NET News Desk
“Ami asu apunalukor logot”- “We are with you…stay strong Assam”, were the words of solidarity sent out by the premier football club of England- Arsenal, to the people of Assam.
Assam has been reeling under the floods while it is also battling with an upsurge in the COVID-19 cases.
The state has so far recorded over 19,000 Covid-19 cases and 48 deaths, while more than 39.8 lakh people in 27 of the 33 districts in the state were affected by the deluge on Thursday.
On Friday, the flood situation in Assam continued to remain grim, as five more deaths were reported, taking the death toll due to the monsoon deluge to 76, while around 36 lakh people in 28 of the state’s 33 districts have been affected.
Forest Department and ASDMA officials also said that at least 86 animals were killed, while 125 animals were rescued as 95 per cent of the world-famous Kaziranga national park, home to more than 2,200 one-horned Indian rhinoceros, was inundated.
Arsenal took to social media expressing solidarity to the people of Assam. The popular football club based in Islington, London, shared a five-second video on its social media handle.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCvJH6qpkJm/?utm_source=ig_embed
The football club shared a Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) on Instagram which said, “Aami asu apunalukor logot” in Assamese. This roughly translates to “We are with you”. Arsenal in the caption for the Instagram post wrote, “Stay Strong Assam”.
Soon after the Indian fans of BTS, a South Korean boy band has raised over Rs 500,000 to support those affected by the Assam floods.
According to reports, on Wednesday, a Facebook user named Bhavana posted saying that she had reached out to the BTS fan group in India to urge them to come forward and help Assam. The group then took the cause forward and tweeted asking fans to contribute to the fund.
Come together to help Assam in need!
Every donation counts a lot.
Do spread the carrd to reach more 💜
(For less than 100 INR, select paytm/UPI)#ProtectAssam#AssamFloods #AssamNeedsUs #AssamFloods #AssamDeservesBetterhttps://t.co/IdApuIXf31— BTS project INDIA⁷ (@BTSprojectINDIA) July 16, 2020
Bhavana reportedly a student of Dibrugarh University, Assam wrote on Facebook, “They constantly sing about self love and mental health. They donate millions of dollars every year and are official brand ambassadors of UNICEF in South Korea. Their fans never shy away from donating too. And it is showing!” She also mentioned that the fundraiser had been successful and that they had crossed Rs 2.2 lakh in just ten hours.
https://www.facebook.com/bhavanabarman/posts/3130163377076560
As per reports, Bhavana opened an account on the crowdfunding website Milaap which racked up an incredible Rs. 502,492 with 2,057 supporters within a day!
Meanwhile, actor, Adil Husain took to Twitter where mentioning about Arsenal he expressed his disappointment over the silence of the “celebrities, mainstream media and cricket stars” across India on the flood situation in Assam.
Arsenal FC #ArsenalFC @Arsenal stands with Assamese People. I don't understand why, then, our Celebrities, Mainstream Media, Cricket Stars are not raising their voices in support of Assamese people! So disappointed with you all.
Arsenal Footbal Club UK https://t.co/SrgSzYhtHC— Adil hussain (@_AdilHussain) July 17, 2020
Indian football team captain Sunil Chetri also expressed his solidarity with the people of Assam. In a tweet Chetri said, “Along with the prayers, Assam needs as much attention and help as possible to recover from the floods it is under. There’s been considerable loss of life – both man and animal, and I can only sincerely hope that the numbers don’t rise”
Along with the prayers, Assam needs as much attention and help as possible to recover from the floods it is under.
There’s been considerable loss of life – both man and animal , and I can only sincerely hope that the numbers don’t rise. #AssamFloods— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) July 17, 2020
