AGARTALA, August 22: The recent abduction of four Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) leaders by tribal insurgents has opened up another battle front for the church and the Sangh Parivar. But the event has a far reaching consequence in the Northeast where the church has been an important socio-political institution and the RSS gradually gaining ground. The authorities have been trying to say that the abduction of four RSS leaders from a remote area in North Tripura on August 6 was part of abduction menace indulged in by the insurgents. This claim has gained ground since the National Liberation...

KOHIMA, August 21: The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) general secretary, Dally Mungro, who was gunned down on Wednesday, was buried at his native village Longkhum in Nagaland's Mokokchung district yesterday. Earlier, a funeral service was held where the slain leader's wife Khutoli Mungro was present. Meanwhile, tension has gripped the state in apprehension of factional fights between two rival factions of the NSCN following the killing of Mungro and his associates. The security forces have also geared up for preventive measures in the vulnerable places to face any...

CALCUTTA, August 21: Tripura seems to be going the West Bengal way, with the Tripura Congress heading for a certain split following largescale desertions from the party in favour of the Trinamul Congress. Buoyed by the developments, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has already staked her claim on Tripura West seat, in which she plans to put up former Tripura chief minister and veteran state Congress leader Sudhir Ranjan Mazumder as her party candidate. Mazumder has already quit the Congress to join the Trinamul Congress. Banerjee said talks were under way with the central leadership of...

GUWAHATI, August 21 - The URMCA-CPI(ML) alliance has decided to contest the Kokrajhar seat in the coming Lok Sabha elections while extending support to Left, regional and democratic forces to defeat both the BJP and the Congress in the remaining constituencies of the state. A statement by the URMCA general secretary, Mukut Singha Chutia, said apart from demanding an end to the terrorist violence and dissolution of the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC), the issues of floods and environment, "imperialist plunder of State's resources", scheduling of Jharkhandis and Koch-Rajbongshis, protection of...

GUWAHATI, August 21: Five tea executives have been kidnapped by extremists from different parts of the state since last evening. According to information available here, three executives were kidnapped last evening from the Fatemabad tea estate in Barpeta, while two others were kidnapped from Cachar district. Suspected Bodo extremists kidnapped manager Bimal Das, deputy manager Nabajyoti Phukan and assistant manager Prianka Pujari of the Fatemabad tea estate at gunpoint last evening. A group of unidentified extremists abducted assistant manager Ranjit Banerjee and welfare officer Subir Deb Roy...