Attacks on non-Gujaratis: Nitish Kumar speaks to Vijay Rupani, urges people to not assault migrants from Bihar, UP

Patna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday urged people of Gujarat to stop attacking non-Gujarati people in the state, especially those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. [caption id=“attachment_5264511” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. Reuters[/caption] His statement comes after non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were attacked in Gujarat following the arrest of a man from Bihar for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district last week. Talking about the backlash, Nitish told ANI, “I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister (Vijay Rupani) and the state chief secretary (JN Singh) yesterday (on Sunday). All people are in the loop. They are keeping an eye on whatever is happening in Gujarat.” “The person who committed the crime should be punished. There should be strong action against him. But people should not have such notions about others. The Gujarat government is cautious and aware about all this. I would like to appeal to all the people to not have similar impressions for others on such matters.” As many as 42 cases have been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, and 342 people have been arrested across Gujarat for allegedly attacking migrants, Gujarat Director General of Police said on Sunday. According to reports, many workers belonging to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and other states were also forced to board home-bound trains.