In Bangalore, Classrooms Turn Into Makeshift Homes

By NIHARIKA MANDHANA

A classroom on the third floor of the humanities block of St. Joseph's College in Bangalore now serves as a makeshift dormitory. Mattresses have been rolled out atop benches laid side by side and on the professors' wooden podium, surrounded by duffel bags packed for an indefinite stay. Since Thursday, five girls from India's northeastern states have made this space their home.

“My house is big and much more comfortable, but I don't feel safe there,” said Penmila Vashum, a 19-year-old from Manipur who ordinarily lives in an off-campus apartment. “Even though I am living like this, I am happy here because I am safe.”

Ms.Vashum is among 44 students from various northeastern states who have left their paying guest accommodations or rented homes in Bangalore for the security of the St. Joseph's campus. Since Wednesday, an estimated 30,000 northeasterners have fled Bangalore, a large number of them students, after receiving text messages saying they would come under attack by Muslim groups seeking revenge for the ongoing ethnic strife in Assam, which has resulted in the displacement of over 500,000 people. Northeastern migrants in Bangalore have reported instances of intimidation and assault, though no serious injury has come to light so far. Security arrangements in the city have been ramped up significantly, but many of those who remain in the city continue to fear attacks and abuse.

“This group of students is very insecure, very vulnerable,” said Daniel Fernandes, the principal of St. Joseph's. He has been asked several times if the threat against northeasterners is real, he said. “I don't know if the threat is real, but I know the fear is real,” Mr. Fernandes added.

At St. Joseph's, where about 600 students, or a third of the student body, are from the northeast, panic spread quickly last week. To allay fears and stem the spread o f disinformation, counseling sessions were arranged and an interfaith meeting was called with leaders of the Muslim community. Still, worried parents flooded the principal's office with phone calls, and hundreds of students rushed to the railway station. Many colleges in the city have declared a weeklong holiday for students from the northeast, and some have even postponed examinations.

“We have to wait and see what happens after Id,” said P.V. Joseph, a member of the college's Northeast and Tibetan Forum. Some of the inflammatory text messages that circulated last week warned northeasterners of violence if they didn't leave the city by Id al-Fitr, a major Muslim festival that was celebrated across the country on Monday. “Everything is uncertain right now.”

Many students who have chosen not to leave plan to stay indoors for a few days, as they watch the news for any signs of tensions flaring up again. They are soliciting the help of students from other pa rts of the country to run errands off campus, such as buying lunch or mobile phone currency. On Sunday, a student at St. Joseph's who left the campus to withdraw money from an ATM was threatened with a stone, he said, adding to the fear of students cooped up on campus.

Representatives of local organizations for northeasterners are advising those in Bangalore to keep a low profile, travel in groups and contact the police at the slightest indication of trouble. “We are telling everyone to be careful till this incident dies its natural death,” said Simanta Sharma, an adviser to the Assam Society of Bangalore.

Mr. Sharma expects most of those who have fled to return in a few weeks. “People have to return because their livelihood is in this city,” he said. But they will wait for things to cool down, he added, and will want to return unnoticed, in small groups.

Many, however, feel the damage is already done. Sajani Loi, a 19-year-old student at Baldwin Wo men's Methodist College, said it will take some time before she feels safe in the city again. “It seems fine now because there is so much police protection,” Ms. Loi said. But she wondered how long that level of security would be continued, and how students could be sure that this wouldn't happen again soon. Ms. Loi said she expected fewer students to come to Bangalore next year, with their parents newly worried about their safety in the city.

Golan Naulak, an assistant professor at St. Joseph's College, also said the incident would have far-reaching implications for northeasterners in the city, as they could have more trouble finding accommodation or even jobs. “People have already become wary,” Mr. Naulak said.

A large number of people from the northeast leave their home states, where development is patchy and jobs scarce, to work and study in the country's large cities like Bangalore, Chennai and Pune. In Bangalore, young workers find employment as sec urity guards, waitresses and salon specialists, and scores of students attend one of the city's several engineering or humanities colleges.

But many feel disconnected and marginalized from the local populations, as if on the fringes of Indian society. “Other Indians don't see us as Indians,” said Ms. Vashum. “They look down on us,” she added.

Northeasterners say they face prejudice primarily because of their facial features, which tend to have East Asian characteristics, and because they often don't speak Hindi or southern languages. They are often called “chinkis,” a derogatory term. “There is a deep-rooted alienation,” said Mr. Naulak, “which has fueled this atmosphere of insecurity.”

Ms. Loi, who is from Manipur, said, “We are ready to say we are from China or Korea if that will keep us safe. We are so scared to say we are from the northeast.”