Our Correspondent
Kohima | September 21
Nagaland Higher Education and Tourism Minister Temjen Imna Along on Sunday said students from the state studying at Kaziranga University in Jorhat are safe following tensions over remarks made by a student from Nagaland about the late Zubeen Garg.
Speaking to the media, Along said there had been “outcry with regards to one student from Nagaland who had spoken ‘not rightly’ about the late Zubeen Garg, who recently passed away.” He said there was “huge displeasure from the Assamese students and the public there in that region.”
The Minister informed that following the unrest, the Nagaland Chief Minister had been in touch with his Assam counterpart. He thanked the leadership of both states and the swift action of MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Minister Piyush Hazarika, DC Mokokchung, DC Jorhat, SP Mokokchung, SP Jorhat and the DGP Nagaland “who have been in constant touch with their counterparts.” He added that the situation “now is normal.”
He said the student concerned was in a safe house in Jorhat on Sunday morning. “More than 300–400 Naga students that are studying their technical studies there, and the Kaziranga University are all safe and there is no untoward incidences happening now,” he said. “Last night also, there was no hurt or no untoward incident that happened, except for the mob going a little bit out of control in anger and in rage.”
Along thanked the Government of Assam, the students of Assam and the public there. “We also feel that our boy should not have spoken such kind of words or used to hurt the sentiments of the people of Assam,” he said. “I do am also a personal fan of Zubeen Garg, a renowned artist, who have made not only Assam, but also the North East and our country India very proud.”
He appealed to students of Kaziranga University “to refrain from any kind of emotional outburst in social media or digital platforms, because now is the time when lot of people are mourning the untimely death and passing away of Late Zubeen Garg.” “We should also be sensitive wherever we are, to the issues and the sentiments of the people around,” Along said. “I feel that this kind of sensitivity should be adhered to.”
He thanked the management of Kaziranga University for taking care of all the students, especially the students from Nagaland and for ensuring that no untoward incidences follow thereafter.
