Politics / Assam

GUWAHATI, May 8 – The militant United Peoples’ Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) has given a deadline, till May 26, to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) to pass a resolution withdrawing its earlier recommendations to the government regarding the conferment of ST(Hills) status to the Bodo’s living in Karbi Anglong.Stating that successive ruling parties at the KAAC have sacrificed the political interests of the indigenous tribal community ‘at the alter of political opportunism, the militant group’s publicity secretary L Ronghang said in a press statement that the UPDS will be ‘forced to...

NEW DELHI, May 8 — Emboldened by the Centre’s move to repeal the IMDT Act, Assam BJP today urged the Central leadership to reintroduce the Immigrants Expulsion Act, 1950 and the Foreigners Act 1946. The Union Cabinet while recommending the repeal of the controversial Act has proposed to replace it by Foreigner Act by providing that all pending cases in the IMDT Tribunals as well as fresh cases would be tried under Foreigners Act.

Meanwhile, the draft IMDT Bill is unlikely to be tabled in the current session of the Parliament as the Government legislation business formally came to end today...

Guwahati, May 7: The All-Assam Students’ Union and several other organisations today hailed the Centre’s decision to repeal the contentious Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act as a “bold move”, but the Congress and minority groups said it was a “dangerous gameplan” by the BJP to foment communal tension.

The All-Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) warned of a Nellie-like massacre in the wake of the legislation being repealed and called a 12-hour statewide bandh from 5 am of May 10.

Terming the Centre’s decision a “Hitlerian one”, it accused the BJP of “turning its attention to...

GUWAHATI, May 7 — The tea giant multi-national Williamson and Magor which owns about 30 big tea estates in Assam, recently paid Rs 10 lakh to the proscribed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) to buy peace. This was admitted by NDFB ultras Sunil Brahma and his associate Indra Mohan Basumatary before a large group of newsmen here this afternoon.

The NDFB ultras who were apprehended by Kolkata police recently, were brought to the State today by sleuths of Special Operation Unit (SOU) of Assam police. The duo were produced before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate here immediately...

NEW DELHI, May 7 – In an unexpected last minute glitch, the proposed Bills for amending the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution paving the way for creation of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), is unlikely to be passed in the ongoing Budget Session, as it is likely to be forwarded to Parliamentary Standing Committee. An adamant Congress today stood its ground refusing to allow its passage in the Lok Sabha without referring it to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs, despite hectic lobbying by the two Bodo MPs and BJP members. The Bills are likely to be tabled in the Lok Sabha here tomorrow.

...

NEW DELHI, May 6 — The Union Cabinet today formally cleared the proposal for amendment of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution paving the way for tabling of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Bill in the ongoing session of the Parliament. The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Sushma Swaraj, said that in order to give effect to the provisions of the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS), the Cabinet has approved the amendments to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the Article 332(6) of the Constitution and the Schedule Tribe Order 1950 to modify the list of the STs in respect of...

DIBRUGARH, May 6 — Unidentified miscreants fired several gunshots at the wee hours today at the Jeraigaon residence of ULFA commander-in-chief, Paresh Baruah. According to Miliki Baruah, mother of Paresh Baruah, the family woke up at around 2 am this morning after they heard the shots. Paresh Baruah’s elder brother, Bimal, who is a civilian army employee with the Military Engineer Services at Chabua, lives with his mother in the village.

The police have begun investigating the case. In the last six years, miscreants fired at the house at least on three occasions. A younger brother of Paresh...

Calcutta, May 5: Calcutta police on Monday said that they would charge all four tea companies headquartered in Calcutta with business interests in Assam with indulging in “anti-national activities” for funding the Bodo militant outfit.

The police have also learnt that these companies had been funding the NDFB rebels not only for the last two years, as initial interrogation had revealed, but at least for the last seven to eight years.

Without naming the four tea companies, Calcutta detective department chief Soumen Mitra said, “We are collecting evidence against these tea firms and we shall...

KOLKATA, May 3 — Two ultras of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, arrested from a city hotel, were being interrogated by the police to ascertain if militant outfits were being funded by major tea companies in West Bengal, reports PTI.

City police detective department’s Deputy Commissioner Soumen Mitra said today that the militant organisation was suspected to be extorting money from tea companies, and the police interrogation was proceeding to ascertain facts.

“Our interrogation is proceeding in that direction, since we suspect their role as extortionists,” Mitra said, refusing to...

GUWAHATI, May 2 — The Army today released the 15 Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) militants it had picked up from Udarbund area in Cachar district on Tuesday last on charges of violating ‘ceasefire’ ground rules. The Army apprehended the militants along with weapons far away from their ceasefire designated camp at Ditokcherra in North Cachar Hills district on suspicion that the Dimasa ultras were out to attack Hmar community areas in Cachar district.

However, in the wake of arrest of its cadres by the Army, the DHD yesterday threatened to pull out of the ceasefire agreement with Government of India...