ACKSHA expresses concern over NC Hills violence

SILCHAR, May 7 : All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students Association (ACKHSA) expressed its concern over the senseless violence in the adjacent district of NC Hills which had left its obvious impact on the day to day life of the Barak Valley as goods trains carrying essential commodities could not run in the hill section following repeated attacks by the Jewel faction of DHD.

Extending a whole hearted support to the rally organized by Harangajao Citizen Forum on Tuesday demanding regular train service, ACKHSA in a press statement maintained that it would stand by peace loving people like Dilip Nunisa, chairman of the pro-talk faction of DHD. ACKHSA president Rupam Nandi Purkayastha doubted the sincerity of the Government in tackling the Black Widow group which, according to the student body, had a maximum 120 cadres.

Why the army and other security forces, with all their records of winning wars, failed to tame a militant outfit which has less than 150 cadres, ACKHSA raised the question. The student body further expressed concern over the government’s indifferent attitude towards the price rise of essential commodities in this part of the country due to the disruption of train service. ACKHSA said time had come for the people Barak Valley to launch mass agitation.

Karimganj tribal body demands reserved Assembly constituencies

KARIMGANJ, April 14 – The tribal people of Karimganj district are facing myriad problems, especially those who are living on reserve forest land.

A spokesman of Karimganj District Tribes Union told this correspondent that the subdivisional land advisory committee in its meeting proposed to issue periodic patta to the tribal people who are residing in the forest villages. But till date the district administration has been unable to implement the decision of the land advisory committee.

The Tribal people were allotted 10 bighas of land in the forest village by the British regime before Independence without giving any valid document. Now these people have been served eviction notices by the State Forest Department.

A hostel-cum-rest house meant for the tribals at Karimganj constructed by the DRDA is now being occupied by the BRTF. The Union therefore expressed concern over the activities of the BRTF as well as the district administration for not taking any action to vacate the hostel.

The Union demanded creation of belt and blocks under Assam Land Revenue Regulation Chapter - 10, formation of Assembly reserved seats which will include the southern part of Ratabari constituency and Southern part of Patharkandi constituency.

It is gathered that there are 105 villages where Choroi, Reong, Khasi, Jaintia, Dev-Barman, Burman, Tripura, Hrangkhal, Sakachap and Mulsnour tribes live and their total population will be around 55,000.

As per government norms, 60 per cent of the facilities under DRDA are meant for ST people, but in Karimganj district, the DRDA has not taken any major schemes in the tribal areas, the union alleged.

Another demand is to re-constitute GP boundary of Balipipla, Zerzen, Cheragi by creating compact tribal areas and reserve the above areas for the tribes people. The spokesman of the Union told this correspondent that many places of Barak Valley are named in tribal dialect, such as Choriobari, Doldung (Kontekcherra), Solugoi (Solgoi), Ankapa, Akaidurg, Kukital, Kukitilla (now Ram Krishnanagar), the historical site of Kanchan Raja at Badarpurghat, Sielchar (now Silchar), Kaja Kaunti (at present its known as Kachha Kanti at Udarbond).

History proves that tribal people were the indigenous people of the Barak Valley, but their present economic, political and educational status are backward. They live in forest reserves where it is practically not possible to implement any scheme due to strict enforcement of the 1980 Forest Protection Act. It is essential to allot them land in civil areas.

BG and Mahasadak issue: ACKHSA and ADSU to hold demonstration in Delhi

SILCHAR, Feb 14 : All Cachar Karimganj and Hailakandi Students’ Association (ACKHSA) and All Dimasa Students’ Union (ADSU) will jointly hold a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on February 16 from 11 am to 3 pm in order to press their twin demands for the early completion of Silchar-Lumding BG and Silchar-Saurashtra Mahasadak (East-West Corridor).

This was stated by ACKHSA president Rupam Nandi Purkayastha at a press-meet today in the conference hall of a hotel.

Purkayastha castigated both the Government of India and the State of Asom for their lackadaisical attitude towards the two national projects on which depends rapid economic development of North Cachar Hills, Barak Valley, Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur. The BG and the Mahasadak, according to him, are the lifelines of supply for the region.

It was most unfortunate that in the worst insurgency hit Jammu and Kashmir and Tripura, the railway services could be introduced for the benefit of travelling public and for accelerating socio-economic development.

The BG and Mahasadak are yet to make any significant progress and the state government put the cause of delay on militancy which is quite untenable, pointed out Purkayastha.
He called upon all the political parties to make their stand clear on the issue of unigauge conversion and super highway before the ensuing LS polls.

He also asked all the MPs and MLAs of Barak Valley and North Cachar Hills to explain their silence on the projects. Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Union Minister Sontosh Mohan Dev in particular, was criticized for not playing effective role in this regard.

Purkayastha said their joint movement and agitation for the last two years have failed to move either the Centre or the State. Nor have they received any positive response from people’s representatives.

He added to say, “failure of our leaders have prompted us to hold the demonstration in New Delhi to draw the attention of the Prime Minister, the Railway Minister and the Minister of Surface Road, Shipping and Highways.” Both the Association and the Union are expected to meet and submit memorandum to the Prime Minister and other Ministers concerned.

ADSU advisor Sanjay Burman while addressing the press-meet, said around 100 leaders and members of both the organizations would participate in the Jantar-Mantar demonstration with playcards and banners, highlighting their demands and the apathy of both the Centre and the State towards the people of north east, making a mockery of “Look East Policy”.
In the meantime, the supporters and workers of ACKHSA and ADSU are leaving for the national capital on Friday to take part in the dharna.

BSF DG visits Barak Valley

SILCHAR, Feb 13 : Director General of Border Security Force, ML Kumawat recently visited Barak valley to monitor and assess the ongoing arrangement in the Indo-Bangla border areas.

He visited areas like, BOPs (Border outposts) of Steamerhat, Jagannath, Lakhibazar, Sutarkandi and Chand Srikona in Karimganj district. After the visit, a press conference was organised in the headquarter of Mizoram and Cachar BSF at Masimpur, 8 kilometre from the city.

Kumawat said that talking to the jawans in the Karimganj district and the local people in the areas, he found that there is no problem in those areas as such. After the Mumbai incident, the BSF has become more conscious to tackle any emergent situation. The jawans are on high alert and vigilant along the over 4000 km of Bangladesh border along the eastern and northeastern region.

Kumawat said that BSF is the largest guarding force in the world. Along with the SSB force, the Indo-Tibetan Border police (TBP) and Assam Rifles, the BSF guard the frontiers of the country with 2.10 lakh personnel. Recently, the Union Home Ministry after proper assessment took the decision to recruit 10,000 constables for the North eastern sector.

In the meet, it was also revealed that the Union Home Ministry has allotted Rs 3000 crore for the modernisation of BSF. The find will be utilised in installing sophisticated and sensitive gadgets in the border areas to prevent cross-border terrorism and infiltration.

The Director General further said that there is plan to deploy helicopter in Cachar and Karimganj sector for surveillance. This would be helpful in keeping a close watch in the forest areas and rivers. Kumawat also said that with the completion of fencing, floodlighting and other innovative arrangement, the borders would be safer.

He said that some plans have been taken to improve security and surveillance. The plans include creation of 500 more BOPs in addition to 1,400 of them all along the country’s international border. Three hundred BOPs would be in North East which could reduce the gap between two observation posts.

Abducted trader’s body found

Silchar, Feb 13 : The body of a trader in Bhanga township, on the Indo-Bangla border, in Karimganj district, who abducted from near his shop, was recovered last night by police from a pond in Moirangadi village near Patherkandi town in the district.

Sources said Sambhu Das, 45, was abducted from Bhanga on February 5.

Sources said Das was bludgeoned at first and then stabbed to death. The recovery of the body led to tension at Bhanga, around 18km from the district headquarters town of Karimganj. 

The additional superintendent of police, Karimganj, Hemanta Das, said the police had taken all the precautionary measures, including the deployment of the additional troops in Bhanga, to pre-empt trouble.

Das was a very popular figure in Bhanga and the Bhanga Bazar Committee had formed an all-community cell to demand the arrest and punishment for the killers.

A police source said a few criminals in Bhanga area, who had links with the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim, and who had recently deserted their base in Dimapur town, might be involved in the murder. An alert has been sounded to track them down. 

A resident of Bhanga said Das’s family had raised an amount of Rs 3 lakh to hand it over to the abductors, but was killed before the cash could be handed over.

Bhanga has of late turned into a den of criminals, who have become experts in kidnapping and killing. At least two persons, identified as Ranjit Das and Rehanuddin, were abducted in recent times from Bhanga.

A source said Das’s body, under police escort, had reached his village of Duttapur in Bhanga this afternoon after post-mortem in Karimganj district hospital.