Yogi Adityanath speaks to Vijay Rupani over attacks on non-Gujaratis
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called up his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani over the attacks on north Indians in several parts of the state, said the chief minister on Monday, adding the government of Gujarat would ensure safety of all.
Confirming his conversation with Rupani, Adityanath said, the Gujarat chief minister told me over the phone there was no incident in the past three days and that he had appealed to people against paying heed to any rumour.
"Gujarat is a peace-loving state and a model of development. Those who do not have any issue (to criticise the state government) spread such rumours. Those who do not want development spread rumours," Adityanath said.
I was contacted by some north Indians living in Gujarat and I told them not to pay heed to any rumours, Adityanath said.
According to an official spokesman, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh asked everyone to cooperate with the state government while hailing the steps taken by the Gujarat chief minister for maintaining peace and normalcy.
Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have been targeted by locals following the alleged rape of the girl by a native of Bihar, in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on September 28.
Circulation of hate messages on social media further intensified the attacks and 342 people were arrested by the police from various parts of Gujarat.
On September 28, a 14-month-old girl was allegedly raped in a village near Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district, around 100 km from Ahmedabad.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also spoke to Rupani and expressed concern over the attacks on non-Gujaratis.
