Indian PM moves to calm panic

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured migrants from the northeast of the country that they were safe as thousands fled Mumbai, Bangalore and other cities on Friday, fearing a backlash from violence against Muslims in Assam.

Railway authorities have laid on extra trains from Bangalore and other cities for the two-day journey back to Assam, a northeastern state famous for its tea and oilfields. Some media reports said that by Friday as many as 15,000 had left cities in the south and west.

"What is at stake is the unity of our country. What is at stake is communal harmony," Singh told parliament.