Aug. 16: The Arabinda Rajkhowa-led group of Ulfa today threatened to stop operations by companies from states where people of Assam have been targeted in the wake of riots in the BTAD while AASU accused the All-India United Democratic Front’s chief Badruddin Ajmal of instigating communal forces outside the state and the AGP demanded an inquiry to identify and punish communal forces.

Addressing a news conference in Tinsukia, senior leader of the group, Jiten Dutta, said if the attacks on the people from Assam in various states of the country were not stopped immediately, the group would force all companies and firms of those states, operating in Assam, to shut down.

“We are watching the situation and if these attacks are not stopped immediately, we will be forced to act against the companies from these states where the attacks are taking place,” Dutta said.

The threat could have an impact on the construction of the longest bridge in the country. A Hyderabad-based company Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd is at present engaged in construction of a bridge at Dhola in Tinsukia district. There were reports of Assamese students and workers being attacked in Hyderabad.

Another leader of the group, Mrinal Hazarika, in Guwahati demanded stern steps to ensure safety of people from the Northeast living outside the region. “It is the responsibility of governments both at the Centre and other states to ensure safety of the people from the region. If they fail to defuse tension, this will have a bad impact in the region because there are many people from those states living in our region too. If the situation turns bad, the government will be held entirely responsible,” Hazarika said.

Hazarika, however, appealed to all northeasterners living outside not to return home out of fear and instead asked them to stay together. “Instead of fleeing, they should stay together and take on the conspirators together,” he said.

Prabal Neog, another pro-talks leader who addressed the news conference, said recent incidents in the BTAD areas were not a result of a communal flare-up between the Bodos and the Muslims but a fight between ethnic people of Assam and illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya, alleged that Ajmal was giving communal colour to the violence in the BTAD outside Assam for which many students and youths working in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai have started fleeing from there out of fear of attacks on them by communal forces.

“Assam was never a communal state. Even after the demolition of Babri Masjid when the rest of the country was experiencing communal violence, Assam was an exception. So Ajmal must refrain from any mischievous move to communalise Assam’s situation,” Bhattacharyya said.

“AASU also appeals to students and youths living outside not to pay heed to any rumour. They should not be unnecessarily panicky and maintain their calm. AASU is in constant touch with various organisations in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to ensure safety of the Assamese people living there,” Bhattacharyya said.

Former chief minister and AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said it is unfortunate that at a time when students and youths living outside are facing uncertainty and insecurity, the ruling Tarun Gogoi government is not seen taking any initiative to ensure their safety.

Mahanta said the AGP would stage a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan in the city on Saturday to press its demand for safety and security of people living outside Assam. A delegation of the AGP will also move New Delhi on August 21 to create awareness on the issue.

President of the All India Milli Council (AIMC), H.R.A. Choudhury expressing concern over the exodus — as reported by the media — in a statement issued this evening in Guwahati, appealed to the students and workers in southern states and elsewhere not to panic and leave their stations apprehending a backlash over the recent riots in the Bodo heartland. He urged them to maintain tolerance and perseverance.

Choudhury also said the AIMC general secretary Mohammed Manzoor Alam had also sought Union home minister’s Sushil Kumar Shinde’s immediate intervention in the reported incidents of violence against Northeast students in some cities, including Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Alam has also demanded withdrawal of conditions before the riot-hit — of submitting documents of properties/ land before the authorities concerned — because most of documents had been reportedly got burnt.

The AIUDF has strongly refuted reports and allegations about Ajmal’s involvement in creating communal tension outside the state. Haidor Hussain Bora, secretary of the media cell of the party said the AIUDF had expressed concern over reports of students fleeing southern states and urged the authorities to come down heavily on communal forces.