2 min readJul 13, 2026 06:40 AM IST First published on: Jul 13, 2026 at 06:40 AM ISTAt least 20 persons were burnt alive, and three women were killed in Gujarat as the four-day-old violence in Ahmedabad spread to Baroda, Broach, Bhavnagar, and the Jain pilgrim town of Palitana and other places on Gujarat Bandh day in response to a call given by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and several other organisations. The death toll has now risen to 48. The Gujarat government alerted the army to stand by.Building communal trustThe Union Government does not consider it possible or necessary to formulate any policy to intervene in or prevent conflicts between religious communities over the identity of holy places. The government feels that such issues are best left to the tradition of religious tolerance in society and the laws of the land. The Union Home Ministry, in a note on the subject, says that conflicts between various religious groups over the identity of places of worship are a product of historical circumstances.TULF delegation in Sri LankaAdvertisementThe five-member Tamil United Front politburo that arrived in Colombo from Madras had meetings with Indian High Commissioner, J N Dixit, and exchanged ideas on the current situation in the country, according to informed sources. They also had meetings with members of their party from the northern and eastern provinces and are expected to engage in direct discussions with the Sri Lanka government on the proposals for the devolution of power through provincial councils.Jnanpith for Pannalal PatelVeteran Gujarati writer Pannalal Patel has been awarded the 21st Jnanpith Award for 1985 in recognition of his remarkable contribution to Indian literature. The award, which carries Rs 1.50 lakh in cash and a citation, was announced soon after the selection board met under the chairmanship of P V Narasimha Rao.