Politics / Assam

Guwahati, April 1: In a move that could open a Pandora’s box in the insurgency-ravaged Northeast, the Assam Assembly today began a debate on including the thorny subject of “sovereignty” in a dialogue between the Centre and the Ulfa.

The debate was prompted by a private member’s resolution moved by AGP members Dilip Kumar Saikia and Sarbananda Sonowal. The duo urged Delhi and Dispur to accept the Ulfa’s main condition for talks — inclusion of the issue of Assam’s “sovereignty” in the agenda — because the deadlock would never be broken if both sides remained adamant.

Initiating the discussion...

JORHAT, March 30 — “Three ULFA militants, namely Mridul Hazarika, Anjan Barthakur and Phatik Hatimuria, who have since been named as co-accused in the murder of AVARDNE general secretary Sanjoy Ghosh at Majuli river island on July 4, 1997, are still sheltered at camps run by the organisation in Myanmar”, claimed five disillusioned cadres, including a sister-in-arms, who surrendered before police, paramilitary and high-ranking district administration officials at the Sadar police station here today.

Admitting that the ULFA was presently running five training camps with 1,200 youths in the...

GUWAHATI, March 29—Forests in 41,000 hectares of land in Assam were destroyed during the period from 1996 to 1999. This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Forest, Sri Pradyut Bordoloi while replying to the debate on the cut motions on the demand for grant of Rs 1,33,41,62,000 for the Forest Department for the year 2003-2004.

Sri Bordoloi, quoting a report of the Forest Survey of India, said that forests in about 20,000 hectares of land were destroyed in Sonitpur district alone. Sri Bordoloi informed the House that the State Government would formulate a pragmatic forest policy on the...

DIBRUGARH, March 28 – A Subedar of the 28 Punjab Regiment, one Sukhwinder Singh, has brought a bad name to his unit as well as the Army as a whole. On Wednesday night, he allegedly tried to molest a lady from Calcutta who was staying at the city’s posh Little Palace Hotel. The lady, an engineer with a prominent steel making company, is these days in the city alongwith her husband. Last night, an Army team searched the hotel rooms, supposedly looking out for ULFA militants. This was around 8-45 pm.

About an hour later, the said Subedar (a Subedar is a junior commissioned officer, or JCO) again...

Shillong, March 27: The Meghalaya government will move New Delhi to intervene in the vexed boundary dispute with Assam if its hand is forced, chief minister D.D. Lapang said here today. However, another attempt would be made to solve the problem of militancy along the border, he added.

Replying to the debate on the Governor’s address, the chief minister mooted a mission of peace. Lapang said the Assam boundary problem needs settlement. He said the status quo between both states would be maintained till a solution is found. “We have to solve it together,” he said, adding that he would fix a...

New Delhi, March 25: Member of Parliament and former interlocutor to the Mizo and Naga talks, Swaraj Kaushal, has appealed to Ulfa leader Anup Chetia to retract his decision of seeking asylum in Bangladesh. Kaushal has stated his desire of taking up the matter with the Centre for “his (Chetia’s) safe return to Assam”.

Golap Baruah alias Anup Chetia, general secretary and a founder member of the Ulfa, was arrested in Dhaka in 1997 and has four cases pending against him, including illegal possession of foreign currency, arms and forged passport.

A Bangladeshi court had recently sentenced the...

NEW DELHI, March 25 — Former Mizoram Governor and senior Rajya Sabha MP Swaraj Kaushal has offered his services to intervene on behalf of imprisoned outlawed ULFA leader Anup Chetia to work out his safe return to Assam.

In an open letter to the general secretary of the outfit currently lodged in Dhaka jail, Sri Kaushal has said, “if you agree I am prepared to intervene on your behalf and take up the matter with Government of India for your safe return to Assam.” Sri Kaushal, who was the moving force behind the singing of the Mizo Accord, said he was distressed by reports that Anup Chetia has...

March 24: Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio’s call for a merger of all Naga-inhabited contiguous areas under a single administrative roof has once again ruffled the feathers of the three neighbouring Congress-ruled states.

Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam have reacted sharply to the NDA-friendly Nagaland chief minister’s remarks on “Greater Nagaland”, saying that such a demand was unacceptable to them. They were of the opinion that the statement could only add to the “confusion”.

During his visit to New Delhi last week, Rio had suggested to the Centre that all Naga-inhabited contiguous...

GUWAHATI, March 21 — During the almost two-decade-long on-and-off movement for first a separate Bodoland State then for more autonomy mainly spearheaded by the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), education was relegated to, background on Bodo-dominated areas in the State.The harsh reality that general students from the Bodo areas of the State have lagged miles behind their counterparts in other parts has dawned on the ABSU which now have the time to look into the matter in the post Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Accord.

Talking to The Assam Tribune, ABSU president Rabiram Brahma admitted that...

NEW DELHI, March 19 — Nagaland Government has taken serious note of the complacent manner of Assam Government in issuing documents to illegal migrants. Assam has become a breeding ground for illegal migrants, who after procuring necessary documents move to the hills of Nagaland, charged Chief Minister of the State, Neiphiu Rio.

The cause of alarm for the State is that it has recorded the highest decadal population growth rate in the country at 67 per cent. The minister said that though the hill sector in his State has no problem, the Dimapur valley has been affected. It may be recalled here...