The violence that took place at Lalbaug on Sunday night could have escalated to something more had the Mumbai Police not intervened strongly and put paid to any escalation. It threatened to turn into a major communal clash, ironically on the day when the Muslim community was celebrating the birthday of Prophet Mohammed.

It was an excellent move on the part of Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria to land up at the troubled spot in less than an hour of the escalation. He, along with his colleagues, was able to manage and control the situation in quick time.