NEW DELHI, March 28 – Bowing to growing pressure, Union Environment and Forest Ministry has ordered an inquiry into the death of an elephant in Chattisgarh last month that involved Parbati Barua, even as the lone woman elephant-expert held it was the lack of timely and efficient veterinary support and not training, which resulted in the death of the elephant.

The controversy surrounding the death of the wild tusker in captivity has generated a lot of heat with involvement of animal rights groups, NGOs and experts including former Union Minister, Maneka Gandhi who lodged a complaint against...

DIMAPUR, March 28 – “The Church in Nagaland sees that the Naga struggle will destroy itself and the Nagas unless the damaged human relationships that have pitted tribes, factions and parties against one another are addressed, healed and restored,” viewed Rev Kari Longchar, director, peace affairs, Nagaland Baptist Churches Council (NBCC), in his paper presentation titled “The Nagas Struggle and Crisis: NBCC’s Position.”

The 3-daylong seminar held here on “Peace and Reconciliation” laid stress on the role of the Church in shaping the thinking, values and living of all Nagas, besides pointing...

KHASIAPUNJI (Hailakandi), March 28 – The Khasi people of Khasiapunji in Hailakandi district have been practising the age-old traditional jhum cultivation keeping environment clean. They are producing betel, banana and pine-apples in the hills through jhum cultivation without burning the forests before starting the process. It could be a very good lesson for the other tribal communities of the region practising jhum cultivation. Jhum or shifting cultivation is one of the most ancient systems of farming and the method marked the transition from hunting and food gathering to food production. The...

DIBRUGARH, March 28 – A Subedar of the 28 Punjab Regiment, one Sukhwinder Singh, has brought a bad name to his unit as well as the Army as a whole. On Wednesday night, he allegedly tried to molest a lady from Calcutta who was staying at the city’s posh Little Palace Hotel. The lady, an engineer with a prominent steel making company, is these days in the city alongwith her husband. Last night, an Army team searched the hotel rooms, supposedly looking out for ULFA militants. This was around 8-45 pm.

About an hour later, the said Subedar (a Subedar is a junior commissioned officer, or JCO) again...

SHILLONG, March 28— Unscientific mining claimed the lives of atleast seven coal mine labourers in the Nangalbibra coalfields in South Garo Hills on Tuesday, according to delayed reports received here.

The miners accidentally dug into an abandoned mining hole at Dothichiring area following which water gushed out engulfing them. This also led to the collapse of the cave entrance, sources said adding that the toll is likely to go up as all the bodies are yet to be extricated.

Death of miners in cave-ins is common in the coal fields of South Garo Hills, where 40 workers were killed under similar...