On Monday morning, the removal of an old dargah by municipal authorities in Vadodara was apparently a simple civic demolition exercise. The ensuing communal violence, which left four dead and triggered national politicking, exposed Gujarat as a place where perceptions of divisiveness run deep — Us versus Them, Hindus vs Muslims, BJP vs Congress, partisan police and pliant administration.

Ironically it was on Gujarat Day, i.e. May 1, that the state was hijacked by sensitivities that refuse to evolve. In this instance a part of the Muslim leadership remained entrenched in its pain, refusing to move towards creative solutions.

Vadodara’s violent story of Muslim anguish over the dargah demolition is tailor-made to suit BJP rhetoric. Both the local authorities and the BJP-dominated municipal board had ample reason over the past couple of weeks to showcase a peaceful civic demolition drive which saw, for the first time ever, voluntary removal of small temples — even if they were of recent vintage.

It then sought to perform a balancing act with the removal of a prominent Muslim structure in a sensitive part of the city. Though old, it lacked historic credentials but was wrapped in a besieged community’s emotions.

Even before the demolition of the dargah, the Muslims who resisted and petitioned against its removal knew, as did everyone else in the city, that there would be trouble. They knew by experience, as the dargah had been the centre of communal attacks in the past too, that there would be violent resistance by local Muslims, followed by the partisan or inadequate police action. A few of the Muslim leaders honed on the 2002 riots experience, however, failed to anticipate and evolve a response that could have avoided violence or the contentious build-up to the situation. The leadership also seems to be unable to contain its restive youth, who are itching for retaliatory violence.

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