Agartala, June 22: The banned Biswamohan faction of the National Liberation Front of Tripura has demanded a ransom of Rs 60 lakh for releasing 24 hostages. Twenty-three small traders were abducted on June 14 from Quairi area under Vangmun police station in Kanchanpur subdivision of north Tripura.

A group of 25 heavily-armed NLFT militants had stopped two vehicles carrying 60 passengers at 6.30 am on that day. The vehicles were going towards Kawanpui on the occasion of market day at the trijunction of Tripura, Bangladesh and Mizoram.

The militants had selected 24 non-tribals, including the...

Shillong, June 22: Spirits are soaring in the Scotland of the East in anticipation of the hill getaway’s first-ever wine festival. Though the state had never before hosted a wine festival, winemaking has always been a cottage industry in these parts. Local brewers say the pronounced flavour of Mawphlang wine can enamour even connoisseurs who swear by Chardonnay or Sauvignon from the vineyards of France.

Slated for November, the Shillong Wine Festival will showcase an assortment of indigenous spirits. The festival, to be held at Crinoline Swimming Pool, is the brainchild of the Forever Young...

Agartala, June 22: Activists of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (Biswamohan faction) have intensified activities in Gandacherra subdivision of South district. A group of rebels has reportedly driven out over 1,200 tribals from five villages for refusing to pay “tax” and to prevent police from gathering information from them.

Official sources said on June 12, a team of Tripura State Rifles jawans had fought an hourlong gunbattle with NLFT militants in the jungle near the Kalajhari village. Two rebels were injured but managed to flee with the rest of the gang. Villagers later told the...

SHILLONG, June 22– Meghalaya Government on Wednesday decided to implement a ‘golden handshake’ scheme for the employees of loss-making Meghalaya Transport Corporation at a cost of Rs. 13.52 crore. After a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister DD Lapang, told reporters that altogether 216 out of over 600 employees of the MTC have ‘accpeted’ the offer of golden handshake given to them by the government earlier.

The scheme would be implemented immediately, he said. Lapang said another 150 employees of the MTC were reportedly willing to come forward to accept the scheme. The Chief Minister said the...

IMPHAL, June 21 –Top officials of the Indian Army have been visiting this border State since the past couple of weeks after they occupied the so-called “liberated zone” Sajik Tampak in the southern Chandel district bordering Myanmar. Army sources here said that the top officials of the Army have been visiting the State to take stock of the ongoing situation in this insurgency -prone region.

Sajik Tampak, more than 100 km south of Imphal, located in a hilly terrain of southern Chandel district of Manipur had been the stronghold of major underground outfits like Revolutionary People’s Front...