After reports of threatening messages being sent through SMS, MMS, e-mails and postings on social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, to people from the Northeast in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune, the Indian government has levied a ban on sending bulk SMSes and MMSes for 15 days.
The Union Home Ministry has asked the Department of Telecommunications to implement the order through the telecom operators. From Friday onwards, for the next 15 days no one will be able to send more than five SMSes at one go and more than 20 KB of data through mobile phones.
A large number of northeastern students fled Bangalore by special trains late Wednesday and early Thursday following rumours they would be attacked to avenge the ethnic violence in Assam. A similar exodus of people from northeastern states was seen in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Pune.
Such rumours were spreading like wild fire due to bulk SMSes and malicious postings on social media websites. Morphed, fake MMSes showing atrocities against a particular community too were adding to the existing panic and frenzy, thus the government has put a ban on bulk MMSes too.
Addressing the Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said, "We should send clear message that we will do everything to provide security to people from northeast living in various parts of country."
Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar also on Friday ordered an inquiry into the rumour-mongering about alleged security threats that triggered off panic and led to an exodus of people from northeastern states from this tech hub since late Wednesday.
About 240,000 people from the northeast region live in Bangalore and another 100,000 in other cities across Karnataka.
"The chief minister informed Members of Parliament from the state in New Delhi that he has directed police to investigate the wild rumours against northeast people in Bangalore and alleged threats to their students as a backlash against the ethnic violence in Assam," an official of the Chief Minister's Office told IANS here.
Police have intensified patrolling in localities populated by northeast people, including college-going students, blue-collar and white-collar employees, security guards and women working in beauty salons.
While the state government, right-wing Hindu outfits like Sri Rama Sena and Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS), Muslim organisations and civil society exhorted the northeast people, especially students, not to leave the city or the state, about 4,500 more of them left late Thursday in four special trains bound for Guwahati in Assam.
As part of the investigation, cyber sleuths attached to the city police crime branch have started cracking at the sensational messages sent through SMS and MMS, e-mails and postings on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter that caused panic and fear among the people from the region.
Deputy Chief Minister R. Ashoka, who holds the home portfolio, said the helplines - 080-2225-0999 and 080-2294-2222 - will be open on 24x7 basis.
Over the weekend, two people were killed and 55 wounded when about 10,000 people rioted in Mumbai after Muslims held a protest against violence involving members of their religion.
Muslims across India have been alarmed by clashes in recent weeks between indigenous people in Assam and Muslim illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. About 75 people have been killed and more than 400,000 displaced. (Agencies)
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