GUWAHATI, August 20: The Assam chief minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta's, lauding of the successful joint operation by the Assam and West Bengal Police at Rajshahi, 207 km inside Bangladesh, during his Independence Day speech was not a gaffe. It was a calculated, deliberate statement. An unrepentant Mr Mahanta, in a interview with a local daily has said, "Bangladesh cannot deny the fact that.... the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan is using its territory to create disturbances in Assam and other parts of the region." Mahanta's expos? triggered a flurry of activity. Bangladesh Prime...

KOHIMA, August 19: The general secretary of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) Dali Mungro, and two of his associates were killed by a suspected rival group here last night, according to the Kohima superintendent of police, I Tushiyae. About 30 persons surrounded the house in which Dali Mungro (55) and his wife were taking shelter, about eight km from the capital near the Science College at Jotsoma. After breaking the door open, Mungro, the second-in-command of the NSCN(K) and his wife were forcibly taken to an isolated place where he was shot dead, police sources said. However...

KOHIMA, August 19: The general secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) Dali Mungro, 55, and two other activists were gunned down by rival insurgents at Jotsoma, nearly 4 km from here last night. Sources said nearly 30 militants armed with sophisticated weapons surrounded the house where Mungro and his wife, Thokuli, were temporarily staying. They broke open the door, dragged out Mungro and killed him nearly 100 yards away from the house. Sources said the killers were suspected NSCN(Isak-Muivah) activists. An official spokesman of the NSCN(IM) said the outfit would...

DUBRUGARH, August 19: Residents of several villages of the Rohmaria area have resorted to an indefinite oil blockade at an oil rig located in the place, demanding immediate erosion-control measures and thus save property worth hundreds of crores of rupees on the northeastern fringes of Dibrugarh. Lending "unstinted support" to the agitation, the Dibrugarh district unit of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner here, urging the Assam government to initiate urgent steps on erosion control at Rohmaria. The AJYCP has warned that...

IMPHAL, August 18: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has finally arrived at a decision for a common candidate for the coming Lok Sabha polls with the announcement of the name of T Chaoba, former member of Parliament. Chaoba will contest the Inner Manipur seat. The Congress has announced the name of Nimaichand Luwang as its candidate for Inner Manipur.