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DIBRUGARH, July 6 ?The Dibrugarh Town Mishing Kebang has called upon all sections of society to maintain communal peace and amity and not be misled by emotions on the issue of the proposed Sixth Schedule status to the Mishing Autonomous Council.

In a statement issued here on Monday, leading members of the Kebang said that the territorial jurisdiction of the proposed Council under the Sixth Schedule is yet to be finalised and that this would only be done after consulting all sections of the society.

?Therefore there is no need to be agitated over the issue.... rather it is necessary that the...

July 6: The chief ministers of the four northeastern states of Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh completed the process of downsizing their governments in the nick of time, eschewing major surprises and retaining their trusted aides.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga completed the task of trimming their ministries a day before the expiry of the deadline.

Tripura was the first state of the region to reduce the size of the government in accordance with a constitutional amendment last year.

In Manipur, Okram Ibobi Singh retained nine of his...

Imphal, July 6: A new armed outfit has surfaced in Manipur, announcing that it has taken a senior government official hostage. The new outfit ? named Human Rights and Protection Guild ? has accused Kaphunchung L. Kamei, the deputy director of the Manipur commerce and industry department, of corruption. It has been holding him captive for the past five days.

The official went missing from his Imphal residence on Thursday. The group?s spokesman said the official was not taken hostage for ransom but for his alleged involvement in malpractices.

The abduction came to light only after the group...

Kohima, July 6: Former Nagaland chief minister S.C. Jamir gave ?one last tip? on how to go about ending the Naga impasse before leaving the state for his new assignment as Governor of Goa. Continuing his refrain about the futility of demanding sovereignty, the Congress leader told The Telegraph that pragmatism, not idealism, was the most essential ingredient in his recipe for success.

?Today, people are afraid of speaking out the truth because they fear the gun. But they know that the solution they desire has to be acceptable to the government of India, too,? he said.

On integration of...

SHILLONG, July 6: The Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government today retained regional balance in the cabinet, but dropped one of its five allies in the much-awaited downsizing exercise, which brought down the strength of the ministry from 39 to 12. The 12 ministers in the government, including Chief Minister DD Lapang, have been reallocated portfolios, according to an official notification.