News

Agartala, May 28: Mathia, a film directed by Catholic priest Joseph Pulinthanath in the tribal Kokborok language, has bagged the best feature film award at the international film festival held in Warsaw from May 19 to 25.

The film is based on the prevalent custom of witch-killing in Tripura?s tribal community. Zygmunt, chief organiser of the festival, conveyed the news in a message to Sampari Pictures of Bishramganj in Bishalgarh subdivision yesterday.

Since nobody on behalf of Sampari Films could attend the festival, the organisers will send the award, consisting of a citation and statuette...

Aizawl, May 28: The Mizoram forest department today downplayed the case against state excise minister K. K. Vanlalauva?s, indicted for having killed and feasted on a barking deer, saying it was a ?minor one?.

Though government officials refused to comment, an assistant conservator of forests said the offence for which Vanlalauva has been indicted was ?minor and punishable at most by a fine of Rs 2,000?.

Chief minister Zoramthanga, also an invitee to the feast at Vanlalauva?s home in which the venison was served, said he had no comment on the court directive.

?Since I have not been...

AGARTALA, May 28 ? Tripura has virtually turned into a killing field with 1150 people killed by tribal militants during the last five years. The figure, which was given by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar who also holds the Home portfolio, of course did not include those 31 who were killed on May 7. The Chief Minister placed the figure at the Assembly while replying to a question by Opposition leader Ratan Lal Nath.

The Chief Minister said from April 10, 1998, to April 30, 2003 as many as 1150 innocent people were butchered by the militants. And during this period, 551 were kidnapped. Among them...

TURA, May 28 ? In a gruesome incident, suspected Garo militants belonging to the banned A?chik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) executed a village headman and another villager in East Garo Hills on Monday night. In yet another incident, a hardcore ULFA militant surrendered before Tura police in West Garo Hills. A group of heavily armed ANVC militants went to the house of Malindro M Marak, the Lasker (Headman) of Raja-A?pal village, near Bajengdoba, shortly after 10 pm on Monday. They took him out of the house and fired a single shot into his head killing him on the spot. Similarly another...

IMPHAL, May 28 ? Manipur government has decided to deploy security forces round-the-clock in strategic points in view of the increasing abduction of civilians by militants, official sources said today, reports PTI. The decision to deploy forces at strategic locations was taken last night during a Cabinet meeting which also discussed the kidnapping and killing of a local cloth merchant Manoj Kumar Sethi by unidentified gunmen yesterday, the sources said.

The State Cabinet also discussed at length the increasing cases of kidnapping of people for ransom and decided to adopt various security...