DIBRUGARH, July 29: The district and sessions judge here, Dibakar Hazarika admitted that there is gross human rights violation in the Dibrugarh jail, and has accordingly taken steps to remedy the ills which have become rampant there. The Assam Tribune reported the anomalies in the jail here on July 12, following which efforts are on by the top judicial officer to find a solution to the malaise in the local jail. Towards this objective, Hazarika has summoned the jailor here, Nripen Bora, to explain the discrepancies in the jail, but he has been unable to reply to the allegations of torture and...

IMPHAL, July 29: Notwithstanding the efforts of PB Acharya, secretary, NEBA of the BJP to evolve a consensus, the question of selection of new president of the state BJP finally had to be decided through the ballot this afternoon. Meinam Bhorot Singh was later declared elected as the new state BJP president by the central observer cum returning officer, RN Pandey, Mayo Shaiza and N Sanajaoba were elected as national BJP councilors for Outer and Inner Manipur respectively. N Bhorot defeated his nearest rival Sh Shantikumar by a margin of six votes. After the declaration of the results, Col H...

JORHAT, July 29: In a first-ever incident of its kind in recent memory, two disciples of Uttar Kamalabari Satra in Majuli were arrested in the wee hours today for maintaining alleged links with the ULFA. The arrested disciples, Krishna Ram Hazarika and Holiram Bora, landed themselves in the soup as the police recovered an SBBL gun and a bagful of ULFA-related documents from their Satra premises. The police swoop comes in the backdrop of vital information being provided by the ULFA cadre Pinku Dutta alias Manoj Gogoi, during interrogation. The militant was arrested by the Jorhat Police while...

NEW DELHI, July 28: In what can be described as a major setback for Assam, the 11th Finance Commission has not given any special concessions to tide over its financial crisis resulting from fighting insurgency. While Assam, for that matter other insurgency affected north-eastern states were not shown any special favours, the same is not the case with Jammu&Kashmir and Punjab, as the two states were given enough support to sort out their financial mess. "Expenditure incurred on security by the state of Jammu and Kashmir prior to 1991, may be assessed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and...

JORHAT, July 29: The four Williamson Magor Group officials, who were arrested on July 18 for their alleged links with the banned ULFA, were yesterday granted bail against a surety bond of Rs 10,000 each in the court of the district and sessions judge here. The quartet, Mohbandha Tea Estate Manager Aswini Sarma, Gajen Gogoi, driver Gajen Bhuyan and mechanic Haren Saikia, were earlier denied bail in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court and remanded to judicial custody by the Sub-Divisional Judicial magistrate here. The garden officials are alleged to have helped Ratul Dutta alias Sangram Koch...