Northeast

Fresh clashes in Manipur's Churachandpur, several injured in stone pelting

Several persons were injured as fresh clashes broke out between people belonging to Zomi and Hmar tribes in Manipur's Churachandpur district, an official said on Wednesday. The clashes took place in Churachandpur town late on Tuesday, just hours after a peace settlement was reached between the apex bodies of the two communities. The fresh clashes erupted after a group of men tried to take down a flag of a Zomi militant outfit in the town. Soon, mobs of men armed with batons engaged in stone pelting, prompting security personnel to fire tear gas shells and several rounds in the air to disperse the crowds, he said. Security forces had a trying time in controlling the mobs that vandalised several properties even as shots were also fired by some people in the crowds at their rivals, the official said. "It is not yet clear who fired the shots," he added. Security forces conducted flag marches in the town and were keeping a strict vigil on the situation, urging people to remain indoors

Police of NE states should focus more on people's rights, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday reviewed the progress in the implementation of three new criminal laws in the northeast (NE) and said the police forces in the region should focus more on ensuring the rights of people. Shah took stock of the implementation and the present status of various new provisions related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution and forensics in the northeastern states. "For a long time, the police in the northeast primarily focused on fighting insurgency. However, with insurgency now nearly eradicated in the region, the police should shift their focus towards protecting people's lives, property and dignity," Shah said in the meeting. In a post on X, Shah said that he had directed the states to monitor the progress and instructed the police forces to focus more on securing the rights of the citizens. According to an official release, he said that the stronger the director of prosecution is made, the easier it will be to ensure justice for the people.

Amit Shah to chair meet with CMs of Northeast states to review BNS rollout

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a meeting with chief ministers of the Northeastern states on Sunday to review the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), in the region, officials said. Shah spent the Saturday night in Mizoram where he attended a programme of the Assam Rifles. He will start the day with a visit to Kokrajhar where is scheduled to address the 57th annual conference of the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU). ABSU was a signatory to the historic Bodo Peace Accord, which was signed five years ago. Shah will reach Guwahati in the afternoon to chair the meeting with the CMs of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim. It was not immediately known who would represent Manipur in the meeting with the state being under the President's rule following the resignation of CM N Biren Singh last month. A presentation by each state will be given at the meeting on the progress made in the

Security forces conduct operations in Manipur, recover arms and ammunition

Earlier, on March 10, security forces dismantled 5 illegal bunkers in Kukimun village and Lamdan Kuki village in Bishnupur district

15 insurgents held in multiple raids across Manipur in last 48 hours

Search operations and area domination were conducted by security forces in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley Districts

Over 1,000 illegal arms given up during surrender period in Manipur: Police

People handed over to the security forces a total of 196 arms along with ammunition and other miscellaneous items on the last day for voluntarily surrendering looted and illegally held weapons in strife-torn Manipur, police said on Friday. The security forces also destroyed 15 bunkers in Kangpokpi district. The arms were surrendered in eight districts till 4 pm of Thursday, which was the deadline for doing so after it was extended by Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the governor of the northeastern state which is under President's Rule. The districts are Bishnupur, Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Kakching, Jiribam Churachandpur and Pherzawl districts, police said. After the deadline for voluntarily surrendering arms expired, joint security forces conducted combing and search operations in various parts of the state and recovered 36 arms, 129 ammunition, seven explosives, 21 miscellaneous items and destroyed 15 illegal bunkers, police said in a statement. Twelve bunkers were destroyed at K ..

Assam Rifles, police recover arms, ammunition in Mizoram, 3 arrested

The apprehended individuals and recovered items have been handed over to Mizoram Police for further legal proceedings

Security forces recover 25 weapons, apprehend 8 cadres in Manipur

The operations were conducted in Kakching, Thoubal, Tengnoupal, Bishnupur, Imphal East, and Chandel districts

NE states lag behind even as India improves girls' toilet facilities

This comes even as the country has increased girls' toilet coverage in rural schools from 66.4 per cent in 2018 to 72 per cent in 2024

Dibrugarh to be developed as second capital of Assam, says CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the district headquarters of Dibrugarh will be developed as the second capital of the state within the next three years. Unfurling the national flag on the occasion of Republic Day, Sarma said the government will construct a permanent building of Assam assembly in this city on the southern bank of Brahmaputra in Upper Assam. "Today is an important day in Dibrugarh's journey to become the second capital of Assam. For the first time, state celebrations are taking place in this historical city," he said. From 2027, one session of Assam assembly will take place in Dibrugarh every year, the CM announced. "From January 25 next year, the construction work for a permanent building of the Assam assembly will begin. In the next three years, Dibrugarh will become an important city in India," he said. As part of the government's urbanisation plan, Tezpur and Silchar will also be developed along with Dibrugarh in the coming period, Sarma

Security personnel conduct area domination, search operations in Manipur

The team also successfully destroyed about 26 acres of illegal poppy plantation, the police said

Assam mining tragedy: Search, rescue operations in Dima Hasao enter day 7

Rescue operations are being carried out by multiple agencies, including NDRF, SDRF, army and navy personnel, with drones deployed for mapping of the area

ONGC adds 65 new ambulances for effective internal operations in Assam

In a step towards enhancing safety and emergency response, energy major Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has ramped up its fleet of ambulances in Assam by adding 65 new vehicles, an official said on Friday. The new ambulances, which were leased from the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) for a period of five years, were added to ONGC's fleet in Sivasagar, he said. Out of the total ambulances, 63 are equipped with essential features, like foldable seats, swiveling fans, autoloader stretchers and provisions for 2.2 L oxygen cylinders. "These ambulances will be strategically deployed across ONGC Assam Asset's operational sites, including drill locations, workover rigs and production installations," the official said. Besides, two advanced life support (ALS) ambulances fitted with critical life-saving equipment such as ventilators, defibrillators, suction pumps and oxygen delivery systems have also been hired, he said. The company has decided to deploy these two ALS ambula

VIDEO: Fresh violence erupts in Manipur as SP office attacked in Kangpokpi

The police said that Kangpokpi Superintendent of Police Manoj Prabhakar was injured in the attack

ZPM govt enacts 46 bills as Mizoram deals with violence, refugee challenges

A series of administrative reforms, the passage of a record 46 Bills in the assembly within the first year of the ZPM dispensation and strong opposition to the central government's decision to fence the Myanmar border and scrap the free movement regime took centre stage in Mizoram in 2024. The ripple effect of the ethnic violence in neighbouring Manipur and the boundary dispute with Assam remained a matter of concern for the Christian-majority Mizoram. The northeastern state continued to bear the brunt of refugee influx from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur due to crises in the neighbouring countries and the state. Soon after the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) assumed charge in December 2023, Chief Minister Lalduhoma decided to deal with an illegal and decades-long practice of hiring proxies by government employees with an iron fist. "In June, the government identified over 3,600 employees, who hired proxies on their behalf to work at their places of posting. The government directed

Congress returns to spotlight in Nagaland, civic polls held after 20 years

Nagaland witnessed a significant political shift this year as the Congress made a comeback by winning the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state after decades of political marginalisation and elections to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) were held for the first time in 20 years with 33 per cent reservation for women, marking a pivotal moment in its political landscape. In the parliamentary elections held earlier this year, Congress candidate S Supongmeren Jamir clinched the state's only Lok Sabha seat, delivering a win that many political analysts termed as a historic resurgence for the party in a state where it had long been absent from the political limelight. Jamir's victory marked the end of a 20-year hiatus for Congress in the state's Lok Sabha elections. The last Congress candidate to win the seat was K Asungba Sangtam, who served from 1999 to 2004. For the state's people, Jamir's triumph carries a deep, symbolic significance, marking a shift in the state's political dynamics, which had be

MHA constitutes tribunal to review ULFA's 'unlawful association' status

The tribunal will be headed by Justice Michael Zothankhuma of the Gauhati High Court, mentioning a gazette notification issued by the MHA

Manipur security forces seize weapons cache in Imphal West districts

These operations were carried out to maintain order and prevent any escalation in the region

Arrested members of banned outfit planned 'Chicken's Neck' attack: Police

The eight suspected members of terrorist outfit Ansar-al-Islam Bangladesh, who were recently arrested, had been planning to target the Chicken's Neck' connecting West Bengal's Siliguri with the northeastern states, a top police officer said. They wanted to create large-scale instability in the corridor by carrying out synchronised attacks and fomenting instability, he said. The West Bengal Police recovered pen drives and documents from two suspected members of the terrorist outfit, who were arrested in Murshidabad district. ADG Supratim Sarkar told reporters on Friday that the duo was part of a group of eight people apprehended by Bengal, Kerala and Assam police. Inquiries revealed they had specific plans to target the Chicken's Neck', also known as the Siliguri Corridor the only connectivity with the seven states of the northeast. Sarkar said the state police had got a tip-off about a sleeper cell of the outfit, which was active since August. "We have recovered a 16 GB pen driv

Security forces in Manipur arrest 2 people, recover arms and ammunition

Violence has gripped the entire state since May now, and the central government had to deploy paramilitary forces to bring the situation under control