NEW DELHI, March 12: The Assam government citing the need for massive deployment of additional para-military forces in the State owing to threats from the outlawed ULFA and the Bodo militant groups has called for a three-phase election in the State. Assam was however, the only State to suggest a phase-wise poll, as all other States going to polls asked for a one-day poll. "Barring Assam all the other four States wanted one-day election." Disclosed the Chief Election Commissioner MS Gill, briefing newsmen after a meeting with the State Chief Secretaries, Director General of Police, Chief...

GUWAHATI, March 12: Growth of Islamic militancy in Assam, if not checked immediately, may pose a serious threat to the security of the country as efforts are on by Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) backed outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM) is to unite all the small Islamic militant outfits operating in the State, highly-placed police sources said. Sources said that according to information available with the security forces, the HUM is trying to act as an umbrella organisation for all the Islamic outfits operating in the State including the Muslim United Liberation Front of Asom...

AGARTALA, March 12: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has lashed out at the Baptist Missions for aiding and abetting terrorism in Northeast India. The international working president of the VHP, Ashok Singhal at a press conference here on Thursday, said the Baptist missions are, if not directly, but indirectly responsible for fomenting militancy in the region. He said lakhs of rupees are pouring into India from foreign countries for the Christian organisations, and observed that a large amount of these funds were being diverted for arms procurement for the militants. "However, Punjab has proved...

AGARTALA, March 11: Killing for ransom has assumed macabre proportions in Tripura. The skeleton of a 16-year-old boy, abducted last year, was exhumed from Koaiphang area in South Tripura yesterday. The recovery sparked tension in the area. Police sources said Mohini Lal Kar, a non-tribal Class X student of Koaiphang school, was abducted on December 6 last year by a group of NLFT militants. His father Niranjan Kar, a teacher, ran from pillar to post to trace his son, but failed to do so. Two NLFT militants Dhani Mohan Tripura and Arendra Tripura, who were arrested by Baikhora police on March 5...

SHILLONG, March 11: The Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation Employees' Union (MTDCEU) on Saturday threatened to go on an indefinite strike from March 26 in support of their demands including payment of arrears, reports agencies. MTDCEU president SD Marbaniang told newsmen here that the union has already served the strike notice to the Corporation's management, as all the democratic means to get their demands were exhausted. He said the demands included payment of arrears and allowance with effect from January 1996 to April 2000 on the recommendation of the Meghalaya Pay Commission, house...