For the last decade or so, this town has become a virtual potboiler and the law-and-order situation has gone from bad to worse recently.
The failure of administration to control the riot doesn't come as a surprise striking because it seems to have become the norm in Dhar, which was once the capital of Sultans of Malwa.
The Saffron groups have done their best to turn this peaceful place into the Ayodhya of Madhya Pradesh. After Jhabua, Dhar is another laboratory for the right-wing groups. The fact that Malwa has considerable Muslim population, minor incidents often get communal turn.
Among the sensitive districts of the state are Indore, Shajapur, Burhanpur, Dhar, Ratlam, Neemuch, Shajapur, Dewas, Mandsore and Rajgarh--almost all are in Malwa region. All these districts have more percentage of Muslims that the statewide population percent of Muslims which is just 6.5%.
More importantly there are towns in Malwa that have a large concentration of Muslims. Sarangpur, Shujalpur, Sarangarh, Mahidpur and Mhow to name just a few. Over the years, the shadowy right-wing groups have gained from strength to strength in this region.
The proximity to Gujarat and the large trader community here are other aspects and causes that lead to growing communalism. Unfortunately the police has not been fair and this has increased the mistrust among Muslims regarding the administration.
In Malwa region, there were several princely states in the past. The Maratha ruled Holkar State, Muslim-ruled Jaora State, Dewas Junior and Dewas Senior states were part of it. The Gwalior state also extended up to this region, earlier. Khandwa, Khargone and Burhanpur are also districts that are close to Indore [Malwa] and almost considered part of region, now.
