Even as the exodus of panic-stricken people from the northeast from Bangalore continued despite repeated assurances by the government, some students from northeastern States, who are pursuing postgraduate and undergraduate courses here, have left their colleges and are going back to their hometown.
In spite of assurances by the college authorities that they were safe here, the studentshave stopped attending classes and are leaving for their respective States.University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor V.G. Talawar, who spoke to the principals of colleges, told The Hindu that he had got information that some students had left the city. “I was told by a college principal that some students were prepared to stay back but their parents requested the college authorities to send them back,” the Vice-Chancellor said.
Following rumours of violence targeting people from the northeast, some students, who were staying in rooms and apartments, sought accommodation in college hostels for safety reasons and their request was considered by the colleges.
St. Philomena’s College, which has nearly 80 students from the northeast and Tibetan settlements, has given temporary accommodation to a few boys in its hostel.
College Principal Leslie Moras said he had asked the northeastern girl students, who stay in hostels outside the college campus, to shift to the hostel inside the college campus.
Tibetan traders leave city
Meanwhile, the footpath on Sri Harsha Road where Tibetans have been running business by setting up make-shift shops wore a deserted look on Friday as they have shut down their business and are said to have gone to Bylakuppe and Gurupura Tibetan settlements in the district. The attack on a Tibetan student here recently has caused tension among the community members.
Security in Mundgod
Karwar Correspondent reports:
The police have provided security to all the Tibetan camps in Mundgod in Uttara Kannada district, said K.T. Balakrishna, Superintendent of Police.
Addressing mediapersons, Mr. Balakrishna said that there were nine Tibetan camps in Mundgod and 10,000 people were living there. He said there was no threat to any person in the district as that the police have provided security. The police have collected details about the students studying in different educational institutions of the district, he said.
Mr. Balakrishna said that about 500 people from the Tibetan camps go to Hubli and Dharwad every day for business. For such people, helplines were provided and police were kept on alert to avoid any untoward incident.
Students leave
Staff Correspondent reports from Hassan:
Five engineering students from Manipur studying at the Rajeev Institute of Engineering in Hassan left the college on Thursday without informing the principal. Their parents in Manipur had booked their flight tickets.
There are 15 students from northeastern States and Nepal studying in the college. “We had told them not to leave the place and there was no need to worry. But they left at the instance of their parents,” said A.N. Ramakrishna, principal.
As many as 21 northeast students study at the Mangala Institute of Nursing in the city. Among them five had for their native State after completing their exams. The rest are worried.
Prescilla, student from Manipur, told The Hindu she would leave Hassan on August 20 the day when she completes her exams. “I will return for the next year only if the situation returns to normal,” she said.
