Politics / Assam

NEW DELHI, June 9 ? Confusion reigned over reports ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah falling to assassin?s bullets in Bangladesh yesterday. There was no confirmation of the reports by the Union Government. The rumour on attempt on the elusive commander in-chief following reports of a similar attack on his life last month in the neighbouring country in which he reportedly escaped unhurt.

But the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has played it safe refusing to comment on the reports. Sources in the Ministry said they had seen the reports but have no confirmation of the incident. It takes about...

GUWAHATI, June 8 ? The close nexus between the banned ULFA and the Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity (MASS) has been exposed once again with the arrest of a woman member of the outfit while she was on her way to the residence of MASS central committee member Minati Bora near the MASS office in the Bamunimaidan area of the city last night. ULFA member Kalyani Keleng alias Jonali Keleng alias Sunita Sonowal of Jagiroad was arrested at about 9.30 pm last night by a joint team of Morigaon and Guwahati city police. She was by her own admission, walking to the house of Minati Bora, rented out from one...

GUWAHATI, June 8? The banned ULFA is in a state of disarray following serious, and violent, differences among its top leadership, security sources said. The state of affairs is such that large sections of its lower-level cadres are contemplating surrender. According to the sources, the widespread sense of desolation among the ULFA ranks stems largely from the battle of supremacy between the top ULFA leadership, particularly the outfit?s ?commander-in-chief? Paresh Barua and his deputy Raju Barua. While Paresh Barua is in Bangladesh enjoying the hospitality of Bangladeshi and Pakistani...

GUWAHATI, June 7 ? The May 30 tragedy at Sapoi Tea Estate in Sonitpur district where two tea executives were burnt down after they had been dragged out of their official residences by a mob of tea workers, has raised serious security concern among the planters in the State. That the gory incident took place in front of armed homeguard personnel posted in the estate to safeguard the tea executives has raised questions in the tea circle over the effectiveness of these personnel in providing security to the lives and property of tea officials in the State.

?Nothing illegal and violent should be...

GUWAHATI, June 6?The State Government has made a fresh request to the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs to reconsider the demand of the Koch-Rajbongshis of the State for inclusion in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST), excluding areas of North Cachar Hills and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Councils.

The justification provided by the State for inclusion of Koch-Rajbongshis in the ST list is that these people are categorised as STs in West Bengal and Meghalaya, while in Tripura, they are treated as Scheduled Caste (SC); the Assam Institute of Research and Training also recommended inclusion of...

Guwahati, June 5: A few minutes into his new assignment as the Governor of Assam, Lt. Gen. (retd) Ajay Singh laid down his ?mission statement? ? he will sail with Dispur, unlike his predecessor, Lt. Gen. (retd) S.K. Sinha.

?He is the boss,? the Governor said, pointing to chief minister Tarun Gogoi. ?I will dive into the Brahmaputra if he wants me to.?

Gen. Singh?s statement, just after being sworn in at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan, left many stunned, though it was apparently in jest. Visibly embarrassed, Gogoi rushed to lighten the moment. ?We will swim and cross the river together.?

The...

TEZPUR, June 4 ? Eight security personnel including one Lance Naik of Assam police and seven Home Guards constables were placed under suspension after they failed to protect the life of two tea executives of Sapoi tea estates, who were dragged out of their residences by irate tea labourers and burnt to death on May 30 last.

The two tea executives were Anthony Unger (40) deputy manager and Susmit Kumar Singh (45) senior assistant manager of Sapoi tea estate under Dhekiajuli revenue circle. Debashis Chakraborty, secretary Assam Branch of India Tea Association (ABITA) Zone 3 talking to this...

Nellie, June 3: The wounds have healed and the scars are fading. Twenty years after the worst communal carnage in Assam soaked Nellie in blood, people in the sleepy hamlet seem to have buried the past to set an example in communal harmony.

At an official function to mark the inauguration of a health camp today, people from the minority community bowed in obeisance as Hindu rituals were performed. They clapped spontaneously when minister of state for health and family welfare Rupam Singh Ronghang cut a ribbon to declare the camp open.

Residents avoid talking on sensitive issues, admittedly...

GUWAHATI, June 3 ? The efforts of the Central and State Governments to bring the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) to the negotiating table are yet to yield the desired results primarily because of the adamant attitude of the chairman of the outfit, Ranjan Daimary alias Nabla Daimary, highly placed security sources said here.

Sources said that efforts are on through different channels to bring the militant outfit to the negotiating table but at the same time, the Central Government is of the view that there is no point talking with other leaders of the outfit until Ranjan Daimary...

Guwahati, June 2: After seeing the dialogue between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M) stutter because of minimal political involvement in the process, the Dima Halam Daoga (DHD) today demanded negotiations with Delhi ?at the highest political level? instead of talks with a bureaucrat interlocutor.

In an exclusive interview to The Telegraph, DHD commander-in-chief Pranab Nunisa said his group wanted either the Prime Minister or his deputy to participate in the proposed peace talks instead of leaving the job to bureaucrats.

?The demand we have raised is a political one and it should be discussed at...