Credit: CNN.
A man from India’s northeast living in Bangalore shows his mobile phone displaying a threatening text message on August 16.
(CNN) — India is looking to Pakistan for answers after online threats and text messages sparked mass panic among migrant workers and students who hail from the country’s northeast.
Indian Home Minister Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde said in a statement issued Monday that “elements based in Pakistan” had used social media to circulate false pictures and stories.
Students and workers from the northeastern state of Assam said last week they received text messages threatening retribution for ethnic violence that has gripped their state in recent weeks.
The texts and rumors prompted thousands of people to flee cities across India, including Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore, the country’s technology and outsourcing hub.