The one-member Justice (Retd.) B J Shethna Committee appointed to study ghettoisation on religious lines in the state visited Vadodara on Tuesday.

Justice Shethna heads the Commission of Inquiry appointed by the state to inquire into the polarisation on religious lines in the state. This was his first visit to the city after the committee was formed.

He visited certain localities in the city like Raja Rani talav, Bavamanpura, Sulaimani chawl among other places.

District Collector Vijay Nehra said: “He was here to study on the polarisation on religious lines in the city. He will be visiting various places both in the urban and rural areas where incidents of polarisation have been reported in the past.”

The reports submitted by the Committee will lead to an inquiry on the ghettoisation and polarisation of the population on religious lines in the state.

The visit, however, left the local residents confused and baffled.

Yusuf Sheikh, a resident of Panigate and president of the All India Quami Mahaz, said: “We had received a phone call from the Panigate police that a senior official will be visiting some localities. He had asked us to inform the residents to be prepared for the visit. We were completely clueless who the official was and for

what reason was he visiting the place.”

He added: “But even before the locals could assemble, a fleet of cars took a round of the locality and left. Residents present there were not even allowed to talk to the official. We will meet the district collector over this issue on Wednesday. The locals should at least have proper and timely information before such official visits are scheduled.”