Naharlagun, May 2: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) today set the stage for a more acrimonious battle than the Lok Sabha poll by threatening to “go to any length” to prevent the Chakma and Hajong communities from making their voting debut on Wednesday.

Two days after the militant National Liberation Front of Arunachal backed its campaign against the two refugee tribes, the student organisation warned the administration of “drastic action” if the Election Commission did not drop them from the electoral rolls.

About 15,000 members of the Chakma and Hajong communities had applied...

ITANAGAR, May 2– Security has been stepped up to ensure peaceful polls in the face of a boycott call given by All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) to protest inclusion of names of 1497 Chakma-Hajong refugees in the state electoral rolls. The Centre has despatched 17 companies of para military forces, 10 companies more than what the state received during 1999 elections, according to Manish Gupta, Home Secretary of the state.

The tradition of returning only ruling party candidates will be tested once again in the May 5 poll for two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh where the BJP for...

Shillong, May 2: Unmoved by the groundswell of public opinion against uranium mining at Domiasiat in Meghalaya, chief minister D.D. Lapang said his government would take a decision based on technical reports, not emotions and rumours. He told the media at Raj Bhavan last evening that the government had requested Bhaba Atomic Research Centre to assist it in carrying out “an independent study” at Domiasiat. He said the centre was likely to respond positively.

“We will not go by any rumours or emotions. We will depend on studies and feedback, which will tell us what to do”, the chief minister...

Agartala, May 2: One of the major militant organisations of Tripura has accused police and paramilitary forces of pressuring its members to surrender by unfairly targeting their family members. “Police officers and security personnel have been raiding the houses of Tiger Force activists and leaders and asking family members and relatives to make their wards surrender,” the All Tripura Tiger Force said in a statement mailed to newspaper offices.

Publicity secretary Bikash Koloi quoted Tiger Force chief Ranjit Debbarma as saying he would not respond to the peace overtures by the government...

Nagaon/Silchar, May 2: Delhi’s truce with the militant Dima Halam Daoga (DHD) in Assam’s North Cachar Hills and Karbi Anglong districts has run into rough weather with Dispur indicating it will petition the Union home ministry to rein in the group, much as it denies any ceasefire violation.

Sources said the officials of the two troubled districts informed the Tarun Gogoi government that it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain law and order in the absence of a mechanism to check violation of the ceasefire. A senior official in the North Cachar Hills said: “We cannot be strong with...