Hojai, Khan sent to two days’ police custody

GUWAHATI, Jun 2 : Mohit Hojai, Chief Executive Member of the NC Hills Autonomous Council and RH Khan, Joint Director, Social Welfare department were formally arrested today and were later remanded to two days’ police custody by the court of subdivisional judicial magistrate, Kamrup. After the duo was remanded to police custody, they were immediately summoned by the top officials of Intelligence Bureau here in Guwahati. This would be followed by questioning session by Special Branch and City Police.

Well-placed police sources told The Assam Tribune that the department apart from getting access to the source of seized Rs 1 crore, is also combing for clues regarding anomalies worth several hundred crores of rupees in the hill district allegedly committed by both Hojai and Khan.

“We, during our preliminary investigation and questioning, have gathered some important breakthroughs, which cannot be divulged at this moment,” police sources claimed.

Though the police prayed for ten days of custody, the court, however, allowed police custody for only two days. The duo would be produced before the court again the day after tomorrow.

Both Hojai and Khan were arrested under Sec 13/11 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Sec 25 (1-B) (A) of the Arms Act.

Both Hojai and Khan, it may be mentioned, were detained on May 30 from NC Hills in connection with a case(170/2009) registered under the Basistha police station on April 1 after two Dima Halam Daogah (J) cadres were arrested with Rs 1 crore and two pistols. The money was meant to be paid to an international arms dealing racket.

Later, one of the arrested militants told police that the money was brought from the house of Hojai.

Prohibitory orders clamped in Assam district

Guwahati, May 8 : Prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr PC was on Friday clamped in Kamrup district by district magistrate R C Jain.

The order bans carrying of arms, ammunition and weapons in public places and vehicles.

Apprehending breach of peace and harmony, the order also prohibits sloganeering, gambling and use of loud speakers in public places.

There was no specific law and order problem for which the order was clamped, official sources said.

Clamping of prohibitory order is a routine practice in the district.

Twin explosions in Assam, narrow miss for Kamrup Express

Guwahati, Apr 13 : A major tragedy was averted late Sunday when two powerful bombs exploded on a rail track in Assam a few minutes before a crowded passenger train was to cross the blast sites, officials said.

A police spokesman said the first explosion took place around 10.30 pm IST near Nilalong, close to Diphu, the headquarters of Karbi Anglong district, about 320 km east of Assam's main city of Guwahati.

"It was a narrow miss for the Kamrup Express," a senior police official said.

There was another explosion a few kilometres ahead of Nilalong.

The two explosions took place at the locations about 10 km apart — both on the rail track.

"The explosions were near simultaneous and took place a few minutes before the Kamrup Express was scheduled to cross the blast sites," the official said.

"The rail track is completely blown away and there are huge craters with the Kamrup Express now stranded," a railway official said.

"Rail links within the state would remain snapped until Monday."

The Kamrup Express was on way from Guwahati to Dibrugarh in eastern Assam carrying about 600 passengers.

Police said militants fired at the train when it slowed down after the second blast.

"There were no casualties in the firing," the official said.

Police blamed the Karbi Longri National Liberation Front (KLNLF), a rebel group fighting for an independent homeland for the majority Karbi tribe, for the attack.

This is the third attack on trains in Assam in the past three days.

On Friday, a trooper was killed and 17 injured when tribal militants attacked the Barak Valley Express in the adjoining North Cachar Hills district, while two security personnel were gunned down and 13 injured in a similar attack on a goods train in the same district on Saturday.

Troops get a home away from home

Maj. Gen. K.S. Sethi inaugurates the residential complex in Guwahati

Armymen serving in Assam have a reason to feel elated.

A residential complex for 212 married army personnel — Jintu Vihar — was inaugurated by Maj. Gen. K.S. Sethi, GOC 101 Area on February 7. The complex, located at Narengi Cantonment in Guwahati has been named in honour of late Capt. Jintu Gogoi who lost his life during the Kargil War in 1999.

The project has been executed by the Directorate General Married Accommodation Project, which has been established to execute all such projects for the armed forces across the country.

“In the past, most of the junior commissioned officers and other ranks in the army preferred to keep their families at home because of the security provided by the joint family system. This also enabled them to look after their old parents, agricultural interests and ancestral property back home. However, with social change gradually taking roots even in rural areas and conversion of the joint family into a nuclear family system, more and more soldiers want to bring their families to the areas they serve in,” Sethi said.

To provide recreational facilities to children, a playground and recreational parks have also been planned as part of the project.

For the first time in such a project, a large number of ornamental and fruit trees have been planted in a planned and co-ordinated manner. 

A modern sewage and treatment plant has also been created as part of the project.

Women power

Under the aegis of Red Horns division, a project — Women Empowerment and Self-Reliance — was undertaken by the 21 Mountain Division under Operation Sadbhavana in and around Bartari village in Kamrup district.

Inaugurated by Maj. Gen. Chander Prakash, GOC 21 Mountain Division on February 9, the project will benefit about 20 to 25 women directly.

Around 300 people attended the function. Four looms were handed over to the beneficiaries besides raw materials worth Rs 20,000.

Prakash said the project was aimed at generating employment for the women and exploiting local talents for weaving, thereby providing economic growth, self-sustainability and market for the women in and around Bartari village. Traditional fabrics like gamocha, mekhela chador and eri garments, will be woven by the beneficiaries.

“It will also be an additional step in making a peaceful Assam. More such initiatives will be undertaken by us,” Prakash added.

Joint effort

A Sadbhavana Sammelan was organised on February 5 at the battalion headquarters of 34 Assam Rifles of 9 Sector under HQ IGAR (South) in Thoubal district. Several non-government organisations took part on the occasion.

Officials of the 34 Assam Rifles interacted with the representatives of NGOs and exhorted them for a joint fight against terrorism in Thoubal.

The NGOs expressed their happiness on the conduct of the battalion, as there has not been a single case of human rights violation in the area. They also promised to work in close co-ordination with the Assam Rifles.

Bird flu spreading to new areas in Assam

GUWAHATI, Dec 27 : More than 500,000 poultry have been culled in Assam in the past one month while authorities Friday warned that the bird flu virus was
spreading to new areas, officials said.

An Assam government spokesman said the bird flu virus was confirmed in about 15 more villages and the authorities have ordered culling of an estimated 70,000 birds.

"So far about 150 villages in eight Assam districts were hit by bird flu and Rapid Response Teams have already slaughtered about 510,000 chickens and ducks since Nov 27," a veterinary department official said.

The new bird flu cases were reported from the districts of Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup (Rural), Baksa, Bongaigaon and Nagaon.

"We have so far identified 19 epicentres affected by bird flu in Assam. Culling operations in newly affected areas have already begun, while in some places the drive is almost complete," the official said.

An estimated amount of Rs 10.35 million was paid as compensation to people whose poultry were culled. In most parts of Assam authorities have banned sale and consumption of poultry and poultry products.

"It is a matter of worry as the virus has now spread to new areas. A maximum health alert has been sounded with teams of doctors and paramedics taking precautionary measures so that humans are not affected," Parthajyoti Gogoi, regional director (northeast) of the central health and family welfare department, said.

The Indian health ministry confirmed outbreak of bird flu after laboratory tests found strains of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza.