Michael Lamjathang Haokip

TT, Bangalore, Oct. 15: A Manipuri engineering student and two of his friends have been assaulted in Bangalore around Tuesday midnight after they were allegedly told to “learn to speak in Kannada or get out” and “this is India, not China”.

Three taxi drivers were arrested today on the charge of assaulting the group of friends.

Police said T. Michael Lamjathang Haokip, 26, the president of the Thadou Students’ Association, Bangalore, was at a roadside eatery near his home in Kothnur, along with two of his friends when three men confronted them.

“It first looked like they were asking us to move. But then they violently gesticulated and said things I couldn’t follow,” said Haokip who does not know Kannada.

One of Haokip’s friends, Ngamkholen Haokip, who works in Bangalore and had picked up a smattering of Kannada, was quoted as having said that he heard one of the drivers screaming “learn to speak in Kannada or get out. This is India and not China”.

By then, a small group that was hanging around joined the attackers and rained blows on them, Michael said.

Hit by a stone, Michael had blood streaming down his face and back. Ngamkholen and their other friend, Rocky Kipgen escaped with minor injuries.

Back in his Kothnur home after treatment, Michael was still shaken as he recounted the incident to the media.

He said Ngamkholen also overheard somebody saying: “If you outsiders want something to eat, you must ask in Kannada.”

“The men did not even stop to listen as I tried to explain where I was from,” Michael said.

In the melee, Michael spotted another friend, Letmang Haokip, on his bike. “I managed to hop on to his bike and tried to escape from the scene. But a few people chased us on bikes and crashed into us.”

While Michael somehow escaped from the mob and ran towards the local police station, the mob surrounded Letmang, robbed him and snatched his motorbike’s registration papers, it was alleged.

But the crowd dispersed when they saw Michael returning with a police patrol. By then, Michael had also phoned some of his friends.

Additional commissioner of police Alok Kumar told reporters that three taxi drivers had been arrested on the basis of an FIR. “We are probing if it is a hate crime,” the officer said.

He said the three drivers, Arun Kumar, James and Karuna — all from Kothnur — had been charged with assault and criminal intimidation.

“The police will take strong action in any such case,” Kumar said, assuring safety to people from the Northeast.

In August 2012, thousands of students and workers from the Northeast fled the city on fear of attacks. Most of them returned after assurances of security from the government and the police.

Thokchom Suresh, adviser to the All Manipur Students Union, said: “We have always demanded anti-racism laws to deal with discrimination. The delay in taking measures to check hate crimes and racial discrimination is an example of neglect of the Northeast by the Centre. We condemn the incident and demand severest punishment for the culprits.”

Manipur Congress MLA N. Biren Singh said: “The incident is strongly condemnable. All those involved should be given exemplary punishment to prevent recurrence of such hate crimes.”