Date: September 30th 2005

'Riot bookies' give cops jitters, whether these gamblers will initiate riots during the coming Municipal Elections in Gujarat. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1243239.cms



From: Gaurang Desai <grd_home@yahoo.com>; Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005

'Riot bookies' give cops jitters
SOURAV MUKHERJE
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
SEPTEMBER 26, 2005
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1243239.cms

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat police are losing sleep over how to ensure a
safe civic polls — first one after the 2002 riots — scheduled
for October 13 in Ahmedabad and December 15 in other cities.

What is worrying the cops most is the recent arrest of four bookies
in Vadodara. The bookies had allegedly been taking bets on
possibility of communal violence during Ganesh idol immersion in
Vadodara.

Police believe that the bookies had 'orchestrated' rioting on
September 17 (Ganesh immersion day) to maximise their profit.

After the arrest of the gang, police fear 'riot gambling' during
the coming municipal polls in Ahmedabad.

DGP, Gujarat, AK Bhargava said: "In Vadodara four bookies had got
bold enough to trigger communal ill-will for the sake of gambling.
There may be more people involved in this racket. In the light of
these developments, precautionary measures will have to be taken."

Sources said several bookies look at religious functions and high
security events (like elections) as gambling opportunities. "The
stakes are so high that the bookies try to trigger violence to suit
their needs," said sources.

According to sources, bookies take bets on whether there would be a
communal violence, whether the situation would demand police firing
and also how many would die!

In Gujarat, bookies take bets on anything from result of a cricket
match to rise in food grain prices. The latest was 'riot gambling',
police officials said.

In Ahmedabad, the tussle on October 13 will be in 129 municipal
wards, including communally sensitive zones like Gomtipur, Kalupur,
Dariapur, Naroda and Vatva.

"In the past, too, some communal problems were 'created' by the
bookies," said a police official of Ahmedabad.

But there was no evidence to substantiate this till Vadodara police
nabbed bookie Vimal Bhatia and three others.


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