Politics / Assam

GUWAHATI, May 11— The mystery over the attack on the ancestral home of ULFA ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Baruah at Jeraigaon in Dibrugarh district on Tuesday last has deepened with security officials alleging that the attack was stage-managed by the banned outfit to defame the government. What has added to the mystery is the fact that the ULFA is yet to make a detailed statement over the issue.

Security sources here said that there are enough indications to suggest that the ‘attack’ on the home of the ULFA commander in the dead of the night on Tuesday was carried out by members of the outfit...

GUWAHATI, May 10—A 12-hour statewide bandh called by a faction of All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) in protest against BJP-led NDA government’s move to repeal the IMDT Act, 1983, today evoked lukewarm response in the State. The bandh failed to evoke any response in the State capital where all educational institutions, financial organisations and business establishments functioned normally in the State. Official sources informed that the bandh passed off sans any untoward incident after failing to make any impact on life of the common people barring a few minority-dominated pockets in...

GUWAHATI, May 10 – Three months have passed since the day the memorandum of settlement between the Central and State Governments and Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) was signed for setting up of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) under the provisions of amended Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, but till date even the interim council has not been formed and now it seems that even the formation of the interim body would be delayed till July.

Highly placed official sources admitted that bureaucratic red-tapism in various ministries of the Union Government delayed the preparation of the Bill for...

GUWAHATI, May 10—Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind president Maulana Asad Madani today cautioned that repeal of the IMDT Act might pose a serious threat to the existence of Assam as a language State. The Jamiat is opposed to any move to repeal the Act and will consistently fight out any such move. Instead of repealing the Act, it should be implemented all over the country to save the Indian Muslims from the harassment of the police in matters of determining their (Muslims) citizenship, he said.

Sri Madani who was talking to media persons at a press conference at the Circuit House here this afternoon...

GUWAHATI, May 10 — The Assam cabinet adopted a resolution opposing the Union Cabinet’s approval to the repeal of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, as Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said the tabling of the Bill in the Parliament for repeal was a ‘political gimmick’ of the BJP-led NDA government. The resolution, adopted last night, pointed out that the Act was for providing security to Indian citizens. Gogoi told PTI here in an exclusive interview that his Congress government had lodged a protest with the Centre for its move to scrap the Act.

“We want illegal foreigners...

GUWAHATI, May 9 – The river police force, set up in 1979 to check illegal infiltration from across the border, to check crimes and to prevent smuggling, has not been able to perform as per the expectations due to years of neglect by successive Governments, while, a proposal for setting up a full fledged battalion of river police is pending before the Government of India. Assam has more than 247 kilometre of international border with Bangladesh, of which 110 kilometre is riverine border. Of the riverine international border, 46 kilometre is in Dhubri district, 41 kilometre in Karimganj district...

GUWAHATI, May 9 — Even as the bill to repeal the IMDT Act was tabled in the Parliament today, hectic activities are on in the State among the protagonist and adversaries of the controversial act to mobilise public opinion in favour of their respective stands. While the BJP today took out a procession from Fancy Bazar to the DC’s court in the city exhorting support to the move to repeal the Act, the United Minorities Front (UMF) has convened a meeting of the like minded organisations to evolve a strategy for saving the Act or to find out an alternative to save the Indian minorities of...

NEW DELHI, May 9 — The Union Government in a surprise move, tabled the controversial draft IMDT Bill catching the Opposition unawares, even as the Congress party staged a walkout in protest against the tabling of the Bill. Uncertainty over the creation of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) was resolved, when the Union Government tabled two Bills proposing to amend the Sixth Schedules of the Constitution and the Article 332(6) of the Constitution. The contentious proposal to accord Schedule Tribe (Hills) to the Bodo living in the two hills districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills...

Guwahati, May 8: The militant United People?s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) today set a May 26 deadline to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council to scrap its recommendation for granting Scheduled Tribe status to Bodos living in the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills.

In a statement issued by the outfit?s frontal organisation, the Karbi Anglong-North Cachar People?s Resistance, the UPDS squarely held the chief executive members who have controlled the KAAC since 1991 responsible for the current crisis.

It warned the KAAC authorities of ?appropriate? action if the deadline was...

New Delhi, May 8: Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga has said serious efforts are on to bring the Ulfa to the negotiating table as part of a larger process to establish peace and stability in the Northeast.

?Though I have not yet been able to establish direct contact with any of the Ulfa leaders, we are trying to make them sit for dialogue. The intelligence agencies are also trying for a breakthrough while I am contributing to the process as much as possible,? the chief minister told The Telegraph.

The endeavour comes at a time when the banned outfit had continuously spurned offers for talks...