Politics / Assam

GUWAHATI, Feb 22— Though Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi recently assured the Bodo leaders to form the interim council of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) by March 10, the whole process is likely to be delayed because of some legal complications. The Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) leaders including the chairman of the outfit Hagrama Basumatary, vice chairman Kamal Mushahary and Publicity Secretary Mainao Daimary, along with Member of Parliament Urkhau Gwra Brahma and All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) president Rabiram Narzary yesterday met the Union Home Secretary at New Delhi to discuss matters...

GUWAHATI, Feb 22 – At a time when rapidly shrinking forest cover is exposing the State’s biodiversity to the gravest possible danger, a move to construct a PWD road through Amchang reserve forest in the outskirts of the city has evoked vehement opposition from the Forest Department and environmentalists who fear it will create serious disturbance to the fragile eco-system of the area. The PWD (Road) Guwahati Division, NEC, on February 10 sought permission from the Forest Department to conduct a survey from Panjabari-Batahghuli to the NH-37 via Patarkuchi.

The proposed survey runs through the...

Guwahati, Feb. 21: Jailed Ulfa vice-chairman Pradip Gogoi, during his testimony at the fast track court, today denied that the outfit’s central committee had taken any decision to assassinate social worker Sanjoy Ghose.

The CBI named Gogoi a witness in the case as he was underground when the Ulfa abducted Ghose, general secretary of the Association of Voluntary Agencies for Rural Development (AVARD), on July 4, 1997. Ghose was later reportedly killed on Majuli island in Jorhat district.

Gogoi said he had no knowledge about the killing as he was in the political and not the armed wing of Ulfa...

Shillong, Feb. 20: There is a general disinterest in elections nowadays, but a small group of enthusiastic voters in Jirang constituency always look forward to the polls and enjoy the dubious privilege of being able to cast votes in both Assam and Meghalaya.

The hills surrounding Jirang, on the southern periphery of Guwahati, have witnessed a steady increase in the population of migrants over the years. The first objective of a new settler is to acquire political rights.

“Once you have voting rights, there are no legal means to banish you from the area,” says Indra Sharma, a resident of Nine...

Guwahati, Feb. 19: Manipuri residents of the city, concentrated in the Manipuri Rajbari area, have remained a backward community as a result of government apathy and neglect. The locality is popularly known as Manipuri Basti.

The residents trace the roots of their problem to the lack of proper pattas for the land they own in the heart of Guwahati.

Manipuris from Manipur and other parts of Assam, like Cachar and Hojai, had settled in Manipuri Rajbari, a plot of land covering 13 bighas, that was purchased by the erstwhile king of Manipur, Maharajah Churachand Singh, over 100 years ago during...

Jorhat, Feb. 19: A surrendered militant was among 15 people rounded up by the CBI from the river island of Majuli to testify in the Sanjoy Ghose case. Police sources here said the former militant had surrendered soon after Ghose’s abduction made newspaper headlines.

The Ulfa had abducted Ghose, a social worker involved in an anti-erosion project in Majuli, in 1997. It is presumed that he was killed the same day and his body thrown into the Brahmaputra.

The case is being heard in the court of the additional ad hoc sessions judge, Kamrup.

The CBI had previously brought five witnesses, including...

Feb. 19: The All-Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam today asked all ministers, MPs and MLAs of the community to resign from their political parties in protest against the new Bodo accord, which has paved the way for the creation of a Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).

Leaders of the state’s Adivasi community include Speaker Prithibi Majhi, PCC president Paban Singh Ghatowar, revenue minister Methias Tudu, labour minister Rupam Kurmi and minister of state for PWD Etuwa Munda.

The students’ association is an influential organisation and its appeal is likely to be backed by the entire...

KOKRAJHAR, Feb 19 — More than 1.61 lakh persons, affected by the ethnic riots in Kokrajhar district in 1996 and 1998, are still languishing in 49 relief camps spreading all over the district. Though the State Government has started the process of rehabilitation of the relief camp inmates, the process is very slow because of paucity of funds. According to records available, as many as 1,10,269 persons, including 71386 adults and 38883 minors of 21,523 families, are living in 26 relief camps in Gossaigaon subdivision, while, 51,393 persons including 34,063 adults and 17,330 minors of 8660...

KOKRAJHAR, Feb 18— The Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), which became the first militant outfit from Assam to sign a peace accord with the Government, will be disbanded after the formation of the interim body of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), rehabilitation of the cadres of the outfit may turn out to be a tough job for the BTC authorities. Official sources said that the BLT cadres are well aware of the fact that all of them can never expect a Government job, but the BTC authorities will have to take up self-employment schemes for their rehabilitation. The BLT cadres will surrender weapons...

NEW DELHI, Feb 18— The process of detecting illegal migrants has started all over the country even as the Centre has initiated several steps to check the influx of Bangladeshi nationals into India. While the population of the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh is estimated to be in millions, those overstaying in the country are around 24,443, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Haren Pathak said today. The minister stated this in the Lok Sabha this morning in response to a question on illegal migrants overstaying in India. There are reports of large scale illegal influx of Bangladeshi...