GUWAHATI, Aug 19 � A group of people from Pune have expressed solidarity with the people hailing from NE region and staying in Pune, Mumbai etc cities of Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, Utpal Sarma, general secretary of the Assam CulturalAssociation, Pune, told this correspondent that an incident of attack on a Manipuri youth about 12 days back set off panic among the people hailing from NE region. But in fact everything is normal in Pune.
Only those engaged as security guards, drivers etc are panicked. Media coverage etc of the above incident followed after the Police Commissioner of Pune himself supervised the case for expediting the investigation, Sarma, who has been staying in Pune for the past about 15 years, said.
The group of citizens in their appeal, mailed to this Correspondent, said, �We express our solidarity with the North-Eastern community settled all over the country and want to stress that they need not go back home out of fear of being attacked.
�We say that we will accommodate you in safe zones and if need arises, in our homes. For some of us, your parents were our classmates and hostelmates. You are our children too�, they said.
They have also called for urgent exercise to keep the North Eastern community in their present respective places outside the NE region and to help them continue with their vocations.
The signatories of the appeal, who also expressed solidarity with the victims of the recent violence in Assam, include, ex-State Home Minister Bhai Vidya (9850984083), Professor Subhash Ware (9822020773), publisher Vilas Waug (9422515761), Advocate Mohan Wadekar (98810-25158), publisher Satish Kalshikar (94022689559), Sasoon Hospital employee and trade union leader Aba Kuchekar (9764403962), Advocate Jayanth Shedge (9322653859), ex-Professor Gopal Dukende (9869949025), political writer Kishor Jadav (9850682112), self-employed person Pushparaj Shetty (9373083139) and student Nasim Shek (9821106320).
They have provided their mobile phone numbers for contacting them whenever needed by the NE people in Pune and Mumbai. Pushparaj Shetty has specially requested the NE people to contact him for any support in Pune and Mumbai.
