of Pavi Jetpur taluka in Vadodara district recently.

The police have now distributed pamphlets asking villagers to exercise restraint, gave cellphone numbers of top police officers, and stepped up night patrolling in the tribal areas of Vadodara and Narmada.

Police and villagers alike maintain that with the threat of drought looming large, unemployed villagers have taken to stealing. The police have asked the locals not to panic and inform them about any outsider entering the village. Over 200 villages in Narmada district have stepped up night vigil after all their crops failed. Even as no FIR has been lodged in Narmada district, a fear psychosis has developed among the tribals. Villagers are on guard in their respective villages with spears and axes to protect jewellery and grains from being looted, say the police.

Kevadia Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Kanti Patel said: “All this started from Kadwal. From there, it reached Bodeli, Tilakwada and other rural areas of Narmada district. So, we have circulated a public notice.”

Narmada Superintendent of Police Khurshid Ahmed said: “Police patrolling, especially at night, has increased. There are complaints, but no FIR has been lodged as of now. We have also distributed pamphlets to promote awareness, even among the BPL farmers.” In Dahod, however, where five to six incidents of loot occur every week, the police are yet to issue any such notice. But villagers themselves keep vigil in the interior areas.

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