There is no exodus of people from the north-east staying in Gujarat. There is no reason for them to panic as all necessary steps have been taken for their safety, Sudeep Kumar Nanda, Principal Secretary (Home), told PTI by phone.
"Soon after the Mumbai incident last week (when a protest against Assam riots turned violent), the Government asked its security agencies to take precautionary steps to avoid any such incident in the state," he said.
"A good number of people from the north-east are in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Kandla and other parts of the state and most of them are engaged in white-collar jobs," he said.
Nanda allayed fears about their safety and said rumour-mongers will face stern action.
Meanwhile, Vadodara Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said NE students studying in various faculties of Maharaja Sayajirao University and people from the region staying here are safe and none of them has left the city.
Police were constantly monitoring the situation and people can contact them if they come across instances of harassment or threat, he said.
Sharma said more two companies of State Reserve Police Force (around 200 personnel), in addition to six, have been deployed in the city for security on Eid on Monday.
Besides, personnel of anti-riot Rapid Action Force have also been put on duty, the Commissioner said.
