By Our Reporter
Shillong: The Congress-led MUA Government in the State has come under attack from its own party leadership for attempting to down play the ongoing situation in some states of the country which has resulted in a mass exodus of students, especially from Bangalore and Pune to their respective home states in the North East.
Reacting to Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma’s statement on Thursday wherein he had claimed that the rumours about possible assault on Northeast students were not true, MPCC president DD Lapang said, “I fail to understand how the Government could claim the ongoing violence to be only a rumour when hundreds of students from the region are returning back to their home states. Police have even arrested around nine people in connection with assault of our own students in Pune.”
“If the State Government is claiming that it is only a rumour, then all the students who are studying outside should be punished for spreading such rumours,” Lapang added, while claiming that students from the region are being attacked by certain anti-social and anti-national elements.
Meanwhile, in a letter addressed to Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, the MPCC president said it was not the first instance of discriminatory attacks on students from the region.
“Thousands of students from the region go to big cities for higher studies with a dream to come out with successful careers. But it is really sad that they are being subjected to such violence,” he said.
Lapang also said that such incidents are bound to affect their mindset and performance while also posing a grave threat to their security. Requesting the Union Home Minister to initiate steps to stem this violence, Lapang said it was necessary to prevent any serious repercussions elsewhere.
“This would help to reinforce confidence of the people of the North East in the secular, just and noble ideals of the Constitution that despite linguistic and cultural differences, the social fabric and integrity of the nation will be protected and preserved at all costs,” Lapang said.
Meanwhile, the UDP has also condemned the ongoing violence against the students from the North Eastern states.
“We are deeply concerned over reports of mass exodus of students to their respective home states due to reported threats. It is really shocking that the student community from the region is being attacked,” UDP working president Paul Lyngdoh stated in a statement on Friday.
Lyngdoh urged the Central Government to take immediate measures for the safety and security of the student community.
“We would also urge the Centre to see that such atrocities and attack against the student community does not recur again. If immediate steps are not taken there might be strong repercussion in the region,” the former student leader said.
Meanwhile, National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) convener Bansharai Kharshandi informed that the NSUI central leadership is assessing the situation from ‘ground zero’.
She also informed that a committee has been constituted to look into the ongoing violence against students from the NE region.
She also informed that senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandez and Congress MP from Arunachal Pradesh, S Pakem, have already left for Bangalore to be with the students of the region as part of a confidence building measure.