The special Bench comprising the Commission's vice-chairman, Bava Singh, and James Messey will first meet the Chief Secretary, the DGP and other senior government officials at the Gandhinagar Circuit House at 11 a.m., tomorrow and later in the day they will receive representations from leaders of different communities regarding the violent incidents.

Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya told mediapersons today that the Chief Secretary, the DGP and other officials would apprise the Bench members of the circumstances that led to the violent incidents in the Dangs and elsewhere in South Gujarat and the measures being taken by the government in the aftermath of the incidents.

Responding to a query, Pandya said though the NCM had directed the government toask the district collectors of the Dangs and Surat to remain present at the meeting with the bench members, only residence district collectors (RDCs) would attend the meeting, along with other senior officials, as the representatives of the two district collectors. He did not give reasons for this.

Later, a senior officer told The Indian Express that only two representatives from each of the organisations of different communities, mainly the Christian and Hindu, would be allowed to make representation before the special bench so as to avoid rush at the venue of the hearing.

After receiving representations from both the government and leaders of different communities, the bench members will return to Delhi on Thursday morning. The government may request the bench to give it at least 10 days' time to submit a detailed report to the latter. After receiving this report and the representations from leaders of different communities, the bench members are expected to submit their final report to the NCMsometime in the third week of this month, the officer said.

When asked, the officer conceded that the Commission's decision to dispatch its special bench, instead of a fact-finding team, to Gujarat was something ``unprecedented in the history of the NCM''. Chief Secretary L N S Mukundan was closeted with ACS, Home, V V Ramsubbarao and DGP C P Singh in his chamber at the Sachivalaya this evening to discuss preparations for tomorrow's meeting with the bench members.

Meanwhile, Father S Fernandes told The Indian Express that leaders of the various Christian organisations from the State would make representations before the Commission's special bench tomorrow. ``We will reiterate our demands, before the bench, including full protection to the lives and properties of Christians, payment of adequate compensation for the damages caused to the missionaries' properties during the violence in the Dangs and elsewhere in South Gujarat and punishment to the guilty involved in it,'' he said.