The battlelines in Gujarat are drawn. While the ruling BJP is banking on the state’s economic development, the Opposition is accusing the state of a total law and order collapse. So, how secure does the common man feel in Gujarat?

The Indian Express-CNN-IBN- Divya Bhaskar-CSDS survey shows about 34 per cent of the state’s population feels that security of common people in the state has improved in the last five years while almost an equal number feels it has remained the same. About 10 per cent had no opinion on the issue. However, a substantial 20 per cent feel that security of the common man has worsened.

Like other issues in Gujarat, how safe one feels is also a question of what religion one belongs to. About 42 per cent of Muslims feel that security conditions have deteriorated, a sentiment echoed by 31 per cent of the Dalit population. About 39 per cent of Hindus feel that security has improved over the last five years in Gujarat as against 20 per cent who feel it has worsened.

The issue is more polarised in urban Gujarat. Hindus in urban Gujarat think that security of people like them has improved as compared to their rural counterparts while the Muslims in urban Gujarat feel highly insecure. About 47 per cent of Muslims living in urban areas feel that security in the state has worsened. The opinion gap between urban Hindus and urban Muslims is very high.

The gender divide isn’t too deep here but Muslim men seem to feel more insecure as compared to Muslim women. About 37 per cent of Muslim women are not happy with the security in the state as compared to 46 per cent of Muslim men.

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