Nitish speaks to Rupani, raises issue of attacks on Biharis

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday urged people of Gujarat to stop attacking the non-Gujarati people, especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The Bihar Chief Minister's 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 Kumar told ANI, "I spoke to Gujarat Chief Minister (Vijay Rupani) and their Chief Secretary (J. N. Singh) yesterday. All people are in the loop. They are keeping an eye on whatever is happening in Gujarat."

Kumar added, "The person, who committed the crime, should be punished, there should be strong actions taken 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 (IPC) and 342 people have been arrested across Gujarat for allegedly attacking the migrants from other states, Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) 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.