RailEnquiry

A rumour about an Assamese student being attacked by an irate mob in Bangalore on Sunday evening has triggered a mass exodus of north-eastern people from the city, causing severe embarrassment to the state government.

Nearly 3,000 students and working professionals, primarily those from Assam, thronged to the Bangalore City railway station on Wednesday to catch the Bangalore-Guwahati Express train (11:45 pm daily train) fearing for their safety. The surge of so many passengers caught the railway officials off-guard, as the lone train could not accommodate so many people.

Eventually, the railways agreed to run two special trains to Guwahati the same night.

The police's clarification that the news of the alleged attack was a rumour did little to assuage concerns.

"All of us are scared. Some miscreants will use the opportunity to attack us, as happened in Mumbai. We want to leave in peace and return when the situation normalises across the nation," Avinash Borooah, a student leader from Assam, said. Though the state government appealed to the people to stay back, they were not convinced.

The police's assurance that they would deploy additional forces in areas with an Assamese population didn't help either. "This rumour has created panic. We expect at least another 10,000 people from the North-East region to leave the city on Thursday," a senior police officer said. The Janata Dal (Secular) slammed the ruling BJP for the atmosphere of fear.

"The government has failed to assure safety for the Assamese. They don't trust this government, which is motivating fundamentalists. The attack on girls in Mangalore and the government's muted response is just an example," JD(S) spokesperson Lakkappa Gowda said.