Threats forced him to go into hiding

Were they merely rumours? One man’s tale in Neelasandra might give credence to the potential danger North-Eastern people in Bangalore might be up against.

Dilip (named changed), a native of Nagaland recounted why North-East people in the City might be fleeing so quickly.

He said he has lived in Neelasandra for the past five years and had never felt insecure about the place or its people.

But he reluctantly had to shift to an undisclosed location in Bangalore after being threatened repeatedly in recent weeks, he said.

On Sunday at the Military gate in Neelasandra, Dilip was heading home after work. “An autorickshaw driver wearing a white cap stopped me and asked me to leave Bangalore as soon as possible. I was told that people from the North-East would face consequences like that in Assam,” he said.

Moving out

Later that day, when he went home, Dilip heard that a student from Assam was attacked and beaten up in the neighbourhood.

The attackers had threatened the student and asked him to leave Bangalore. Later that evening, Dilip and his friends went out to drop a friend. A few men came up to them and said their heads would be chopped off if they did not leave Bangalore.

Dilip was also advised by his landlord Swami to vacate his house. Swami feared that Dilip’s presence in the house was a threat to their collective safety.

“There was a lot of tension going on in the area and we did not want any untoward incident to take place. I advised them to move away from Neelasandra,” Swami said.

What was most shocking for Dilip was when a lady sub-inspector stopped him on Neelasandra main road and advised to leave Bangalore immediately.

Still in town

Despite repeated threats and advice, Dilip has not left Bangalore, but shifted to an undisclosed location instead.

Dilip might not be the only one to go into a hiding of sorts. Welson R S from Poumai Naga Students Union, Bangalore said that they were monitoring the situation.

“There have been minor incidents of attacks by extremists here and there, although the government has assured to protect all the people of North-East. But the fear is still there.”

He said others had also gone underground like Dilip. “Many of them have vacated their houses and are living with their friends in undisclosed locations.”