The decision, which comes after deterioration in the law and order situation in recent months, is ostensibly meant to strengthen the police force. But opponents of the Government see a design to pack the police with ``saffron elements''. Former chief minister and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Amarsinh Chaudhary said he was writing to Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel to seek reversal of the decision. ``The government hasn't considered the consequences of its action'', Chaudhary said, adding that already the VHP and the Bajrang Dal were suppressing the minorities and the downtrodden.

According to a Cabinet decision taken on August 12, as many as 1,787 posts of constables and 650 posts of sub-inspectors are to be filled ``within 10 days''. First-grade head constables would be elevated to the post of assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) and given charge of sub-inspectors (PSIs) in vacant positions.

This will take care of about half the vacancies of sub-inspectors. The other half will be filled by direct recruitment. Of the constables, 1,300 will be appointed from a waiting list. The Government has not clarified how the remaining posts of constables will be filled. BJP leaders defend the move, saying that the police department is short of manpower and the selection process of Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) is very slow. In the past 10 years, GPSC held only one recruitment, said a BJP leader, and remarked, ``The police is not on the commission's priority list''.

But Opposition leaders say GPSC could always be asked to expedite the selection process according to the Government's requirement. ``There is no reason why the recruitment should be done by any agency other than GPSC,'', asserted Chaudhary.

He recalled that during the chief ministership of Madhavsinh Solanki, the government had once decided to fill police vacancies through direct recruitment, but revoked the decision when it realised that the move would encourage corruption.

But the BJP Government is going ahead with the process of recruitment and the Chief Minister is monitoring it. A departmental recruitment board had been constituted which would initially promote first-grade head constables, having five years' experience, to the post of ASI and they would be given the powers of sub-inspectors. Half the vacancies of SIs would be filled directly, for which the minimum qualification is matriculation.

Director general of Police (DGP) C P Singh, explaining the rationale of filing the posts by promotion, said the idea was to get young and experienced men. Such policeman would be better equipped to investigate cases than new entrants, he said. Normally, a head constable becomes SI after he attains the age of 50 years.

But official sources said that it might not be possible to fill all the vacancies within 10 days, notwithstanding the government's keenness. The number of vacancies is large, and litigation is on in many cases.