A senior CMO officer told The Indian Express that the government had taken a serious view of the incident and that Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel was likely to discuss the issue with office-bearers of the IAS Association shortly.

The IAS Association has passed a resolution at its executive committee meeting on December 21, condemning the incident and urging the Chief Minister to warn those who indulged in it. The resolution also said that ``considering their (the VHP workers') affiliation, apparently, the police did not act.''

At the association's meeting, where the municipal commissioner submitted adetailed account of the incident, its members felt that it was not merely an isolated issue or threat of intimidation by a certain section of the political spectrum to get their work done against prescribed rules and procedures. Recently, the Palanpur district development officer was also threatened by a minister, they said.

The resolution said heads of institutions being threatened in this fashion, as happened in the AMC case, would not only affect the morale of the officers, but also seriously impair the capacity of subordinate officers and employees to work efficiently and fearlessly. This will disrupt the administrative system, it added.

The members also took serious note of the mayor not condemning ``such hooliganism at public premises'', saying IAS officers, whether discharging executive duties or providing inputs for policy-making at the Secretariat, can carry out their duties only if they have the freedom to express their views fearlessly.