All quiet in Bengaluru as India talks to Pak
20 Aug 2012 8:24 AM IST
India took up the issue of social media sites' misuse by Pakistan-based elements in whipping up communal sentiments in the country with Pakistan, even as the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi sought action against those behind the Assam violence and subsequent mistreatment of people from the Northeast.
Meanwhile, no further incident was reported from Bengaluru, where security was tightened ahead of Eid on Monday, while the Karnataka government appealed to all those people from the Northeast who had fled following threats or rumoured threats to return, assuring them of all security.
According to home ministry officials, the home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik that elements based in Pakistan used such sites to circulate false pictures and stories to whip communal sentiments in India.
Malik said that he had asked India to provide evidence that elements in Pakistan are using social media networking sites to whip up communal sentiments. 'The Indian home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has said that rumours were generated from Pakistan through cellular services,' he told reporters during an interaction about his phone conversation with Shinde.
Thousands of students from the Northeast fled Bengaluru and Chennai after hate messages were spread through mobile phones and on Facebook in the past two days promising retaliation for the ethnic violence in the Northeastern state of Assam last month.
Expressing 'deep pain' at the ethnic violence in Assam, Gandhi condemned the subsequent mistreatment faced by the people from the Northeast in some states and called for strict action against the guilty.
Speaking at the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna Award ceremony in New Delhi, she said that the present conditions prevailing in the country were linked to its unity and amity. 'Whatever happened in Assam, it is very painful and a matter of concern. Those responsible for the incidents, whoever they may be, should face legal action soon,' she said.
Gandhi also expressed concern over people from Northeast leaving Bengaluru and other cities in large numbers due to rumours about their safety. 'The kind of treatment innocent people from Northeast are facing, all of us should condemn it strongly and the centre and state governments should deal strictly with those trying to disrupt social harmony,' she said.
In Bengaluru, the Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar asserted the situation was now normal. 'The situation in Bangalore is under control with no untoward incident during the last two days. Security has been tightened across the city to ensure a peaceful Eid celebration Monday,' he said.
The deputy chief minister R Ashoka, who holds the home portfolio, reviewed the law and order situation and deployment of additional forces in Bengaluru and other cities across the state with top police and government officials.
TWO DIE AS 9 NE TRAVELLERS THROWN OFF TRAIN
Two passengers of a Guwahati-bound special train carrying Northeastern people fleeing Bengaluru were killed and seven others injured on Sunday after they were beaten up and pushed out by unidentified persons.
The police and railway authorities remained tightlipped on the identity of the attacked passengers, who hailed from Assam.
Special trains were operated by the railways from Bengaluru to ferry passengers fleeing the city over fears of attacks on them sparked by rumours in the wake of Assam violence.
The police found two bodies and the seven injured persons near the tracks at Belakoba railway station, a few kilometres from the New Jalpaiguri station. 'The two had died on the spot. We do not know the reason behind the incident. We are investigating the matter,' the New Jalpaiguri area manager (rail) Partho Sarthi Seal said.
The railway sources quoting one of the injured passengers admitted to the district hospital said that their belongings were looted and they were beaten up severely before being thrown out of the train by unknown persons. The injured have been admitted to the district hospital and the North Bengal Medical College Hospital.
A large number of people blocked train movement at the New Jalpaiguri station in protest against the incident as a result of which some Assam-bound express trains and local trains were stranded.
Later in the day, the blockade was lifted. The railways announced an ex-gratia of Rs 15,000 each to the two dead passengers and ex-gratia of Rs 500 each to the seven injured.
GOGOI INSISTS ON FOREIGN HAND
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has said that a probe will be instituted to find out facts regarding alleged involvement of foreign hands in the recent Assam violence.
‘From the beginning I have stated that some foreign hands are involved. It is not merely a clash between Bodos and minorities. The Union home ministry report that Pakistani elements were involved has vindicated our stand,’ Gogoi said. ‘We will institute a probe to find out details regarding the involvement of foreign elements in the violence,’ he added.
Meanwhile, in stray incidents of violence one person was injured in Dhubri district and a few houses were torched in Chirang district on Saturday night, even as curfew was relaxed for 12 hours in Rangiya subdivision of Kamrup Rural district.
Police said a person belonging to the minority community was injured at Chilkikhata, under Bilasipara police station, late last evening after a group of miscreants attacked him with arrows. The condition of the injured is stated to be critical and he has been shifted to the Gauhati Medical College Hospital. In another incident, unidentified miscreants set ablaze three houses at Khunkrajora under Bijni police station in Chirang last night. Additional forces have been deployed in the area. The Army is also conducting flag marches at various places.
‘REHABILITATE, BUT FIRST CHECK CITIZENSHIP STATUS’
Two Bodo groups including the National Democratic Front of Bodoland’s (NDFB) pro-talk faction on Saturday demanded that the Assam government verify the citizenship status of the Bengali-speaking Muslims, displaced during last month’s clashes, before rehabilitating them.
The pro-talk faction of the NDFB, also known as NDFB (Progressive) and People’s Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement - a conglomeration of several Bodo and non-Bodo organisations in the Bodoland Territorial Areas District - also threatened to launch a vigorous movement if this is not done.
The NDFB pro-talk faction’s secretary-general Gobinda Basumatary said they would not allow even a single displaced member of the community to enter the BTAD areas until their citizenship status is verified.
The outfit also appealed the Assam government to defer the process of rehabilitation of the displaced member of the Bengali-speaking Muslim settlers till the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is updated.
A total of 77 people were killed and over four lakh people were displaced in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts after clashes broke between the Bodos and Bengali speaking Muslim settlers since July 19 this year.
An estimated 2.5 lakh displaced Muslim migrants are now taking shelter in relief camps, mostly in Dhubri district bordering Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar district.
‘Let us assert that the Bodos will not allow the migrants to enter Bodoland as long as the government doesn’t update the NRC by taking 1951 as the cut-off year and detect the foreigners,’ Basumatary said.
The NDFB is a rebel group that entered into a ceasefire with the government a few years back.
Meanwhile, no further incident was reported from Bengaluru, where security was tightened ahead of Eid on Monday, while the Karnataka government appealed to all those people from the Northeast who had fled following threats or rumoured threats to return, assuring them of all security.
According to home ministry officials, the home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik that elements based in Pakistan used such sites to circulate false pictures and stories to whip communal sentiments in India.
Malik said that he had asked India to provide evidence that elements in Pakistan are using social media networking sites to whip up communal sentiments. 'The Indian home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has said that rumours were generated from Pakistan through cellular services,' he told reporters during an interaction about his phone conversation with Shinde.
Thousands of students from the Northeast fled Bengaluru and Chennai after hate messages were spread through mobile phones and on Facebook in the past two days promising retaliation for the ethnic violence in the Northeastern state of Assam last month.
Expressing 'deep pain' at the ethnic violence in Assam, Gandhi condemned the subsequent mistreatment faced by the people from the Northeast in some states and called for strict action against the guilty.
Speaking at the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna Award ceremony in New Delhi, she said that the present conditions prevailing in the country were linked to its unity and amity. 'Whatever happened in Assam, it is very painful and a matter of concern. Those responsible for the incidents, whoever they may be, should face legal action soon,' she said.
Gandhi also expressed concern over people from Northeast leaving Bengaluru and other cities in large numbers due to rumours about their safety. 'The kind of treatment innocent people from Northeast are facing, all of us should condemn it strongly and the centre and state governments should deal strictly with those trying to disrupt social harmony,' she said.
In Bengaluru, the Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar asserted the situation was now normal. 'The situation in Bangalore is under control with no untoward incident during the last two days. Security has been tightened across the city to ensure a peaceful Eid celebration Monday,' he said.
The deputy chief minister R Ashoka, who holds the home portfolio, reviewed the law and order situation and deployment of additional forces in Bengaluru and other cities across the state with top police and government officials.
TWO DIE AS 9 NE TRAVELLERS THROWN OFF TRAIN
Two passengers of a Guwahati-bound special train carrying Northeastern people fleeing Bengaluru were killed and seven others injured on Sunday after they were beaten up and pushed out by unidentified persons.
The police and railway authorities remained tightlipped on the identity of the attacked passengers, who hailed from Assam.
Special trains were operated by the railways from Bengaluru to ferry passengers fleeing the city over fears of attacks on them sparked by rumours in the wake of Assam violence.
The police found two bodies and the seven injured persons near the tracks at Belakoba railway station, a few kilometres from the New Jalpaiguri station. 'The two had died on the spot. We do not know the reason behind the incident. We are investigating the matter,' the New Jalpaiguri area manager (rail) Partho Sarthi Seal said.
The railway sources quoting one of the injured passengers admitted to the district hospital said that their belongings were looted and they were beaten up severely before being thrown out of the train by unknown persons. The injured have been admitted to the district hospital and the North Bengal Medical College Hospital.
A large number of people blocked train movement at the New Jalpaiguri station in protest against the incident as a result of which some Assam-bound express trains and local trains were stranded.
Later in the day, the blockade was lifted. The railways announced an ex-gratia of Rs 15,000 each to the two dead passengers and ex-gratia of Rs 500 each to the seven injured.
GOGOI INSISTS ON FOREIGN HAND
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has said that a probe will be instituted to find out facts regarding alleged involvement of foreign hands in the recent Assam violence.
‘From the beginning I have stated that some foreign hands are involved. It is not merely a clash between Bodos and minorities. The Union home ministry report that Pakistani elements were involved has vindicated our stand,’ Gogoi said. ‘We will institute a probe to find out details regarding the involvement of foreign elements in the violence,’ he added.
Meanwhile, in stray incidents of violence one person was injured in Dhubri district and a few houses were torched in Chirang district on Saturday night, even as curfew was relaxed for 12 hours in Rangiya subdivision of Kamrup Rural district.
Police said a person belonging to the minority community was injured at Chilkikhata, under Bilasipara police station, late last evening after a group of miscreants attacked him with arrows. The condition of the injured is stated to be critical and he has been shifted to the Gauhati Medical College Hospital. In another incident, unidentified miscreants set ablaze three houses at Khunkrajora under Bijni police station in Chirang last night. Additional forces have been deployed in the area. The Army is also conducting flag marches at various places.
‘REHABILITATE, BUT FIRST CHECK CITIZENSHIP STATUS’
Two Bodo groups including the National Democratic Front of Bodoland’s (NDFB) pro-talk faction on Saturday demanded that the Assam government verify the citizenship status of the Bengali-speaking Muslims, displaced during last month’s clashes, before rehabilitating them.
The pro-talk faction of the NDFB, also known as NDFB (Progressive) and People’s Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement - a conglomeration of several Bodo and non-Bodo organisations in the Bodoland Territorial Areas District - also threatened to launch a vigorous movement if this is not done.
The NDFB pro-talk faction’s secretary-general Gobinda Basumatary said they would not allow even a single displaced member of the community to enter the BTAD areas until their citizenship status is verified.
The outfit also appealed the Assam government to defer the process of rehabilitation of the displaced member of the Bengali-speaking Muslim settlers till the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is updated.
A total of 77 people were killed and over four lakh people were displaced in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts after clashes broke between the Bodos and Bengali speaking Muslim settlers since July 19 this year.
An estimated 2.5 lakh displaced Muslim migrants are now taking shelter in relief camps, mostly in Dhubri district bordering Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar district.
‘Let us assert that the Bodos will not allow the migrants to enter Bodoland as long as the government doesn’t update the NRC by taking 1951 as the cut-off year and detect the foreigners,’ Basumatary said.
The NDFB is a rebel group that entered into a ceasefire with the government a few years back.
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