Guwahati:
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is trying his best to convince those returning to Assam from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune that they should go back to the cities they work in as soon as possible.
Speaking to NDTV, Mr Gogoi also said that he has been in touch with the chief ministers of various states in the South and that they have all assured him that precautionary measures have been put in place to ensure safety and security of people from the North-East.
''I am telling everyone who is coming back to return. The government of Karnataka has assured full protection. I want all of them to go back as soon as possible. We will arrange for special trains from here to southern states whenever they want," he said.
The chief minister added that along with the Centre, his government too was investigating the source of rumours and was trying to identify those who are trying to trigger panic in the North-Eastern community in Bangalore and other cities by deliberately misreporting facts.
But this may offer little assurance to the thousands of North-East citizens who arrived in Guwahati this morning after a long journey from cities in Hyderabad and Bangalore. Many of them said didn't know when they would go back.
"I was in Bangalore for nine months. I won't go back, even if I don't get any work in Assam," says Albert, one of the boys. "We have the right to stay to anywhere in the country. What is happening is not right," says another.
Over the last week, cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune have been on edge with their large North-Eastern communities feeling insecure about their safety. In the last month, nearly 80 people have died in ethnic violence in Assam and doctored MMS-es and text messages have infected other states, warning that students and professionals from the North-East will be attacked. In a viral effect, the rumour-mongering has had people of the North-Eastern community heading back home in panic.
At the station, a few of those who have returned say the threats were real and not perceived. "They threatened us directly. Not on the phone. They told us to leave. No one in the police helped," revealed a man who returned from Bangalore.
Most of the boys who've returned are from remote parts of Assam--Lakhimpur, Majuli, Sibsagar. For many, the lack of employment opportunities in their home state means staying back is not an option. "When it calms down, we will have to go back. Don't know how long we will stay here because we have to think of the future," says Abhijit.
The government in the meanwhile has promised to track down those who triggered panic by sending out threatening and incendiary messages and has banned bulk SMSes and MMSes for the next 15 days.