North East - Developments & Debate

Dubious role of student leaders

Staff reporter
GUWAHATI, May 15 – State Industry Minister Pradyut Bordoloi today came down hard on certain student organisations in the State alleging that these organisations are demanding huge sums of money from those investing money in the State.
Bordoloi, while citing the recent instance of Star Cement receiving a demand for Rs 28 lakh from the leaders of an influential students’ body of the State to allow setting up its factory at Dimoria, for which Star Cement already has the requisite green signal from the Government, stated that such activities are threatening to derail the new-found impetus in the industrial sector of the State. He, however, refrained from naming the student body.

The Minister informed that he has asked the Star Cement authority to lodge an FIR in this connection and the district administration too has been directed to take suo-moto case if it comes across any such activity.

The new factory of Star Cement, the Minister said, would provide direct and indirect employment to 10,000 local youths. “But the student organisation, which very often is seen talking about State’s interests is holding the project to ransom,” the Minister said.

”Almost every new industrial project in the State is faced with protests by organisations, some very little known. The leaders of these groups extort money from the investors in lieu of ‘allowing’ them to set up business,” the Minister alleged.

He maintained that a handful of leaders mislead the innocent people of the respective areas where such industries are to be set up and then, stage demonstrations against the new projects.

“The protests are almost always on grounds that the new industry will create pollution, but these leaders have no answer when asked to specify their charges,” he said.

He went on to inform that the State Pollution Control Board is the authority concerned and the State Government has asked it to abide by all guidelines while issuing non-objection certificates for any project.

Bordoloi, however, conceded that the investors normally shy away from lodging a formal complaint as they fear repercussions at the project site.

“It is becoming a social menace and is putting hurdles for the State’s development,” he rued.

“Unless the people become aware that these industries will actually contribute to their well-being and that the protesting leaders are serving their personal benefits, accelerated growth of the industrial sector is not possible,” he added.

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Mods, I agree with san's post that the thread should be renamed to something like 'North east news'. Not quite sure where to post this news, so posting it here.

Delhi sleeps while Manipur burns

Manipur is on fire today. Terrorist organisations demand secession from India, local tribal conflicts, and a total collapse of the civil administration has turned the state into a virtual hell. Yet Delhi does not seem to care, notes Tarun Vijay.

Manipur must be amongst the most beautiful states of India with green hills, flowery valleys and vast clean water lakes mesmerising the viewer and in many ways dwarfing Switzerland's over-stated panorama.

The state is on fire today. Terrorist organisations demand secession from India, local tribal conflicts and a total collapse of the civil administration has turned this state into a virtual hell otherwise famed for its Radha Krishna dance the world over and a stunningly sharp martial arts said to be the predecessor of karate.

A few facts first.

1. Since January 16, 80,000 state government employees have been on a 'pen down' strike demanding implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission's recommendations with retrospective effect. This has paralysed the government machinery, but Chief Minister Ibobi Singh has refused to talk to the striking employees.

2. A stifling blockade on National Highway-39 and a partial blockade on NH-53 has caused an unbelievable scarcity of oil, food and medicines. Buses and trucks are given 40 litres of petrol/diesel per day through a self-imposed rationing system. Diesel and petrol are being sold at exorbitant rates in the black market.

Bus fares have increased two to three times (the Imphal to Churachand Pur bus fare has gone up to Rs 150 from Rs 40 earlier).

3. The only one major government hospital is not getting oxygen cylinders, hence it has stopped operating upon patients. With a few oxygen cylinders left, it has closed down the casualty department, keeping the scantly available reserve for emergencies.

4. The Guwahati-Imphal air fare has suddenly gone up and people are simply unable either to enter or leave Manipur by road.

5. Non-Manipuris have been served notices to quit the state by the Peoples' Liberation Army, an outlawed separatist organisation with Chinese contours; it has set May 31 as the deadline.

Thousands of labourers and workers have already left in panic; the remaining traders and teachers are terrified with zero security assurance either by the state government or by the Centre.

So this is the state of India where citizens are asked to leave like the jihadis did to Kashmiri Hindus. People ask who owns Manipur. Why don't the Delhiwallahs care for them?

If a small road was blocked for day in Haryana or Uttar Pradesh , the media would have covered it immediately. But a month's blockade of two arteries joining the state with the rest of India hasn't attracted even a fraction of that attention. Why? Because Haryana and UP are more important to South and North Block than Manipur?

Roads are blocked cutting the state from the rest of India, hospitals do not run, an administration is on strike for the last four months, terrorists virtually rule the land and above that the Centre decided to allow T Muivah, a leader of a separatist insurgent organisation, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Issac-Muivah faction, to visit his ancestral village in Manipur.

Muivah has been booked in several cases of murder and mayhem in Manipur. On finding that the Union home ministry is proposing to send him under Z-plus security cover in a government helicopter to the state, Manipuris boiled in anger. Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, a Congress leader, flatly refused to accept the central government's unilateral decision.

Nevertheless, this move further aggravated the already tormented state and all social and political organisations joined hands to condemn the Centre's move, threatening dire consequences if Muivah was allowed to visit the state. In protest clashes, three young men have been killed.

Muivah is demanding a Greater Nagaland, and his organisation's slogan is 'Nagaland for Christ'. The movement is supported openly by various denominations of Nagaland's churches and it gets funds from Western countries. Muivah is accused of having engineered the 1992-1993 ethnic cleansing of Kuki tribes in Manipur which is said to have claimed more than 900 lives. During that NSCN-IM operation, 350 Kuki villages were uprooted and 100,000 Kukis were turned into refugees.

They are bewildered why such a person is given so much importance and Z-plus security cover. Is the only 'crime' of the Manipuris that they still owe an allegiance to the Indian tricolour?

Manipuris oppose Muivah's visit to his ancestral village Somdal in Ukhrul district. It may shock many that Muivah is originally a Manipuri Naga, hence his credibility amongst the Naga-Nagas is low. Manipuris fear this will further accelerate and strengthen his demand to merge four Manipuri districts into his proposed Nagalim state.

The Government of India has so far not assured it will keep Manipur's territorial integrity intact.

Non-Manipuris, organised under a banner, quite ironically called the 'Hindustani Samaj', are in a deadly trap.

On March 17, 2008, eight non-Manipuri people were killed on the outskirts of the capital Imphal. Seven of them were brought in a van, lined up on the roadside with their hands tied behind their backs, and shot dead from close range with automatic weapons. A few miles away another non-Manipuri was shot dead in similar circumstances. This was the first time in Manipur that militants targeted non-local migrants who are either labourers or petty traders.

In the two years since then 32 non-Manipuris, mostly Biharis and Bengalis, have been killed.

This year in February, the Revolutionary People's Front, a banned organisation in Manipur through its armed outfit, the Peoples' Liberation Army issued a quit notice to all Mayaangs -- a derogatory term used for non-Manipuris, who came to Manipur after 1949 (the year when the princely state was merged with the Indian Union) to leave the state by May 31.

Non-Manipuris travelling from Guwahati to Imphal by bus -- the only mode of travel available to poor people -- have been denied tickets at Guwahati ticket booking counters.

Yet none of the great national leaders or organisations, barring the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ], have thought it fit to voice the pain and anguish of the Manipuri people. Neither the television channels nor national newspapers sent their correspondents to cover the unprecedented crisis.

That's what makes the north-eastern people think that Delhi does not care for them. Hindustan's boundaries for the so-called mainland politicos are up to Kolkata in the east and Amarnath in the north. Even the local Manipur media cannot refuse to publish threatening press releases of the terrorist groups.

In the famous Mothers' Market in Imphal, the women traders seethe in anger. Their leader Mangi Devi says, "How do you think our children will get a good education when 15 days a month, their schools are forcibly closed? Can they ever think of qualifying for the IAS and IPS like your children in Delhi? There is no petrol, no kerosene, it has become extremely difficult for the common person to travel to his village, no medicines in hospitals. Is this the India we should be proud of?"

The Manipuri people hardly get to celebrate Independence Day or Republic Day -- they are not allowed by the banned outfits who virtually dictate the state's life. Only under heavy security cover can government buildings hoist the tricolour for a short time.

No school, public place, private institution can display the national colours. Hindi is banned; Hindi movies have not been allowed in movie theatres for the last ten years. In school textbooks, the national anthem cannot be printed.

Every single government contract has a 20 percent share for the terrorist separatist organisations and government officials take cash out in bundles and distribute it, according to the size and influence of the organisation, to their representatives whenever a new contract is awarded.

Leaders of various social organisations are so terrified are no local political party has been able to condemn the threat to the non-Manipuris. The market wears a ghostly look after 6 pm and the last movie show (all showing either Manipuri movies, shot on video cameras or Korean ones) is at 4 pm. Unemployment is widespread; educational degrees from local colleges mean nothing as they are given without a proper regimen.

With none to protect them and engulfed in such a darkness it is a great tribute to the patriotic Manipuris that they suffer in silence and have not yet revolted.

Tarun Vijay is the Bharatiya Janata Party's national spokesperson and director, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, New Delhi.

http://news.rediff.com/column/2010/m...ipur-burns.htm

ULFA steps up extortion drive

Staff reporter
GUWAHATI, May 20 – Though a number of senior leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) are in jail and efforts are on to start the process of talks between the Government and the outfit, the ULFA is still continuing its efforts to boost the coffers through extortions.
Security sources told The Assam Tribune that the ULFA has started a massive drive to extort money to boost its coffers and a number of persons including businessmen received extortion notes. Interestingly, most of the extortion notes were sent by post and not delivered by anyone personally as was the case earlier. According to information available with the security agencies, some of the persons, who received such extortion notes, also received phone calls from persons identifying themselves as leaders of the militant outfit and apparently on most occasions, the militant outfit is ready to negotiate the amount demanded. However, no one is very sure whether anyone was paying up and if someone really paid, where the exchange of money took place.

A few such extortion notes received by businessmen in Guwahati are in possession of The Assam Tribune and the letters were signed by self styled captain Apurba Baruah, who is now in charge of the central finance unit of the ULFA after the arrest of Finance Secretary Chitraban Hazarika, who was handed over to India by Bangladesh last year.

In the letters, the ULFA demanded contributions as “the due share of the ULFA for the just cause” and security sources admitted that the sudden spurt of issuing such letters is a cause of concern and created fear psychosis among the business community. Though the ULFA has not indulged in any major act of violence in recent times, security forces are apprehending efforts by the outfit to indulge in some act of violence to prove its existence so that those who received the demand notes are forced to pay up.

Sources further said that the ULFA is now controlling the extortion drive through its Central Council Headquarter (CCHQ), which is still operating from Bangladesh and most of the instructions to the cadres are routed through the CCHQ. Several senior members of the ULFA including Apurba Baruah, Drishti Rajkhowa and Antu Chowdang are believed to be in the CCHQ and the Government of India has already provided information of it to the Government of Bangladesh so that action can be taken against the ULFA leaders still present in that country.

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Dimasa body protests handling of bandh

Dimasa body protests handling of bandh
Correspondent
HAFLONG, May 23 – In protest against the inaction on the part of the district administration during the NC Hills Indigenous Students Forum-sponsored 60-hour Dima Hasao bandh, hundreds of members of the Dimasa Mothers’ Association gheraoed the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Friday.
They expressed concern over the way the bandh was handled by the civil and police administrations and demanded that the same mistake should not be repeated in future.

They submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Dima Hasao district Dilip Borthakur stating that the picketeers made a mockery of Sec 144, banning gathering of more than five persons, carrying lethal weapons etc.

The memorandum maintained that the bandhs in Dima Hasao district have always been peaceful. “But in the past month we have seen three bandhs and none were peaceful. Perhaps in his report to the Government he must have said that the bandh passed off peacefully without any untoward incident occurring but was that a fact?”, the demonstrators asked.

In the first bandh call, the SP was hit a stone from a catapult and stones were pelted at the police which led to firing.

The message he has passed by his in action was that the public should look for their own security because the civil and police administration would only react when they were hit and attacked. As long as the bandh supporters go on destroying public and government properties, burning buses and boats, uprooting rail tracks, it was all fine.

The bandh supporter for three days held the town of Haflong to ransom. It must be stressed here when there was no resistance to the bandh from any side or any community why did the police turn a blind eye when the bandh supporters vandalized the town. Some steps should have been taken, they argued.

The DC assured the delegates of DMA he would not allow any kind of such activities in future.

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No let-up in operation against Assam ultras: Centre
May 25, 2010 19:21 IST

Notwithstanding the recent arrest of several top insurgent leaders from various groups in Assam, there will be no let-up on the counter-insurgency operation in Assam till insurgents give up arms and join the political process, said Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

The home minister, on a visit to Mizoram and Assam, reviewed the insurgency situation in Assam in a meeting with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi as well the counter-insurgency unified command (UC) structure comprising Army, Police and paramilitary forces at the Raj Bhawan.

"All are aware about dramatic improvement in security situation in Assam. We have been able to apprehend number of leaders of the ULFA, NDFB, DHD(J). In the meetings, we reviewed not only the security situation, but also the political process ( for finding solution to insurgency problem). Security forces have been instructed to continue implement the policy (counter insurgency strategy) in force now," he said.

The home minister asserted, "Insurgency has no place. Insurgents have to lay down arms and join the political process. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi will decide how the political process will take place in consultation with his cabinet colleagues. Government of India will fully support the state government in taking forward the political process and also help security forces in counter insurgency operations."

The home minister, however, declined to make any comment on the continuing stand-off between the Manipur government and NSCN-IM leader Th Muivah over the latter's proposed visit to his birthplace Somdal in Ukhrul district of Manipur.
K Anurag in Guwahati

http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/m...ras-centre.htm

New battalions with Sikkim, Arunachal youth

NEW DELHI, May 25 – The Army is planning to raise new battalions comprising youth from Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, states that have borders with China, on the lines of Ladakh Scouts.
The new battalions would be posted in their respective States.

The Army Commanders’ Conference, which began its biannual session here recently, discussed the plans to raise these new battalions in the two States bordering China, Army officers said.

“The idea is to have battalions comprising sons of the soil from these two States. The battalions would be similar to the Ladakh Scouts, which are normally posted only in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir,” they said.

On the prudence of having such battalions, officers said the two primary reasons were: the local youth’s natural acclimatisation to the region’s terrain, weather and environment and that they would fight to defend their land to the finish.

Asked how many battalions would be raised, they said finer details of the new battalions would come out after the Army commanders debated the issue threadbare.

Sikkim has a population of just 5.4 lakh as per 2001 Census and according to government figures, 60 per cent of them are below 24 years of age. Arunachal Pradesh has a population of 10.9 lakh as per 2001 Census and also boasts of a high youth population.

India’s borders with China along Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh extends to 222 km and 1,540 km respectively. While China claims 90,000 sq km of Arunachal Pradesh as its own, it also claims a small tract of territory in Sikkim called the ‘Finger Area’ too.

While the border along Arunachal Pradesh remains disputed, China officially recognised India’s sovereignty over Sikkim during then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to Beijing in 2003.

The Army’s Ladakh Scouts were raised in 1963 following the 1962 Sino-Indian war. The battalion was first used as pioneers and during the Indo-Pak Kargil war in 1999 they were accorded the status of full regiments of the Army. At present, the Army has five Ladakh Scouts regiments.

Ladakh Scouts officer Major Sonam Wangchuk is the latest recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), the second highest wartime gallantry medal. Earlier Chewang Rinchen had won MVC twice, first during the 1947-48 Indo-Pak war and again during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

The Ladakh Scouts served outside Ladakh only once in 2006-07 when one of their units was posted in Chandimandir, the seat of the Army’s Western Command. – PTI

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NSCN-Centre talks tomorrow in Nagaland

For the first time in the 13-year-old history of the Naga dialogue process, talks will be held in the state on Tuesday, between the Centre's interlocutor and leaders of Nagaland Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah.
So far, over 60 rounds of talks were held in New Delhi and abroad but no breakthrough could be achieved to end the protracted Naga political conflict. Centre's interlocutor R S Pandey arrived in Kohima on Monday to hold parleys with NSCN-IM leaders, official sources said.

The talks the first of its kind in Nagaland on the issue would be held against the backdrop of prevailing situation arising out of Manipur government's opposition to the proposed visit of NSCN-IM general secretary T Muivah to Ukhrul. Muivah is camping in Viswema village near Nagaland-Manipur border since May 5 en-route to his native village Somdal.

This third round of talks after appointment of Pandey as the interlocutor in January, is likely to take up substantive issues on the basis of an earlier set of proposals submitted by NSCN-IM to the Centre. The NSCN-IM had earlier proposed to centre to hold next round of peace talks "in Naga soils" and the latter agreed to the request, sources in the group said.

The NSCN-IM is demanding creation of a 'Greater Nagaland' joining parts of three neighbouring states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh to unite 1.2 million Nagas. The demand is opposed by the three states.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/m...n-nagaland.htm

Expedite fencing work: BSF

Expedite fencing work: BSF
R Dutta Choudhury
GUWAHATI, May 31 – The pace of construction of fencing along the Indo-Bangla border should be expedited and the Government must provide photo- identity cards to the Indian citizens living in the vulnerable sections of the border, said the outgoing Inspector General of the Assam-Meghalaya frontier of Border Security Force (BSF), Prithvi Raj. He also admitted that the vacancies in the force are turning out to be a major problem for the border guarding agency.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Raj, a Himachal Pradesh cadre IPS officer, who is going back to his parent cadre after completing his tenure in the border guarding force, said that the overall security scenario in this part of the country improved considerably following the improvement of the relations with Bangladesh and he hoped that the scenario would improve further in the days to come. He expressed the hope that with the BSF in the process of strengthening the troop deployment along the border, the border management would also improve in the days to come and a new Frontier Headquarters of the border guarding force in Guwahati has already been sanctioned and it is likely to be in place by next year.

The BSF IG said that the pace of construction of the fencing should be expedited and floodlights should be installed along the fencing. The BSF is coordinating with the agencies involved in construction of border fencing and the concerned State governments to ensure that the pace of construction is expedited. He admitted that there were some problems in construction of the fencing in Meghalaya because of agitations by some organizations and the BSF is in regular touch with the State government to deal with the matter.

Raj said that the BSF has been stressing the need for providing photo identity cards to the citizens living near the international border to improve border management. He said that though it would be a national project, priority should be given on the Dhubri sector as because of the ethnic similarity of the people living on both sides of the border, it is impossible to detect a Bangladeshi national if he manages to sneak into India. He further said that the concerned State governments should take immediate measures to improve the condition of the roads leading to the border to facilitate free movement of the troops to the border and the BSF has already taken up the issue with the State governments.

The BSF IG said that vacancies in almost all the battalions are another major problem as filling up of the vacant positions take a long time and adds extra burden on the troops on the border. He revealed that the overall vacancy position is around 10 to 12 percent, which is a big number considering the fact that the men on the ground are already overburdened. He also expressed the view that the process of developing infrastructure for the troops along the border should be expedited.

Commenting on the performance of the troops along the border during his tenure as the IG of the Assam-Meghalaya frontier, he said that deployment of one additional battalion early this year in the Tura sector, once considered vulnerable to movement of anti-national elements, improved the scenario considerably, while optimum utilization of the modern equipment like the hand-held thermal imagers, monocular, night vision devices, etc., acted as force multipliers and improved the performance of the force.

Raj, who took over as the IG of the Assam-Meghalaya frontier in February last year, admitted that border management was a new experience for him and in this sector, the main task of the BSF included preventing infiltration of both foreign nationals and anti-national elements and movement of contraband items. He said that the civic action programmes taken up by the BSF helped a great deal in getting the support of the people living near the international border, which resulted in improved performance of the BSF. He said that in the past one year, the BSF managed to apprehend more than 50 anti-national elements along the border and in the counter-insurgency operations, while 17 hardcore militants surrendered before the BSF.

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BJP wants Paresh presence in talks
Staff reporter
GUWAHATI, May 31 – The State BJP on Monday hailed the initiative of the State government to start dialogue with the ULFA, but said that the talks should be held in the presence of all its top leaders including Paresh Baruah.
Addressing mediapersons here, State BJP president Ranjit Dutta said that in the interest of the people and the State, the government should expedite the peace process and establish contact with Paresh Baruah to bring him to the negotiating table.

The BJP today also announced a series of agitational programmes which would be launched in June 1 in protest against the alleged failure of the Tarun Gogoi government to address the local issues.

The protests which would be registered in different districts will continue in the months of June and July. Dutta informed that the party’s central leaders would be participating in some of the protest programmes.

Admitting that the agitational programmes were part of the party’s strategic policy for the Assembly elections, Dutta said that each Assembly constituency had its own problems and those would be highlighted by the party before the Assembly elections.

“We have chalked out this agitational programme based on the local problems,” said Dutta.

From June 1 to 7, the party would be holding demonstrations in all the districts in protest against hike in power tariff.

The dates have not been fixed, but the party is going to organize a big protest programme in Dibrugarh against the alleged indifference of the Government to resolve the twin problems of flood and erosion.

“Despite crores of rupees coming from the centre to address erosion, the State government has ignored the problem that has exposed Dibrugarh to grave threat from the Brahmaputra,” said Dutta.

In Barpeta, the party would organize protest demonstration demanding of the government to free the Sattra land from the encroachment of Bangladeshis.

Some of the other issues that the party would highlight through its forthcoming movement are price rise, smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh, impact of big dams in Assam, border problem with the neighbouring States, encroachment of the reserve forests by the Bangladeshis etc.

“We would also point it out to the people that the census without updating the NRC is an attempt of the Congress government to legalize the illegal Bangladeshis in Assam,” said Dutta.

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14 security personnel killed in Manipur mishaps
Sobhapati Samom
IMPHAL, May 31 – Yesterday was a black day for security service organisations in Manipur. In all 14 security personnel – 10 of 165 battalion of Territorial Army, three of 4 India Reserve Battalion (IRB) and one of CRPF, died in two separate road accidents.
Three IRB men, including a havildar, died and another seriously injured when the Alto car they were travelling in plunged into a roadside ditch after hitting a culvert on NH-39 around 12.30 pm yesterday.

The incident took place between Tangrei and Potshangbam on the Imphal-Mao section of the NH-39, around 18 km north of here under Sekmai Police Station when the IRB men were on their way to Imphal.

Havildar Ch Romesh, M Sanjoy and Kh Bishewor were killed on the spot while Havildar Angam Gangmei sustained serious injury in the accident.

Barely two hours later at least 11 soldiers, including one CRPF jawan, died when a Territorial Army vehicle fell down into a deep gorge at a place between Tupul and Kotlien area of Imphal-Jiribam section of the NH-53. Three others sustained serious injuries. They have been shifted to Leimakhong Army Hospital, reports said. The deceased army men belong to 165 battalion of Territorial Army.

The report said that the Territorial Armymen based at Leimakhong and the CRPF personnel in civil dress were picked up from Nungba area.

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Sainik School to be set up in Mizoram

AIZAWL, June 3 (IANS): A Sainik School is going to come up in Mizoram. Bijoy Krishna Handique, who heads the Union DoNER Ministry, has sanctioned Rs 8,289 lakh for its construction, officials said here today.
It will be set up at Chhingchhip in Serchhip district. It will be the 26th such institution in India and the fourth in the northeast. Assam, Manipur and Nagaland have Sainik Schools.

Handique conveyed the government decision to Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla in New Delhi on Wednesday, a government official told reporters.

Sainik Schools were conceived in 1961 by then defence minister V.K. Krishna Menon to rectify the regional and class imbalance amongst the officer cadre of the military and prepare students for entry into the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Naval Academy.

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NDFB indulging in abduction for ransom

GUWAHATI, June 2 – Even after the arrest of Ranjan Daimary, cadres of the anti-talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) are indulging in abduction to extort money and according to records available with police, at least nine persons are in the captivity of the outfit in the jungle areas along Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
Police sources told The

Assam Tribune that the persons in the captivity of the NDFB at present include an Indian Forest Service Officer and one 12-year-old boy kidnapped from Sonitpur district. The outfit has demanded amounts ranging from Rs 1 to 5 crore for the release of the abducted persons and the family members of some of them have already started negotiating with the abductors.

Police sources said that the kidnapped persons are kept in an area north of Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur district and from time to time, whenever major operations are launched, they are taken inside Arunachal Pradesh.

“Though the police and security forces are aware of the area where the kidnapped persons are kept, it is not possible to launch a full scale operation as it may pose threat to the lives of the persons in captivity," sources said.

Sources revealed that the NDFB has demanded a sum of Rs 5 crore from the family members of VS Bardekar, an Indian Forest Service officer kidnapped on May 12 from West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Giving an account of the kidnappings by the NDFB in recent times, police sources said that one Ram Prasad Raunia was kidnapped from Belsor weekly market on April 22 and on the same day, a teenaged boy, Rama Das was kidnapped from Hugrajuli. On April 23, the militants kidnapped three persons– Rubul Nath, Shiv Kumar Singh and Amar Kalita from Ramnathpur village, while on May 2, one Haridas Roy was kidnapped from Majbat. The outfit also kidnapped Ranjit Ghosh and Swapan Seal on May 21. It is believed that all the kidnapped persons are kept in the same locality, sources added.

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Minister’s house set ablaze in Manipur

IMPHAL, June 2 – Unidentified miscreants set on fire a Manipur Minister’s house in Senapati district last night. However, there is no report of any casualty.
Police said the incident took place when some unidentified miscreants poured inflammable substances on the Senapati residence of the Tribal Development Minister D D Thaissi located at the hill district headquarter, 60 km north of here, in the intervening night of June 1 and 2.

“We have taken up a case in connection with the incident,” Superintendent of Police Nishit Kumar Ujjal of Senapati district said over phone. “Investigation is on”, he added.

Minister Thaisii, a Poumai Naga leader, who was away in his official quarter here when the incident occurred, could not be contacted for details. The Minister’s two niece and some others were inside the house at the time of the incident.

No one has claimed responsibility for the incident so far. However, All Naga Students Association Manipur, demanding amendment of the Manipur District Council Act, had been imposing indefinite economic blockade on the National Highways 39 and 53 since April 11 last. It may also be noted that out of nine Naga legislators in the Manipur Assembly, seven MLAs have submitted their resignation to Speaker Dr S Budhichandra in the aftermath of the stand off between some Naga bodies and Manipur Government over NSCN-IM General Secretary Th Muivah’s proposed visit to his native Somdal village in Ukhrul district.

Last night’s incident happened soon after reports of destruction of around 10 houses belonging to candidates of the second phase Autonomous District Council (ADC) election which was held in the three hill districts of Senapati, Tamenglong and Ukhrul on Wednesday.

Each ADC has 24 members. Of the 72 seats in the three districts, 36 candidates were declared elected uncontested. Thus elections were held in 30 seats – 20 in Tamenglong district, four in Ukhrul and six in Senapati to decide the fate of 184 candidates who are in fray.

Polling in almost all the polling booths were reportedly poor. But district authorities are planning to hold re-polling in some polling booths. Sources from Ukhrul said poll percentage in the district is said to be nil. But officials are likely to recommend repolling in Huishu, Laihoaram and Etham.

Senapati also witnessed a similar scene except a couple of booths which saw some voters.

More than 40 polling booths out of 77 are expected to see repollling in Tamenglong district.

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ABSU revives separate State demand

GUWAHATI, June 3 – The All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) today revived the demand for the creation of a separate state of Bodoland and submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram in this regard. The ABSU also demanded intervention of the Government of India for protection of life and property of the common people of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, the president of the ABSU, Promode Boro said that a seven member delegation of the students’ body today met the Union Home Minister to put forward its demands. He said that with the Government of Assam adopting a discriminatory attitude towards the BTC area, only creation of a separate state would be able to solve the problems facing the people of the area.

The ABSU president alleged that though law and order is a state subject, the Assam Government totally failed to protect life and property of the people living in the BTC area. He said that the Bodo accord is yet to be fully implemented because of lack of sincerity of the State Government and the Bodo people living in Karbi Anglong are yet to get the status of ST hills as per the provisions of the accord. He said that under the present circumstances, only creation of a separate state would be able to protect the identity of the Bodo people.

Boro said that the Assam Government totally failed to deal with law and order situation in BTC area and more than 140 innocent persons were killed in the area in the last couple of years. He demanded that the Centre should intervene immediately and take steps for seizing the illegal weapons. He said that the Government of India should take immediate steps for finding permanent solution to the problem of militancy, which has been haunting the BTC area for years.

The ABSU demanded that the Government of India should immediate constitute a language promotion bureau for the development of Bodo language and a full fledged centre of the Doordarshan should be set up in Kokrajhar.

The ABSU, in its memorandum to the Union Home Minister, also demanded that immediate steps should be taken to improve the academic scenario in the BTC area and a Central university, a medical college, agriculture college, branches of the Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Management should be set up in the area. The ABSU demanded steps for industrial development of the area and said that the potential for setting up of agro based industries and developing tourism as an industry were not tapped so far.

The ABSU president said that the Union Home Minister assured the delegation that the MHA would look into the demands of the students’ body.

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Dr Gohain meets ULFA leaders in jail

GUWAHATI, June 3 – The detained leaders of ULFA may respond to a Government ‘feeler’ for a negotiated settlement of the ULFA insurgency. This was the impression they gave to Dr Hiren Gohain, the spokesman appointed by the Convention for Revival of Talks between the Government and ULFA (Sanmilita Jatiya Abhibartan), during his visit to the Guwahati Central Jail yesterday.
Talking to this newspaper here today, Dr Gohain said that the Government is yet to make any sort of contact with the detained ULFA leaders, who consist majority of the surviving members of the militant outfit’s central committee.

These leaders of the outfit have given the people involved with the convention the impression that they are for a negotiated settlement of the vexed issue. This attitude of the detained ULFA leaders created a feeling among the organizers of the Jatiya Abhibartan that it was sensible to persuade these militant leaders to be more flexible on their political demands without sacrificing their basic principles.

“The detained leaders of the outfit agreed to consider our suggestion positively,” said Dr Gohain.

Finally, this initiative taken by Dr Gohain and his colleagues resulted in the state-level Jatiya Abhibartan. The resolutions adopted in this convention have already been sent to the Chief Minister and the Chief Minister was also met by the office-bearers appointed by the convention in the last week of May.

The Chief Minister, after giving the delegation a patient hearing, assured it steps to contact the detained ULFA leaders informally so as to be assured of a positive response from them on the issue of negotiation, said Dr Gohain.

“As far as I understood from my visit to the Guwahati Jail yesterday, such contacts are yet to be established by the Government,” said Dr Gohain.

He also clarified that during their meeting with the Chief Minister, the latter did not raise any point on any formal communication from ULFA for the negotiation process to commence.

“But I also understood (from the meeting with the detained ULFA leaders yesterday) that while they might send such a communication from the organization, they were not in a position to formally take a decision on talks within the four walls of the jail,” said Dr Gohain.

The delegation of the office-bearers appointed by the state-level convention requested the Chief Minister to take up speedy measures to create a congenial atmosphere for resumption of talks. To create such a condition, it pleaded particularly for the release of the detained leaders of the outfit so that they can convene a full session of their central committee in a spirit of freedom from constraint, said Dr Gohain.

On the issue of ULFA c-in-c Paresh Barua, Dr Gohain said that Barua’s stand on the issue of talks was not a major issue in the discussions either with the Chief Minister or with the jailed leaders of the militant outfit.

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