Ahmedabad: The police have so far arrested 342 people from various parts of Gujarat for allegedly attacking non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, following the rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district, a senior officer said on Sunday.

Non-Gujaratis were targeted and hate messages circulated against them on social media after a native of Bihar was arrested for allegedly raping the toddler on 28 September.

"Six districts have mainly been affected (by the violence), with Mehsana and Sabarkantha being the worst hit. In these districts, 42 cases have been lodged and so far we have arrested 342 accused.

"More arrests will be made as names of the accused come up during investigation," Director General of Police Shivanand Jha told reporters.

He said 17 companies of State Reserve Police (SRP) have been deployed in the affected areas. "Security of areas inhabited by non-Gujaratis and the factories where they work has been increased. Police have also increased patrolling in these areas," he added.

Two cases have been lodged for spreading rumours on social media which led to violence, the DGP said.

Responding to a question about the exodus of non-Gujaratis following the attacks, Jha said they may be leaving for their native states in view of the upcoming festive season.

"If people are leaving for home for a festival, it should not be seen otherwise. I have told my officers to visit residential areas, and if required, visit bus stands and railway stations and if people are found leaving due to fear, (then to) persuade them to come back," he said.

Police officials in Gandhinagar, the worst-affected district, have been directed to organise camps and communicate with local leaders to convince the people to stay, he said.

Additional forces and vehicles are being provided in districts which have asked for them to ensure safety of the non-Gujarati residents, he added.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor announced that he will go on a 'sadbhavna' (goodwill) fast from 11 October if the government does not withdraw "false cases" registered against his supporters in the wake of the attacks.

He said the fast will be held to protest the "government's attempt to malign him and his supporters" over the violence.

Last week, Thakor had raked up the issue of non-Gujaratis while demanding "justice" for the rape survivor. He had demanded that local people be given preference in jobs in industries in Gujarat.</s>In the wake of recent attacks on migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has spoken to his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani.

These attacks have triggered a wave of migration as people from North Indian states flee Gujarat fearing for their life. Attacks on North Indian started after an alleged incident of rape of a 14-month-old girl in north Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district. Later sporadic incidents of violence were reported since September 28 in the six districts of the region, mostly against Hindi-speaking people, police had said. After this mass-migration of people started and Hindi-speaking labourers started fleeing for their home states.

Talking to news agency ANI CM Yogi said that he has spoken to Gujarat CM Rupani. Rupani told him that no untoward incident has been reported in the last three days. “People who are jealous of Gujarat’s development are spreading these rumours. Gujarat govt has taken effective steps to tackle the situation,” he said.

Gujarat CM Rupani Monday appealed to people and asked them to not engage in violence. On outfit had claimed that over 20,000 Hindi-speaking migrants have fled Gujarat in one week.

Authorities in Gujarat have arrested 400 people in connection with the violence. Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police. “Due to Gujarat Police’s intense efforts, the situation is now under control and no report of any untoward incident has come in the last 48 hours,” he said.

In a related development, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar also spoke to his Gujarat counterpart on the matter. “The guilty must be punished but an entire community should not be tarred with the same brush. Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister Sunday. Our chief secretary and director general of police are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat,” he said.</s>Gujarat Police Sunday arrested over 300 people in connection with the attacks on migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh over rape of a toddler on September 28. Gujarat Police chief Shivanand Jha said that 342 people were arrested from six districts in as many as 42 cases of attacks on migrants.

“Six districts have mainly been affected (by the violence), with Mehsana and Sabarkantha being the worst hit. In these districts, 42 cases have been lodged and so far we have arrested 342 accused. More arrests will be made as names of the accused come up during the investigation,” Director General of Police Shivanand Jha told reporters. He said 17 companies of State Reserve Police (SRP) have been deployed in the affected areas.

“Security of areas inhabited by non-Gujaratis and the factories where they work has been increased. Police have also increased patrols in these areas,” he added.

However, on being asked about the reasons behind the exodus of people from various parts of the state, the police chief maintained that they may be leaving for their native states in view of the upcoming festive season. “If people are leaving for home for a festival, it should not be seen otherwise. I have told my officers to visit residential areas, and if required, visit bus stands and railway stations and if people are found leaving due to fear, (then to) persuade them to come back,” he said.

Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor announced that he will go on a ‘sadbhavna’ (goodwill) fast from October 11 if the government does not withdraw “false cases” registered against his supporters in the wake of the attacks. Thakor had last week demanded justice for the rape survivor and called for giving preference to local people in jobs in industries in Gujarat.

The child whose alleged rape by a man from Bihar on September 28 in Sabarkantha district triggered the violence against Hindi-speaking migrants, was discharged from hospital in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Her condition was stable and she was out of danger, a senior official of the hospital said. The alleged rapist had been arrested on the same day.

Both the BJP and Congress have appealed for peace and harmony in the wake of the violence and exodus of North Indian migrants from Gujarat.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App</s>AHMEDABAD/PATNA: Additional forces were deployed in industrial areas in Gujarat for the security of Hindi-speaking migrants after attacks on them sparked their exodus that prompted the state government on Monday to make an appeal for their return.Assuring security to the migrants, the Gujarat government said 431 people were arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks, as chief minister Vijay Rupani appealed to people not to engage in violence.Claiming that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police."We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security." he told reporters in Rajkot.Chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar — Yogi Adityanath and Nitish Kumar — and Union minister and BJP ally Ram Vilas Paswan, who hails from Bihar, spoke to Rupani to voice their concern over the attacks.Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have witnessed sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police said.Police have arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime.Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation."Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits for the misdeeds of one person," he said.A political dimension to the attacks was also injected with a leader of the JD(U), which is headed by Nitish Kumar, dashing off a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blaming his party for the violence against Biharis."You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis," Neeraj Kumar, JD(U) MLC and spokesman, alleged.Without naming opposition Congress, Gujarat home minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether "it(attacks) is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years".Jadeja said it is the responsibility of the state government to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states and appealed to those who have fled to come back to the state.He said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants.Jadeja told a press conference in Gandhinagar that the Centre had been apprised of the steps taken by the state government to bring the situation under control."The attack on migrant workers is highly condemnable. The chief minister has instructed us to take all necessary steps to stop the attacks."I also appeal to people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said.Jadeja said only a handful of people are involved in the violence."We have deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of migrants. We have also decided to set up points (camps) for the State Reserve Police (SRP) and increase patrolling in such areas."While police have arrested several members of the Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also mentioned the outfit's name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated.Condemning the rape incident, Nitish Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community must not be tarred with the same brush."Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister yesterday. Our chief secretary and DGP are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat," Kumar told reporters in Patna."If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people must not generalize and hold a grouse against an entire state."Adityanath said the Gujarat chief minister told him that his government has ensured the safety of all and that are all welcome.Rupani also informed there had not been any incident since the past three days and he has also appealed to people against paying any heed to rumours, Adityanath told reporters in Lucknow.Adityanath said Gujarat is a peace loving state and a model of development and that those do not want development spread rumours."Some North Indians living there had called me and I have told them also not to pay heed to the rumours.," he said.</s>Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Monday spoke to his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani and expressed his concern about the violent attacks at non-Gujaratis, including those from Bihar, by mobs seemingly angry over the rape of a minor earlier this week.

“Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister Sunday. Our chief secretary and director general of police are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat,” Nitish was quoted as saying by PTI.

Condemning the rape of the 14-year old allegedly by a migrant from Bihar, Nitish said the guilty must be punished but an entire community cannot be “tarred with the same brush”.

Also Read | Migrants returning homes for festivals not fleeing state, says DGP

“If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people should not generalise and hold a grouse against an entire state,” the chief minister said.

Meanwhile, former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav came down heavily on the Centre and the state government, both ruled by the BJP. Taking to Twitter, the Samajwadi Party chief said Gujarat is once again in news, where some people are destroying the environment of peace and spread hatred in the name of Hindi-speaking people, the BJP governments at centre and the state are responsible for it.

Meanwhile, a JD(U) leader, in a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blamed the grand old party for the violence against people from Bihar. “You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis,” Neeraj Kumar, a JD(U) MLC and spokesman, alleged.

Madhepura MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav expressed strong resentment over the humiliation that people from Bihar have to face everywhere in the country, Gujarat being only the latest instance. He asked Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi to intervene and ensure that such attacks in Gujarat are stopped.

The Gujarat Police Sunday arrested over 300 people in connection with the attacks on migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh over the rape of a minor on September 28. Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor announced he will go on a ‘sadbhavna’ (goodwill) fast from October 11 if the government does not withdraw “false cases” registered against his supporters in the wake of the attacks. Thakor had last week demanded justice for the rape survivor and called for giving preference to local people in jobs in industries in Gujarat.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App</s>NEW DELHI: Union Minister and BJP ally Ram Vilas Paswan expressed concern Monday over cases of violence against Hindi-speaking migrants in Gujarat, while also seeking stringent action against those accused of raping a girl child in the western state.

The Lok Janshakti Party president said he spoke to the state's Chief Minister Vijay Rupani who, he added, told him that those involved in the incidents of violence against north Indians will face tough action.

Rupani also told him that the state government will try the accused in the case of rape in a fast track court.

Paswan said his party also stands for speedy action against the accused.

"I also condemn attacks on north Indians in Gujarat," he said.

Rupani appealed to people not to engage in violence and claimed that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours.

Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have been targeted by locals following the alleged rape of the 14-month-old girl by a native of Bihar, in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on September 28.

Several cases of attacks on migrants, with reports that thousands of them fled following the violence, surfaced after the alleged rape in the state.</s>Gujarat Police on Sunday, arrested over 300 people in connection with attacks on migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh over rape of a toddler on September 28. Gujarat Director General of Police Shivanand Jha said that 342 people were arrested from six districts in as many as 42 cases of attacks on migrants.

Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor has rubbished allegations that held him responsible for creating tensions and fanning enmity between Gujaratis and non-Gujaratis after the rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district.

Speaking to the media about the allegations against him, Alpesh Thakor said, “This is unfortunate. We have never advocated violence and only talked of peace. All Indians are safe in Gujarat.”

In the last couple of days, attacks on non-Gujarati speaking people have been reported from many parts of the state.

More than 2,500 police personnel have been deployed in Ahmadabad alone and the government has been repeatedly assuring people that the situation will be under control soon. However, this has failed to convince people as attacks continue on non-Gujarati speaking people at many places.

The exodus started after police arrested a man, who is a native of Bihar, for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha. Soon after the arrest, angry locals started attacking non-Gujarati speaking people in the state.

Local groups started threatening people and vandalizing properties of non-Gujarati speaking communities. In some cases, the properties were also gutted. Similar incidents have been reported from other areas too.

As a result, every day a large number of people are heading to Ahmadabad to try and catch a train or a bus to get out of Gujarat at the earliest. Most of these people were living in areas like Sabarkantha, Mahesana, Aravali, Gandhinagar and Surendranagar.

Director General of Police Shivanand Jha said some people with vested interests are spreading hatred against people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on social media platforms.

“We have alerted the cyber cell to remain vigilant and nab such people,” he said.</s>Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Chief Ministers Yogi Adityanath and Nitish Kumar on Monday spoke to their Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani over the recent attacks on North Indian migrants after the rape of a 14-month-old girl in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district allegedly by a labourer from Bihar.

The Bihar CM said that during his conversation with Rupani, he expressed concern over the attacks on the Hindi-speaking people in Gujarat, including those from Bihar.

Condemning the rape of the minor, Nitish said that the guilty must be punished but an entire community should not be “tarred with the same brush”.

“Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat Chief Minister Sunday. Our chief secretary and director general of police are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat,” Kumar told reporters in Patna.

“If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people should not generalise and hold a grouse against an entire state,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said he was assured by Rupani that his government would ensure safety of all. “The Gujarat CM told me over the phone that there has been no incident in the past three days and that he had appealed to people against paying heed to any rumours,” Adityanath said in a statement released in Lucknow.

“Gujarat is a peace-loving state and a model of development. Those who do not have any issue (to attack the state government) spread such rumours. Those who do not want development spread rumours,” Adityanath said.

“Some north Indians living in Gujarat had called me and I told them not to pay heed to the rumours, and on keeping the local administration and government in confidence,” Adityanath said.

He asked everyone to cooperate with the Gujarat government while hailing steps taken by the Gujarat CM to maintain peace, an a spokesman said.

Meanwhile, a JD(U) leader in a two-page open letter to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi blamed the Congress for the violence in Gujarat. “You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit, Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena, is driving out migrant Biharis,” Neeraj Kumar, a JD(U) MLC and spokesman, said.

Reacting to the JD(U) MLC’s charge, Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said that instead of writing a letter to Rahul, Neeraj should speak to his “boss Nitish Kumar”, who is running a government in alliance with the BJP that rules Gujarat.

RJD leader and former Deputy CM of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav also hit out at the BJP for the attacks on north Indian migrants.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App</s>Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said targeting of migrant workers in Gujarat is “completely wrong” and he is totally against it. Taking to Twitter, he said the root cause of violence in Gujarat is the closure of factories and unemployment there due to which both the system and the economy are reeling.

“There is nothing more frightening than poverty. The root cause of the violence in Gujarat is the closed down factories and unemployment there. Both the system and that economy are reeling. Making migrant labour their target is completely wrong. I stand totally against it,” he said in Hindi on Twitter.

Attacks on Hindi-speaking migrants started after the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl. The violence has led to exodus of migrant workers which prompted the state government on Monday to make an appeal for their return.

The state government has deployed additional security forces in industrial areas in Gujarat for the safety of migrants. It said 431 people have been arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks on Hindi-speaking people.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App</s>'Mobs are entering north Indian homes and threatening families to leave Gujarat or face consequences.'

Kindly note that the image has only been published for representational purposes.

The rape of a 14-month-old girl on September 28, 2018, allegedly by a north Indian migrant in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, has sparked incidents of violence against north Indians, which in turn has led to an exodus of 'migrant' labourers from the state.

Many workers belonging to northern Indian states, especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, have been boarding home-bound trains after some of them were targeted for the increase in violence and rapes in the state.

Chanting 'Bhaiyya Bhagao, Gujarat Bacha (Evict north Indians, Save Gujarat),' local mobs have been threatening migrants to leave the state. Even businesses that hire non-Gujaratis have not been spared.

Shyamsinh Thakur, president, Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad, an umbrella body of migrant workers, blames Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore for the violence and alleges that he instigated locals to protest against the migrants.

"Railway stations in Gujarat are packed with north Indian migrants and everyone wants to flee Gujarat as they fear for their lives," Shyamsinh Thakur tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

North Indians are fleeing Gujarat because they fear for their lives.

There is an organisation in Gujarat called the Thakore Sena led by Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore.

The Thakore Sena is attacking Hindi-speaking people and telling them to leave Gujarat.

Today the situation is so bad that a mob of 30 people assemble, enter Hindi-speaking residential areas to beat the people up.

People are fleeing Gujarat and running away to their home states.

Gujarat Director General of Police Shivanand Jha claims that north Indians are going to their native places for Diwali and not out of any fear.

That is not true.

They are leaving Gujarat out of fear.

We are trying to stop this exodus.

Even the factory association is stating that if these workers leave, then who will work during Diwali?

What will happen to the economy?

How did the exodus begin?

This happened soon after September 24, when a 14-month-old girl was raped by a north Indian man.

After the incident, Alpesh Thakore called for a meeting of the Thakore Sena and they made this an issue.

The man who raped the 14-month-old girl was from Bihar and he (Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore) instigated the mob.

Today he is saying he did not do so.

There are videos circulating on social media where mobs are chanting slogans 'Bhaiyya Bhagao, Gujarat Bachao.'

If Alpesh Thakore is denying his role, then why did he not come forward and say that the Thakore Sena is not responsible for the violence?

The Congress too did not intervene and spread brotherhood.

In the history of Gujarat such a thing never happened.

In Mumbai anti-North Indian sentiments were spread by the Shiv Sena in its early days. Then Raj Thackeray's MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) too did the same.

But these things never happened to us in Gujarat.

Do you think a political game is being played over the issue?

There are two ways to look at this issue now.

The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is thinking that since a Congress MLA is involved, they should not take any action against him as the Congress will be defamed more.

On the other hand, the Congress feels that if these Hindi-speaking people are driven out of Gujarat, then people will stop supporting the ruling BJP as it can't protect them.

How many attacks have taken place against North Indians?

There are 42 registered cases of attacks in the last 10 days against north Indians in Gujarat.

There are many more. But they haven't been reported as the police is refusing to register cases.

Mobs are entering north Indian homes and threatening families to leave Gujarat or face consequences.

Till now, 342 people have been arrested for attacking north Indians.

Has the situation changed after the arrests?

Thousands of north Indians are still leaving Gujarat.

They have taken their children out of schools and colleges too.

There is only one concern among them -- that they have to save their own lives.

When the mobs are coming out openly and threatening them to leave Gujarat, who will take the risk to stay?

In cities there is security. But in places like Sabarkantha, Himmatnagar, Mehsana and many other places, the attacks are more serious in nature.

How did one incident spark such violence against north Indians?

That little child is not only a Gujarati girl, she is our girl too.

She is the country's daughter.

How can they say she is from the Thakore community?

You cannot associate him with any religion or caste.

The Thakore community, though, is saying that since there are no jobs for them in Gujarat, they are resorting to violence.

But this is not true.

You can check the 80:20 ratio and find out the truth. (Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani recently announced that a new law would be enacted to make sure that industrial units give 80 per cent of jobs to persons who are domiciled in the state.)

If that is not implemented, they can go to court, but why attack poor people?

What is the police doing?

For the last three days the police is doing a good job.

In last three days they have booked 13 people under the NSA (National Security Act).

However, in spite of police action, attacks took place last night (Sunday night) in Vadodra and Halol against north Indians.

The rumours refuse to die down about violence against north Indians in Gujarat.

What is the population of north Indians in Gujarat?

According to state Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja, there are around one crore (10 million) north Indians in Gujarat.

We thought there were 65 lakh (6.5 million) north Indians. Even we were shocked to know about this huge population of north Indians in Gujarat.

Do the Gujaratis fear that north Indians will snatch their jobs?

No, that is not true.

We north Indians mostly do labourer kind of jobs which the locals don't do.

The people of Gujarat are very peace-loving.

It is only now that they are being instigated by politicians and resorting to violence.

Our people work for more than 20 hours.

Locals don't work for more than eight hours and expect Sunday to be a holiday which we don't believe in as we have come here only for work.

If you see all the chemical plants of Gujarat, you will find hardly 10 per cent Gujaratis working in them as it is not easy to work in those plants.

Only people from eastern Uttar Pradesh or Bihar can work in those plants.

So this entire argument of us snatching the jobs of local Gujaratis falls flat.

Do the locals fear that North Indians are changing the demography of Gujarat?

That is not true as you can see that the presence of north Indians in Gujarat politics is very rare.

In Gujarat there are 182 MLAs. Out of that only three MLAs are from north India.
A total of 342 people have been arrested for attacking Hindi-speaking migrants in the Indian state of Gujarat. The new wave of violence was prompted by the arrest of a non-Gujarati for the alleged rape of a 14-month-old baby a week prior.