Andhra police chief appeals northeast community not to panic

Hyderabad, Aug 17 (IANS) Denying that there was a mass exodus of people of Assam and other northeastern states from Hyderabad, the Andhra Pradesh Police chief Friday appealed to them not to panic.

Director General of Police Dinesh Reddy urged people from the northeast not to heed rumours and asserted that they faced no threat in the city. "I appeal to brother and sisters from northeast not to believe rumours and speculations," he said.

The police chief said there was no mass exodus of people from Hyderabad or any other part of the state. "Some people might have gone yesterday or day before to spend time with their families back home, but there is no mass exodus," he said.

The DGP said for the last two days they were reviewing the situation at the highest level. "Hyderabad is famous for communal harmony and the people from northeast should have no fears," he added.

Dinesh Reddy said the rumours originating from other states spread fear among people. He said the SMSes did not originate in Andhra Pradesh.

He added that the trains carrying northeast people from Bangalore and Chennai and passing through Andhra Pradesh would be given full security. The railway police were deploying armed guards on these trains.

Police in Hyderabad have set up helplines to assist the people from northeastern states living in the city and to allay fears of any threat to them amid reports that a large number of them have returned home in the last couple of days.

Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates have set up the helpline numbers and were trying to instill confidence in the community.

The police helpline numbers in Hyderabad police commissionerate are 040-27852333 and 040-23261166, and in Cyberabad police commissionerate 9490617100 and 9490617370.

Senior police officers have appealed to people to approach police if they felt threatened. They also said that not a single incident of violence was reported so far.

Cyberabad police have deployed policemen at Nanakramguda and Gowlidoddi in addition to the pickets already set up in Siddiqnagar and Anjaiahnagar. Police have also intensified patrolling in the areas where most of the Assamese and notheastern people live.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner D. Thirumala Rao said the police were taking all steps to allay apprehensions among the people.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma said no incident of any attack on Assamese or northeast people was reported in Hyderabad. "The reports of mass exodus are not true. Only a few have left because their families asked them to come back," he said.

Thousands of people from northeast are settled in Hyderabad for education and employment. About 40 percent of security guards in Information Technology and hospitality sectors are from northeastern states.

Cyberabad police Thursday held a meeting with security guards working in IT companies to reassure them that they need not panic because of rumours.