Gandhi's birthplace a hub of violence now

Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on October 2 that is today.
However, Porbandar the place where Mahatma Gandhi was born is now known for its crime, mafia dons and corrupt politicians.
The road to Gandhi's birthplace is overrun with unseemly sights. But the rot, residents say, runs deeper.
“Gandhiji and Kasturba's birthplace has been sold. Everyone here is behind money,” says a resident/author, Narottam Palan.
Two years ago, it was money and a bullet that killed business Bharat Modhwadiya's father just outside their home just after dinner with the enemy.
Family and business rivalry is the reasons behind many a murder in Porbandar.
And so it is ensured that that police protection and a gun is never too far away from Modhvadiya.
“You don't know when you will be attacked,” says Modhwadiya.
Organised crime has been plaguing Porbandar for over 20 years now, which is evident only in the city’s outskirts.
The crux of what has turned Mahatmaland into mafialand is the mines that are probably a 100km of coastline, which is a 100 km of natural wealth.
About 20 lakh metric tons of limestone are cut out of Porbandar each year. It is the largest depository of high-grade limestone in Asia and other minerals too.
It is this 200-crore industry that has spawned generations of mafia dons.
The original one - Sarman Munja Jadeja and his wife, the notorious Santokben Jadeja’s stories are echoed through the streets.
Today's mafia king Bhima Dula who is behind the Modhvadiya murder, and behind prison now, is as well known in Porbandar as Gandhiji used to be.
“I have a son, I have sent him to boarding school out of town, I don't want even the shadow of Porbandar to fall on him,” says Modhvadiya.
The police insist Porbandar is peaceful now, but residents say police are pawns in the hands of criminal-politicians who run the mining lobby.
At the last Assembly Elections, a quarter of the candidates had criminal records.
And amid widespread allegations of booth capturing, Bhima Dula's brother won.
He will run in the grips of water and power crisis, an ineffective police and gang wars now.
So with seeing satya and ahimsa as forgotten ideals in Porbandar, what would have Gandhi done?
“He would have gone on a fast immediately,” says Palan.