Itanagar, Jan. 30: Former Arunachal Pradesh home minister Neelam Taram rejoined the BJP here today after severing a two-decade-old association with the Congress. Taram, a Christian leader, was the home minister in the erstwhile Congress government led by Gegong Apang.

Considered a die-hard supporter of the Congress, Taram maintained his political affiliation even when the entire Assembly had switched side to Arunachal Congress formed by Apang in late 1995.

Taram was the choice of the then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to replace Apang, who was becoming unpopular with the party leadership...

Guwahati, Jan. 29: A Kuki organisation has complained to the National Human Rights Commission about persecution of the tribe by the militant United People?s Democratic Solidarity with the backing of the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), which is the dominant political party of Assam?s Karbi Anglong district.

In a memorandum to the commission, the Kuki Human Rights Association accused the Tarun Gogoi government of being ?casual? in its approach to the problems of the Kukis of Karbi Anglong.

Nearly 50 people from both the Kuki and Karbi communities have died and scores injured in the...

Kokrajhar, Jan. 29: Posters appealing to militants to surrender appeared in villages along the Indo-Bhutan border in Assam two days before the expiry of the deadline to avail of Dispur?s general amnesty offer.

The posters appealed to members the Ulfa, the National Democratic Front of Boroland and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation to lay down arms and return to the mainstream.

?The army is here to help you. Surrender with your weapons. Get a new life with a cash award and a job. Bring peace to your heart, mind and area. You are most welcome to surrender,? read a poster put up by the army.

T...

Jorhat, Jan. 29: The ethos of conservation and the commercial considerations of tourism will find a meeting ground during the second edition of the Assam Elephant Festival, which gets under way at Kaziranga National Park tomorrow.

The issue that is expected to dominate the seminars organised as part of the festival is the man-elephant conflict in the vicinity of wildlife habitats. UK-based elephant conservationist Mark Chan, whose surname might attract more attention than his pioneering work, has been invited to the three-day festival as a state guest. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi will...

New Delhi, Jan. 29: Meghalaya chief minister D.D. Lapang has urged Delhi to do a rethink on its directive to mobile phone service-provider Reliance Telecom to shift subscribers in Shillong and elsewhere in the Northeast from pre-paid to post-paid connections.

Lapang told minister of state for communication and information technology Ashok Pradhan that the new system had not gone down well with mobile phone users.

?The entire Northeast is passing through a crucial phase with peace gradually beginning to return to this troubled region. Such measures are likely to be opposed by the people and...