Politics / Assam

Guwahati, April 30: Hotly contesting claims by the army that a section of its activists had violated the ceasefire with the Centre and instigated the recent Dimasa-Hmar clashes, the Dima Halam Daoga (DHD) today demanded the release of the 15 rebels who were arrested yesterday in Cachar district.

A senior official told The Telegraph here that the DHD leadership took up the twin issues directly with the state government. He said the outfit clarified that its activists had not set up any camp other than the designated ones and that the 15 members arrested yesterday were actually in transit.

The...

GUWAHATI, April 28 — Close on the heels of ethnic riots between Dimasa and Hmar communities in the districts of North Cachar Hills and Cachar, threat of another ethnic strife over the issue of granting Scheduled Tribe (Hills) status to the Bodos living in the hill districts is looming large in Karbi Anglong.

According to the Clause 8 of the Memorandum of Settlement signed between the Central and State Governments and Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), the government would consider sympathetically the issue of granting ST(H) status to the Bodo Kacharis living in the Karbi Anglong and NC Hills...

Guwahati, April 27: The apex organisation of the Dimasa tribe today urged the Assam government to flush out Hmar militants from Cachar and North Cachar Hills, saying they were responsible for the spate of ethnic clashes in the twin districts.

The Jadikhe Naisho Hoshom (JNH) said militants of the Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic) had infiltrated the strife-torn districts from adjacent Manipur and Mizoram to instigate the Hmar community to fight with the Dimasas.

Waimijing, another Dimasa organisation, made a similar statement in a memorandum to chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

The JNH asked the...

SHILLONG, April 27 — The Hmar people have strongly warned the Dimasa people and Assam Government that they must not be held responsible for any future catastrophe if the terror tactics and the oppressive methods unleashed on them (Hmars) are not immediately stopped. In a faxed statement to North East Press Service here on Thursday, Lalthanmawia Pajamte, Joint Secretary of the apex body of the Hmars, “the Hmar Inpui”, said recent onslaughts against the Hmar people had forced them to a totally defensive position with no options of going offensive.

Ridiculing the peace proposal arranged by the...

GUWAHATI, April 27— The Jadikhe Naisho Hoshom (JNH), the apex body of the Dimasas, today called upon all quarters concerned not to indulge in any activity which may provoke fresh conflicts between Dimasas and Hmars of NC Hills and Cachar districts. Meanwhile, a delegation of the All Dimasa Students’ Union (ADSU) has left for New Delhi to raise the issue of Dimasa-Hmar confict at the national-level and also to mount pressure on the Central Government to expedite the peace process between itself (Centre) and the Dima Halom Daoga (DHD). The ADSU delegation in New Delhi will also place the demand...

NEW DELHI, April 27 —The Assam Government has advocated continuation of ban on ULFA and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) citing several incidents of attacks on para-military forces and Army, kidnapping and use of sophisticated weapons by these militant groups, reports PTI. Leading evidence before Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal headed by Justice Manmohan Sarin, standing counsel for State Government Krishna Sharma stated that these groups have acquired sophisticated weapons like AK-56 assault rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers and were indulging in activities...

GUWAHATI, April 23 — The procastination on part of Government of India to hold talks with Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) and United People’s Democratic Solidary (UPDS) which are in ceasefire with Government forces, has raised concern in the two hill districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills districts of the State. Sources in the hill districts informed that public peace in those areas are in danger with armed cadres of DHD and UPDS moving around in the open instead of remaining within their peacetime designated camps as per rules governing the ceasefire. Involvement of DHD cadres in the...

SHILLONG, April 22 — The idea of flushing out the northeast militant organizations—United Liberation Front of Asson (ULFA), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and Kamatapur Liberation Organization (KLO) —from the soils of Bhutan through the joint army action by India and Bhutan has gradually faded away, reports North East Press Service. Although Bhutan Government had already appreciated the idea of joint military action to flush out the northeast militant organizations from its soil, the Government (Bhutan) had reportedly signaled the would-be consequences if such military action was...

NEW DELHI, April 22 — The nightmare of eviction drives on the forest land in the State may come back to haunt Assam Government, with the Union Environment and Forest Ministry putting its foot down on encroachment of forestland, even as the State’s is ranked eighth in the country in term of forest cover, which was estimated at 35.33 per cent. With the Supreme Court keeping a close watch on the issue, Union Environment and Forest Minister, TR Baalu today clarified that eviction drives to remove the unlawful people away from the forest land has to continue. The Minister, however, added that...

IMPHAL, April 21 – Welcoming the peace initiative by all community women leaders in NC Hills, the Hmar Students Association, Imphal joint headquarters appealed to both the Government of India and Assam government not to commit the 'mistake' for the second time. The association accused both the authorities for the recent ethnic confilct between Hmars and Dimasas in NC hills district of Assam.

The peace initiative comprised of Hmar, Dimasa, Bengali, Kuki, Zeme-Naga, Hrangkol, Beite and Vaiphei communities and started at Haflong, the district headquarter of North Cachar Hills . Leaders of Dima...