Assam riots and its spillover
- Time to rein in mischief-mongers -

- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: August 15, 2012 -

Although there has been no further report on incidence of violence against the Northeasterners living in Pune, the recent serial attacks on northeasterners, particularly the students, as a spillover effect of the intermittent riots taking place between the ethnic Bodos and Bengali-speaking migrant Muslims in Assam, was really disturbing.

And it definitely calls for some deep thinking on the part of the government.

The Pune attacks erupted a day after the Saturday's protest in Mumbai's Azad Maidan against the Assam riots and the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar.

From the follow up police investigation reports, it is becoming evidently clear that the Mumbai protest was well-planned and the mob was instigated to turn violent, thus leaving two protestors dead and over 60 others injured in the ensuing melee.

Now the Pune police have established that the attacks on the Northeasterners were provoked by MMS and video clips of pictures from Assam riots and ethnic violence in Myanmar, and all the nine youths, who were arrested subsequently, had seen the "doctored" videos of the violence against Bangladesh's immigrant population residing in Assam.

Few days earlier to the Mumbai protest, similar inflammatory messages were circulated to instigating thousands of people to come out and protest against the violence in Assam.

The twin events - the violent protest at Mumbai and the attacks on northeasterners in Pune - have shown how combustible is the flare up in Assam and it could spread to other parts of the country so easily, especially in this era of instant communication where mobile phones and internet facilities are becoming indispensable part of our everyday living.

With no dearth of mischief mongers among our midst, gullible mind can be mislead and provoked easily just like the way Mumbai incident was instigated through mass circulation of provoking 'doctored' MMS and video clips.

In fact, after the serial attacks on Northeasterners in Pune, rumours are already doing the round on alleged similar instances of harassments in Bangalore, thus generating a fear psychosis among the people.

So, the government of India and more particularly the Ministry concerned should no more live under the impression that the riots in Assam is something that is happening in a remote corner of the country.

It should take up necessary measures to contain the volatile situation in Assam and send out strong message against such senseless violence.

Only then, we can prevent the mischief mongers from having the last laugh.