Cops try to stem exodus to Assam

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The police rushed to assure Assamese residents and other people from the Northeast that they were safe, even as people continued to return to their homes fearing attacks. The police has tightened security in areas with large populations of people from the Northeast. It has also set up helplines for people to contact in an emergency. The numbers are: Cyberabad: 9490617100; 9490617370; Hyderabad: 040-27852333; 040-23261166. However, trains heading towards the Northeast were running full on Thursday.

Commissioners D. Thirumal Rao of Cyberabad and Anurag Sharma of Hyderabad denied rumours of any violence against the Assamese in the city. In Bengaluru and Pune as well, people flocked to the railway stations to catch trains to their hometowns. In New Delhi, the home ministry asked Karnataka, Maharashtra and AP to reach out to people from Northeast.

Not one single incident of violence in city: Cops

The home ministry directed monitoring of social networking sites to find out the origin of SMSes that were spreading rumours to generate panic. In an advisory, the MHA asked the states to reach out to the leaders of the Northeast communities to sensitise them about the steps taken by the authorities to provide them full security. In Hyderabad, police pickets have been posted in Anjaiah Nagar and Siddiq Nagar where most of the Assamese live, under the Cyberabad police limits, and around 30 AP special police personnel have been deployed in the areas. “Police has intensified patrolling in Raidurg and Madhapur areas and all other security measures have been taken to dispel fear among the people,” Cyberabad police commissioner D. Thirumal Rao said.

Hyderabad police commissioner Anurag Sharma said if anyone felt threatened they should immediately approach the police. He said the police was monitoring the situation and no violence had taken place in the city. Madhapur DCP T. Yoganand said the deployment of police in these areas was to create a sense of confidence among the Assamese living there. “It’s not that we are foreseeing any violence, we have intensified security to build confidence among the people,” he said.

“Not a single violent incident against Northea-stern people has been reported so far. Most of the Assamese left as their families asked them to come home,” he said. Mr Sharma denied media reports of mass exodus of Assamese from the city. “Reports which indicated that around 3,000 from the northeast had left for their home towns fearing communal violence is not true. Only a few under the Hyderabad commissionerate limits have left out of anxiety. To my knowledge, the number of those who left is not massive,” he said.