Politics / Assam

GUWAHATI, April 20: The United People's Front (UPF), a joint platform of six ethnic organisations, has decided to field 12 candidates in the ensuing Assembly election of the State. The central executive committee meeting of the UPF, held at the Tribal Rest House here today, nominated its president Tulsi Bardoloi for Morigaon Constituency, Maneswar Kathar for Dispur, Ratan Rabha for Paneri, Biren Rabha for Kalaigaon, Rabi Rabha for Goalpara (West), Sabita Rabha for Goalpara (East), Janardan Rabha for Dudhnoi, Bijan Rabha for Chaygaon, Ramsingha Diya for Palasbari, Premilata Pator for Jalukbari...

SHILLONG, April 20: No fresh firing was reported on Friday on the international border with Bangladesh from Meghalaya to Assam since the Border Security Force and Bangladesh Rifles struck truce at Thursday flag meeting at Dawki in Meghalaya, reports PTI. R C Silkoti, Commandant of BSF head quarters here told PTI there was no report of exchange of fire between BSF and BDR at Pyrdiwah in Meghalaya and Mankachar area in Assam with both sides agreeing to maintain status quo. He said everything is peaceful there' and Bangladesh would on Friday return the bodies of the BSF, jawans killed by BDR at...

GUWAHATI, April 20: The bodies of 15 of the 16 Border Security Force (BSF) officers and men killed by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel along with the villagers of Bangladesh were returned to the Indian authorities this evening and from the wound marks in the bodies, it was apparent that the BSF men were killed in cold blood and they were not killed in a shoot-out. Highly-placed official sources said that the bodies of 15 BSF men killed inside Bangladesh were handed over to the Indian authorities at Mahendraganj in Meghalaya-Bangladesh border late this evening. The Bangladesh Rifles...

NEW DELHI, April 19: In a shot in the arm for the Assam Government, the Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated that it favoured Assam's plea for entrusting the Survey of India with the job of ascertaining the inter-State boundary between Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, rather than the Union Government's suggestion for constitution of a boundary commission. The vexed issue of demarcation of inter-State boundary came up for hearing on Wednesday at the Court of the Chief Justice, A S Anand. The division bench that also included Justice R C Lahoty and Justice Doraiswamy Raju, adjourned the...

GUWAHATI, April 19: State Committee of the CPM today announced that it would field 22 candidates in the ensuing election to the State Assembly. The party also released its poll manifesto for the purpose. Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, State CPM secretary Hemen Das said that its main election plank this time is to make the people aware about the threat posed by communalism to the people of the State. The party will engage itself both inside the Assembly and outside it, to resist the communal forces and their designs to divide the people on communal lines. For, the party...

GUWAHATI, April 19: The Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA), consisting of nine political parties, today announced a 56-member list of candidates for the ensuing Assembly election. Of the 56 seats, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) would fight for 42 seats, while 14 have been given to Asom Jatio Sanmilan (AJS) led by former home minister Bhrigu Kumar Phukan. Releasing the list, the NCP general secretary, PA Sangma, said that the RDA would release two more lists of candidates soon. Sangma further informed that the NCP (a constituent of RDA) has received a shot in the arm before the forthcoming...

AGARTALA, April 19: The 1286-km long Tripura-Cachar-Mizoram border with Bangladesh has been put on 'maximum alert' following the killing of 16 BSF jawans by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) at Boribari in Assam yesterday, a senior official said today, reports PTI. "All BSF outposts in Tripura, Mizoram and Cachar district of Assam along the Bangladesh border have been put on alert so that any attempt to attack our nationals or occupy our land by any foreign quarters can be thwarted", Deputy Inspector General S Basumatari said. The BSF's strength has been increased in Muhurichar outpost in South Tripura...

GUWAHATI, April 19: Panicky villagers of Man-kachar subdivision in Dhubri district bordering Bangladesh continued to flee to safer places as a war-like situation has developed in the area following heavy exchange of fire between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) since yesterday. Official sources in Dhubri said that according to information available, the Bangladesh Armymen have also moved into the Bangladesh Rifles posts, while BSF reinforcements have been moved to the border posts. So far one person was killed and eleven others injured in the firing since...

SHILLONG, April 19: The BSF today peacefully regained control over the Pyrdiwah observatory post in Meghalaya when Bangladesh Rifles occupying it since Monday, pulled out and guns fell silent in Mankachar area after a ceasefire was agreed upon, BSF Inspector General (HQ) V K Gaur said, reports PTI. The impasse was resolved a day after the killing of 16 BSF personnel by the BDR at Boribari in Assam. BDR resumes firing: Breaking a luss of three hours, Bangladesh Rifles resumed mortar fire on Indian positions this evenin wounding one civilian at Thakurianbari village of border district Dhubri...

NEW DELHI, April 18: The Congress Party's selection process has gone haywire, with the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party imposing new candidates, leading to overall confusion among partymen. Even as the APCC leadership was trying to figure out how to handle Devananda Konwar's defiant act of filing nomination came in reports that his wife Niva Konwar has left for Assam to file nomination from Sivasagar LAC, said a senior leader of the party. Party sources said their enquiry has revealed that Devananda Konwar has filed nomination yesterday on the advise of his astrologer. However...