Page 22 - Assam

Champai Soren under own govt 'surveillance' for 5 months: Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday alleged that Jharkhand minister Champai Soren had been under 'surveillance' of his own government police for last five months. Two sub-inspectors (SIs) of Special Branch of Jharkhand Police were nabbed by Soren's people in a Delhi hotel while they were keeping watch on the ex-chief minister, Sarma said. "This is one of rarest case of surveillance in Indian politics, we will raise it at the highest levels," Sarma said at a press conference here. "As per the two SIs, orders to track Soren came from a 'person in Constitutional position' and the Special Branch chief," Sarma said. He said the two SIs were handed over to Delhi police, who are taking forward the investigation. The Assam CM said it is also suspected now that Soren's phones could be tapped and there might have been a plan to 'honey trap' him as a woman had also been meeting the two SIs. "Soren was put under surveillance even before he was in talks with the BJP," Sarma

Pure communal venom: Sibal slams Assam CM for his remark on Muslims

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his "will not let 'Miya' Muslims take over the state" remark, saying his comment was "pure communal venom" and silence was not the answer to such a statement. Asserting that he would take sides, Sarma on Tuesday said he would not let 'Miya' Muslims "take over" Assam. Sarma was speaking in the assembly on the admissibility of adjournment motions moved by the opposition parties to discuss the law and order situation in the state in the wake of the gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon. Reacting to the remarks, Sibal said on X, "Himanta (Assam CM): 'Will take sides. Will not let Miya Muslims take over all of Assam'. My take: Pure communal venom. Actionable. Silence not an answer." 'Miya' was used as a pejorative term for Bengali-speaking Muslims initially, and the non-Bengali-speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community ha

I will take sides, won't let 'Miya' Muslims take over Assam: Himanta

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that he would take sides, and won't let 'Miya' Muslims "take over" the Assam. Sarma was speaking in the assembly on adjournment motions brought by the opposition parties to discuss the law and order situation in the state in the backdrop of the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon. Replying to the motion, he said the crime rate has not increased if the population growth is taken into account. When the opposition charged him of being partisan, Sarma retorted, "I will take sides. What can you do about it?" "Why will people from Lower Assam go to Upper Assam? So that Miya Muslims can take over Assam? We won't let it happen," he asserted. Amid the heated debate, members of both treasury and opposition benches stormed into the Well of the House, prompting Speaker Biswajit Daimary to adjourn the proceedings for 10 minutes. MLAs of Congress, AIUDF, and CPI(M), and lone Independent legislator Akhil Gogoi had moved four adjournment motion

Opposition protests Himanta govt's failure to prevent crimes against women

The opposition parties in Assam on Tuesday held demonstrations in various parts of Guwahati, including the assembly complex, alleging the failure of the government to protect women and prevent crime against them. Congress MLAs led by Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia marched from inside the assembly building to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi within the compound, holding placards and shouting slogans demanding the safety of women and condemning the targeting of a particular community for all crimes against women. "The Dhing incident is not the only one. After that also, many such cases have taken place in different parts of the state," Saikia told reporters here. "The CM, who also holds the Home portfolio, is not at all serious and concerned about the situation. We discussed in the assembly about crimes against women with NCRB data and asked the government to take action," he said. Saikia claimed that the Home Department has asked the Assam Police not to register "some cases"

Assam CM Himanta bats for stringent law to tackle crimes against women

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday advocated for a stringent law to tackle crimes against women, expressing support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for such legislation. Sarma emphasised that all legal processes, including inquiry, charge-sheet, trial, and conviction, should be completed within six months in cases involving crimes against women. "Crimes against women are on the rise. I welcome the PM's announcement that a strict law is needed," Sarma said. He further remarked, "My only observation is that a deadline of six months should be fixed for all processes such as inquiry, charge-sheet, trial, and conviction in crime cases against women. Then only will we be able to reduce such crimes." Sarma's comments come in the wake of protests over the rape-murder of a doctor at R G Kar Hospital in Kolkata. Speaking to reporters at Union Minister Sanjay Seth's residence in Ranchi, Sarma said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself on Sunday advocated for a strict

Affordable TB testing technology developed by ICMR's Assam centre

An affordable tuberculosis testing technology that can detect the disease using a patient's sputum for just Rs 35 has been developed by apex medical research body ICMR's regional centre in Assam's Dibrugarh. The 'A CRISPR case-based TB detection system' is light, portable and involves three steps of testing. Over 1,500 samples can be tested in one single run in around two-and-half hours, ICMR sources said. Conventional diagnostic techniques for TB commonly rely on culture, which requires 42 days to confirm as TB negative, microscopy, and nucleic acid-based methods. These are also time-consuming and may require sophisticated equipment. An official said, "Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health challenge, necessitating the development of accurate and rapid diagnostic tools for effective disease management. Current diagnostic methods often exhibit limitations in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed and cost, emphasising the need for innovative approaches". Additionally, some ...

Bigger intention of grabbing land behind crimes against women: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that the recent incidents of crimes against women in the state are being committed with a "bigger intention of grabbing land and threatening the identity of the Assamese people". He hinted at 'political patronage' behind the crimes, while also claiming that financial power is shifting out of the hands of the Assamese people. "No society is perfect. Crimes against women are a reality. These crimes had come down in the state in the last three years. But the real intention in the recent incidents is much bigger, through crimes such as rape the target is our land, civilisation," Sarma said at a press interaction late on Saturday evening. "In Assam, this design is on for the last 30-35 years. That is why the Assam Agitation happened. We have identified the radicals now, but in 1975 itself, the Assamese society was warned that this would happen," he said, referring to the six-year-long movement from 1979 against illegal immigrants from

Two Bangladeshis detected in Assam, sent back home, says CM Himanta

Two Bangladesh nationals who illegally entered India were detected in Assam and sent back to their country, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The duo was apprehended at Badarpur railway station and sent back to Bangladesh on Friday night, he added. "Two Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended at Badarpur railway station by @assampolice," Sarma wrote on X. The apprehended individuals were identified as Masum Khan, resident of an area under Modelganj police station of Bangladesh, and Sonia Akhtar of Dhaka. They reportedly entered India through the Madhoppur (Bangladesh)-Agartala route and were en route to Bengaluru, Sarma said. "In collaboration with the BSF, Assam Police successfully pushed them back across the border last night," the chief minister added. Sarma had said on Saturday that over 30 Bangladeshis trying to enter India without valid documents have been pushed back from Assam in the last one month. They were en route to Bengaluru and other south Indian cities in s

Zero-tolerance policy in dealing with crimes against women: Assam CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday asserted that his government has a policy of zero-tolerance in dealing with crimes against women and drastic action is taken against the culprits in such cases. He also said the state's police force is setting an example with its prompt action in cases of crimes against women. When an incident (like rape) happens in Assam, police take quick action. No compromise is made. When it comes to matters of crimes against women, we have a zero-tolerance policy, Sarma told reporters. Referring to the gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Dhing, the main accused in which died while purportedly trying to escape from police custody, Sarma said, The incident happened two days back. The police arrested the accused, he tried to escape by jumping into water and died in the process. On another case in which a person accused of molesting a girl was injured in police firing while reportedly trying to flee in Tezpur, the CM said, He tried to escape and w

Hindus not migrating to India, fighting in trouble-torn B'desh: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday claimed Hindus have not tried to enter India from Bangladesh since the neighbouring country plunged into instability. Hindus are staying and fighting in Bangladesh. In the last one month, not a single Hindu person has been detected trying to enter India, he said at a press conference here. He also asserted that Muslims from the neighbouring country were attempting to crossover to seek employment in India's textile sector. 35 Muslim infiltrators have been arrested in the past one month... they are trying to enter, but those coming are not for Assam, but to go to Bangalore, Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore to work in the textile industry, the CM claimed. We have requested our prime minister to impress upon the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety of Hindus, he added.

ED conducts searches in case related to Assam govt funds' misappropriation

Bank and fixed deposits worth Rs 34 crore were attached under the anti-money laundering law following searches in a case related to alleged misappropriation of Assam government funds meant for the welfare of construction workers, the ED said on Saturday. The case pertains to the "fraudulent" award of contracts worth Rs 118 crore during 2013-16 by the Assam Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (ABOCWWB) to a company named Purbashree Printing House, a proprietorship of Priyanshu Boiragi. "It is a case of misappropriation of money collected as cess for the welfare of construction workers. During the searches, various incriminating documents and materials were seized," the federal agency said in a statement. It did not say when the searches were conducted. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) added that it also attached "proceeds of crime" of Rs 34.03 crore in the form of bank and fixed deposits. The money-laundering case stems from an FIR registered by the Chief Minister

47,928 illegal immigrants detected in state between 1971-2014: Assam govt

The Assam government said that 47,928 illegal immigrants were detected in the state during the period between 1971 and 2014 and out of them 43 per cent are Hindus.The Foreigners' Tribunals of the state declared these people as foreigners during this period.Replying to a written question of AGP MLA Ponakan Baruah, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma who also holds the Home Department portfolio said that from 1971 to 2014 the Foreigners' Tribunals declared 47928 persons as foreigners and out of them 20,613 are Hindus and 27,309 are Muslims and six belonged to other religions.According to the state government data, out of a total of 20,613 Hindus declared as illegal immigrants by the Foreigners' Tribunals, 8,139 are from Cachar district, 2884 from Guwahati city, 1574 from Lakhimpur district, 1038 from Dibrugarh district.On the other hand, out of 27309 Muslims declared as illegal immigrants by the Foreigners' Tribunals, 4182 are from Jorhat district, 3,897 from Guwahati city, ...

47,928 foreigners detected in Assam in 43 years, 43% of them Hindus

The Assam government on Thursday said over 47,900 foreigners have been detected in the state from 1971 to 2014, out of which more than 43 per cent are Hindus. In a written reply to a query by AGP MLA Ponakan Baruah, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Foreigners Tribunal (FT) has declared 47,928 people as foreigners between 1971 and 2014. Out of them, 27,309 were Muslims, 20,613 Hindus and six belonged to other religions, he said. The CM said the highest number of foreigners was detected in Cachar. Out of 10,152 declared foreigners, 8,139 were Hindus and the remaining 2,013 were Muslims. As per the Assam Accord, names of all foreigners coming to the state on or after March 25, 1971 would be detected and deleted from electoral rolls and steps would be taken to deport them. Sarma said that according to the 2011 census, the state had a total Assamese speaking population of 1.51 crore, making up 48.38 per cent of the 3.12 crore residents. There were 90.24 lakh Bengali speakin

Autumn session of Assam Assembly begins on stormy note, Oppn stages walkout

The autumn session of the Assam Assembly began on a stormy note on Thursday with the entire opposition staging a walkout after the rejection of their three adjournment motions. When their motions were rejected by Speaker Biswajit Daimary, members of Congress, AIUDF, CPI(M) and Raijor Dal went to the Well of the House with placards and shouted slogans in support of their demands. Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia raised the issue of exorbitant charges through smart metres, while Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi wanted to discuss a recent case of the attack on a minor national-level player, and AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam raised the proposal on the restriction of land sale-purchase between two communities. "Electricity is a basic amenity and the public can't be deprived of it. It's also in the concurrent list. The smart metres are charging exorbitant amounts and poor people are suffering. The subject needs urgent attention," Saikia said. Islam said it's the constitutional right of an .

Assam to table Bill to compulsory register marriage, divorce of Muslims

The Assam government will introduce a bill in the upcoming Autumn Session of Assembly for compulsory government registration of marriage and divorce of Muslim people, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting, Sarma said the government will table the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriage and Divorce Bill, 2024 during the upcoming session, which will begin on Thursday. "Earlier, Muslim marriages were registered by the Kazis. However, this new bill will ensure that all marriages of the community will be registered with the government," he added. Sarma also claimed that marriages of minors were also registered by the Kazis earlier, but the proposed bill will prohibit any such move. "Now, minor marriage registration will not happen at all. We want to end the menace of child marriage. So, the marriages will be registered at the Sub-Registrar's Office," he added, citing cabinet decisions. Sarma said that there will not be a

ASDMA signs MoU with GSI for early warning system for landslides in Assam

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) has signed an MoU with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) for implementation of experimental regional Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS) for combating the problem of landslides in the state. The MoU was signed by ASDMA CEO Gyanendra Dev Tripathi and Siladitya Sengupta, deputy director general, SU: Assam, GSI on Friday, an official statement said. The problem of landslides sometimes goes unnoticed or individual landslides are being dealt with ad-hoc response mechanisms, and the problem keeps on recurring every year. In addition to lives lost, large numbers of houses along with infrastructures destroyed in landslides in the hilly terrains of Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong, Cachar, Karimganj and Kamrup Metropolitan districts. During recent times, one of the major thrust areas in landslide risk reduction is the development of a regional LEWS for a large area with inputs from static landslide susceptibility and hazard maps, dynamic .

Kolkata rape-murder: Assam doctors join nationwide protest, demand justice

Doctors across Assam on Saturday joined the nationwide protest against the rape and murder of a doctor in a Kolkata hospital, demanding exemplary punishment for the culprits and a central law to ensure safety of medical professionals. Out-patient and non-essential services came to a near halt in all hospitals as doctors assembled on the premises, wearing black badges and displaying placards to press for their demands. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had declared a nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency medical services for 24 hours from 6 am on August 17 to protest against the crime. The withdrawal is across all the sectors wherever modern medicine doctors are providing service, the doctors' body said. "We want justice for the victim, the family, that is our first demand. We also want to emphasise the need for awareness and education in the society so that such crimes are not repeated," a resident doctor at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) here said. Another female

Mamata should avoid doing politics over doctor's rape-murder: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himant Biswa Sarma on Friday lashed out at his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, asking her to "stop indulging in politics" over the rape and murder of a woman doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Sarma's assertion while speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of a BJP meeting came in response to Banerjee accusing the opposition parties in West Bengal of being behind vandalism at the hospital in north Kolkata on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. "The incident that happened in Kolkata is very sad and the people of West Bengal and the entire country are in a state of shock. Mamata didi should avoid doing politics over the matter. She should focus on finding out who was behind the incident and fixing the accountability," Sarma said while replying to a query on Banerjee's allegations. "If you (Mamata Banerjee) do politics even after such a tragic incident, I believe this is very wrong. In such a time accusing others is

2 IED-like devices found in Guwahati after ULFA(I) claims to plant 24 bombs

Two 'IED-like devices' were found in Guwahati on Friday, taking the total number of 'bomb-like substances' seized across Assam in the last 24 hours to 10 after the banned ULFA (I) claimed to have planted 24 explosives to trigger serial blasts in the state, a top police official said. One of the devices was found in Satgaon area, near Narengi Army Cantonment, and another at Last Gate in close vicinity of the state secretariat and ministers' colony, where the chief minister's residence is also located. The United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), in an email to media houses, including PTI, on Thursday gave out a list identifying exact locations of 19 bombs with photographs but could not pinpoint the remaining five spots. ULFA said the blasts were scheduled to take place between 6 am and noon on Thursday but after failure in execution as the bombs did not explode due to 'technical failure', it sought public cooperation for defusing the explosive devices. "We had been carrying ou

ULFA(I) claims to plant 24 bombs across Assam, triggers statewide alert

The banned ULFA(I) on Thursday claimed to have planted bombs at 24 places across Assam, prompting the security forces to send teams to look for explosives. A senior police officer said bomb disposal squads have been rushed to all the places mentioned by ULFA (I) but there is no report of recovery of any bomb or explosive. In an email purportedly from the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) (Independent) to media houses, including PTI, the terror outfit asserted that the bombs did not blast due to "technical failure". It gave a list identifying the exact location of 19 bombs and said locations of five more explosives could not be ascertained. It sought public cooperation in defusing the bombs. When contacted, a senior officer at Assam Police headquarters told PTI that all the SPs of the districts, especially those mentioned in the list by the anti-peace talk faction of ULFA, have been alerted and asked to carry out a thorough search of the areas. "Bomb disposal squads, metal ...