Chennai: With no let-up in the exodus of people from the northeast in Bangalore, Police cracked the whip arresting six people on charges that included sending “false” SMSes while Centre banned for 15 days bulk text messages and MMSes across the country.

Driven by rumours of impending attacks, the exodus of people from the northeast spread from Bangalore to other areas in Karnataka like Mysore, Mangalore and Kodagu.

Karnataka government said six persons have been arrested on charges of attack, intimidation or sending “false” SMSes to people from northeast even as it decided to deploy Rapid Action Force(RAF) personnel in Bangalore to instill confidence among the fear-struck people.

Police have also detained some others for questioning, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R Ashoka told reporters.

Bangalore Divisional Manager Anil Kumar Agarwal  said, about 29,000 people from the northeast have left the city in the past three days, most of them by special trains, following the panic caused by rumours. About 9,000 people left on Friday, he said.

Ashoka also claimed the number of people leaving the state had come down today compared to the last two days when people fled following fear of reprisals in the wake of Assam violence.

In Chennai, over 1,000 people from the northeast were reported to have taken trains out of the city.  Gripped by fear over their safety following sporadic attacks targeting those from the northeast in Pune, several hundred people from the region living in Maharashtra have fled to their respective states over the last few days.

Chennai: Gripped by rumour fuelled fears of impending attacks on them, people from North East continued to flee the city with hundreds thronging the railway station and heading back home.

The Central Railway station here has been seeing a flow of anxious North Easterners desperate to get tickets for their onward journey in spite of assurances of safety and no untoward incident targetting them being reported.

Police said though Tamil Nadu has never seen incidents of violence against people from the North East, reports of incidents and rumours in other states seem to be disturbing their parents back home, who want them to come back. However, not many students are leaving the city.

“The city’s colleges have many students from the North East on the rolls, most of whom are living in the hostels or in groups.