Students form a ring of protection around their N-E brothers
In a show of solidarity, all student unions in Hyderabad have jointly decided to protect every student from the North East and deal firmly with any hoodlum that tries to reach them and hurls threats at the students, as they did to the civilians working in the City two days ago.
Krishank Manne, national media spokesperson at the Osmania University (OU) said, a joint meeting of all student organisations, rights activists, University officials and police is being planned today to work out a scheme to provide protection to the students from the North-East region. The move comes in the wake of some unidentified people issuing threats to some NE students in OU on Thursday.
ABVP, which led a support rally to the OU on Thursday has blamed both the City police and the government for their indifference to students from NE. ABVP leader Ramakrishna said the police and political failure to detect and deport illegal immigrants from Bangladesh is the main reason for such trouble. He said he had information that hundreds of these Bangladeshis, posing as natives of West Bengal are being protected by a party in the City, which is the reason why police are unable to act. “It is not local Muslims. It’s the Bangladeshis.”
However, the City does not seem as secure for these students. “Looking at the present situation it is best that these students leave the City. At the same time, the youth need to stand up against atrocities. At the end, we are Indians,” Lakshmi S, second year PG student.
According to the City police commissioner Anurag Sharma the trouble was being caused due to mischief mongers. The police have posted 10 pickets in the areas which have a concentration of N-E natives, he said.
Sarvey Satyanarayana, MP (Malkajgiri), said he will take up this issue with the government. Leaders of English and Foreign Languages University who have 50 students from North East pledged to protect students at all costs. “We will not allow any outsider to threaten our students, whether they are from Africa or Assam,” remarked a student leader. There are over 500 students from North East in the eight universities in the City.
Exodus continues while students are safe
Giving a lie to the police and political claims of providing security and assurances of safety, the exodus of the natives from the North-East continued on the third day today. This morning 267 NE natives had left by Howra Expresss, railway sources confirmed. They say more are coming by evening or tomorrow.
“We have no idea what security they (police) are giving,” said Debasish Dutta, who works with a retail chain in Hitec City. “We are all leaving because the police have not identified who is threatening us and why?” Another from Assam, Jatindranath, said there was a rumour that some hired killers were coming to Hyderabad to attack those who do not leave, he said. “How does the rumour spread? Some have seen hand written bills. Others got calls on the landline of the establishments where they work.” Meanwhile, the railway police turned their ire on the media that had gone to meet the people leaving at Secunderabad. They barred the media from entering the station and threatened arrest. “If you don’t leave we will arrest you,” said a sub-inspector to the Postnoon photographer Anil Kumar and some other lensmen nearby.
(Reports by Rahul Ramakrishna, Inkeshaf Ahmed, Mohd Subhan and Sudeshna Koka)
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