Development

Dibrugarh, July 3: Dibrugarh police arrested four soldiers for trying to molest two girls at a restaurant here today. Dibrugarh additional superintendent of police (headquarters) Pradip Ranjan Kar said Harjit Singh, Baljit Singh, Hardeep Singh and Jaswinder Singh, belonging to the 236th Inland Water Transport Regiment of the army, had gone to the restaurant to celebrate their transfer from Maijanghat to Guwahati.

The SP said the soldiers, who soon became inebriated, tried to molest two girls who had come to the restaurant.

When eyewitnesses raised an alarm, the restaurant staff tried to stop...

Guwahati, July 3: Grief-stricken villagers of Deepor Beel today held special prayers in memory of the three elephants who were run over by a speeding train on June 20. They hoped that such incidents would not recur in future. The villagers went to Chakardeo, where the mishap had occurred, early this morning and observed religious rituals with flowers and other offerings.

Later, women gathered at the Chakardeo community centre and held special prayers.

?This is our way of paying obeisance to the elephants with which we have had an intimate bonding since ages,? Laxman Terong, a villager, said...

SHILLONG, July 3 ? Chief Ministers of north eastern states have approached the Centre individually to give them concession to increase the cabinet size from the stipulated 12 in the downsizing exercise, while Meghalaya suggested that the right size of the ministry should be 20, reports PTI. The Chief Ministers of Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and some other states of the region conveyed this to the Centre individually during their recent trips to Delhi.

Disclosing this here on his return from Delhi, Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang said the Centre was approached to rectify a...

AIZAWL, July 3 ?Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has said he would downsize his council of ministers by dropping three ministers before the expiry of the July 7 deadline in accordance with the provisions of the 91st amendment of the Constitution, reports PTI. ?It would be done before the expiry of the deadline set by the Constitution,? Zoramthanga told reporters here on Friday. He said that his cabinet colleagues fully authorised him to make the changes as it was the prerogative of the Chief Minister to expand or downsize his council of ministers.

He said that there would be no problem in...

TURA, July 3 ?The Congress- led state government led by Chief Minister D D Lapang is facing a virtual revolt from his own party MLAs from the Garo Hills over the likely induction of a non-tribal minister in the new cabinet that takes shape shortly. Shortlisting of MLA Manirul Islam Sarkar?s name as one of the probable ministers in the new cabinet that will house twelve members, including the Chief Minister, has not gone down well with the majority Garo population and the Garo MLAs. While Lapang and Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Salseng C Marak have denied any hand in...

KOKRAJHAR, July 3 ? An Adivasi woman was allgedly raped by two Army jawans Tuesday night at Padmapukhuri near Gossaigaon railway station in Kokrajhar district, police said. According to the sources, two Army jawans from a patrolling party at Gossaigaon Railway station forcefully entered the house of Sciful Soren and assaulted him.

The victim has lodged an FIR against the jawans of 11 J&K Light Infentry Regiment stationed at Habrubil of Gossaigaon Subdivision at Gossaigaon PS. Police registered a case Vice No. 92/2004 u/s 448/342/376(2)(B) IPC.

DIBRUGARH, July 3? Four persons, all soldiers, have been arrested by the police today after they were severely beaten up by a crowd on charges of haggling two girls in a busy commercial locality here. The incident occurred this afternoon near the city?s busy Thana Chariali where the four persons were brutally beaten by an angry crowd after they were caught trying to molest two girls in broad daylight. The four are said to be jawans of Army IWT unit here and have been identified as Harjeet Singh, Baljit Singh, Hardeep Singh and Pushpinder Singh. The injured jawans have been admitted to the...

GUWAHATI, July 3 ? The Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) has proposed hike in the power tariff for all categories of power consumers. The tariff proposed by the Board is Rs 4.96 per KWH against the existing Rs 4.12 per KWH, for the 2003-04 fiscal. It has also proposed an average tariff of Rs 5.38 per KWH for the 2004-05 fiscal. Meanwhile, it has also sought to ?update? the load security in accordance with the 2001 decision.

According to sources in the ASEB, the latest revision of power tariff by the Board was effected in April last year. It was based on the calculations made as per the...

GUWAHATI, July 3 ? The Assam Government has decided to set up a new Border Outpost at Missibailum area in Karbi Anglong district following incidents of violence after an encroachment drive by a group of Naga people backed by the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN). One Extra Assistant Commissioner of the Assam Government Dipankar Das was killed in the exchange of fire in that area in the Dhansiri reserve forest on July 1.

The Minister of State for Home Rockybul Hussain said that he, along with the Health Minister, Dr Bhumidhar Barman, Director General of Assam Police, Inspector...

NEW DELHI, July 3 ? The process of downsizing the Tarun Gogoi ministry could not be completed today following differences over induction of ministers. The final meeting is likely to be held tomorrow to select the new team. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today held a series of meetings but could not finalise the entire list as differences cropped up over induction of ministers like Bhubaneswar Kalita, Sarat Barkotoky, Anjan Dutta, Pradyut Bordoloi, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Etua Munda, Rameshwar Dhanowar among others.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had two rounds of meetings with AICC president Sonia...