The Bangalore’s Bhutanese Student Association’s (BSA) president, Pema Dorji, say no Bhutanese students have come in harm’s way in the ethnic tension that has gripped the Southern states of India.
Bhutanese students who share physical resemblance to the people from the North East states of India are worried that they could become victims with the rumors going around that the Muslims are targeting the people from North-East.
The ethnic tensions, according to media reports, ensued after the recent ethnic violence which broke out between Bodos and Muslims in Assam.
“To ensure the safety of the students, all the presidents and the representatives from different colleges are continuously monitoring the situation by keeping in touch with every student. And the student body is also closely working with the police commissioner to make sure everyone is safe,” said the BSA president.
He also said with the help of police force, a patrolling team has been in placed outside every college campus.
Despite the safety measures, many Bhutanese students are not attending the colleges due the fear of reprisal. “We went for inspection along with the police and as far as we could see, there was no problem.”
He added that it is because fear that has been instilled in the students because of the rumors doing rounds. “On behalf of BSA, I would like to requests parents in Bhutan not to call up their children and unnecessarily scare them. It only adds up to their anxiety,” said Pema Dorji.
