JOIN US'Don't create panic with good intentions'
Northeast student unions have asked the Delhi Police to stop creating a fear psychosis by calling up working professionals and students to tell them to not panic, after the exodus of people from Bangalore and other metros.
“Police are asking people from the seven states in the Northeast, who are staying in areas where Muslim population is high, not to venture out in evening and other such advice. They are in fact creating a fear psychosis in their effort to spread alertness,” said Lamtin Thang Haokip, member of Kuki Students’ Union.
According to students, police have been making rounds of areas where students live and even calling them up, saying not to panic.
“We keep getting calls from people working in restaurants and private companies, especially from Mahipalpur and Mehruali, that police are calling them up, asking to meet them and not to panic,” said Haokip.
‘Talk to representatives’
“Police should talk to student representatives first so that the student leaders themselves can spread such messages in their own way within the community. No policemen have tried to contact any of us for direct talks,” added Haokip.
According to student union members, sharing through SMSes and social networking sites about any kind of rumour related to the incidents in Bangalore and Pune against the riots in Assam is not encouraged.
“We are concerned about what people are going through in Bangalore and other places, where reports of riot-like incidents had come. We show our solidarity,” said another student member.
“But in Delhi, it is only rumours that are creating a sense of fear and that need to be stopped,” said the member, adding that student union members had a meeting recently in the city to unanimously discourage any rumour related to incidents in Bangalore and Pune.
According to them, a few calls were received regarding the ongoing rumours in the city.
“We are not discussing about the incidents, thinking what if it happened here also. We are discussing about it to find out if can we help. I have at least not got any information about the SMSes that are allegedly doing the rounds,” said Haokip.
After the Assam riots, several cities across the country have witnessed exodus of people from the Northeast to their home states. Delhi has remained insulated from any incident, and the situation has been diffused elsewhere too.