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GUWAHATI : Deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday urged for a swift, impartial and transparent investigation into the killing of six Naga civilians in Manipur and said those responsible must be identified and brought to justice without delay. Manipur continues to endure the effects of prolonged conflict, with peace and normalcy still remaining elusive more than three years later, Gogoi said in a post on X. ”The brutal killing of six Naga civilians in Manipur is a deeply distressing tragedy. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims as they cope with this immense loss”, Gogoi, also the Assam state Congress president, said. “Innocent lives continue to be lost, while communities across the state remain burdened by fear and uncertainty,” he said. This tragic incident underscores the urgent need for lasting peace and accountability, he added. ”There must be a swift, impartial and transparent investigation into this heinous crime, and those responsible must be identified and brought to justice without delay.” Gogoi asserted. The Manipur Police on Wednesday said they found the mortal remains of six people, suspected to be of missing Naga men, who had been held hostage by armed groups in Kangpokpi district. The recovery took place a day after 14 Kuki individuals who were abducted by armed groups in Manipur’s Senapati district nearly a month ago were released. (Source: PTI)      

AGARTALA : The Tipra Motha Party (TMP), an ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura, on Thursday asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised ending all pending issues in the Northeast region. TMP founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma also claimed that Delhi understood that the Tiprasa, or indigenous, people in the state have genuine issues following his party’s recent victory in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections. The TMP registered a massive win in the April polls in tribal council elections by bagging 24 out of 28 seats, while the BJP, which fought separately, secured four seats. “The Prime Minister has talked to me (during the celebration of 12th years of Narendra Modi in office at Bharat Mandapam) and enquired about the health of my mother (Maharani Bibhu Kumari Devi). He emphasised making attempts to resolve all the pending issues in the Northeast,” Debbarma said in a video. “I, along with MLA Ranjit Debbarma, met the Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the new interlocutor at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi today. There will be advancement in the Tiprasa Accord,” he said without throwing much light on the outcome of the meeting. The TMP signed an agreement with the Centre and the state government in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in March 2024 for the overall development of the Tiprasa people. Asserting that he is on the ‘right track’ in negotiating the accord with the Centre, Debbarma claimed that the Tiprasa people who voted for various political parties such as the Congress, CPI(M), BJP, Tripura Upajati Yuba Samity (TUJS) have gained nothing in the past 75 years. “We must focus on the rights of indigenous people rather than politics. Too much politics weakens us. If the PM and Union home minister could bring solutions to problems like those of the Naga, Mizo, Bodoland and Dimasa, why do our issues remain unresolved? We will continue to engage in discussions with those in power in Delhi,” he said. The TMP, which used to be the main opposition party of Tripura, joined the BJP-led government ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. (Source: PTI)      

IMPHAL : The Manipur government will not remain as a mute spectator to atrocities, Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh said on Thursday, after police found the mortal remains of six people suspected to be of missing Naga men, who had been held hostage by armed groups in Kangpokpi district. Six persons of the Naga community were abducted from Leilon Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi district on May 13. In an official statement, the CM said the state government won’t tolerate such violence, and “will not remain a mute spectator to these atrocities”. “Culprits responsible for the murder will be arrested and punished as per law,” Singh said. The bodies were recovered a day after 14 Kuki individuals who were abducted by armed groups in Manipur’s Senapati district nearly a month ago, were released on June 9. “After nearly 24 hours of sustained search operations involving around 450 personnel of the Manipur Police, CRPF, and Assam Rifles, assisted by sniffer dogs and forensic expert teams, the mortal remains of six persons were recovered this afternoon. The deceased are believed to be among those taken hostage from Leilon Vaiphei on May 13, 2026,” the police said in a post on X on Wednesday. These 14 Kuki people and the six Nagas were among others who were abducted following the killing of three church leaders in Kangpokpi district on May 13. In a post on X, the chief minister later said: “Deeply anguished by the brutal murder of six innocent Naga villagers abducted from Leilon Vaiphei village, Kangpokpi district. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.” “The Government of Manipur strongly condemns this heinous act and is committed to ensuring that the perpetrators are brought to justice. The case is being investigated by the NIA. Violence has no place in our society. We remain steadfast in our commitment to peace, security, and the rule of law in Manipur,” Singh said. An NIA team visited the JNIMS mortuary in Imphal, after the bodies of the six men were brought to the hospital around 2 am, as part of its investigation into the killing. Meanwhile, protesters allegedly vandalised the Naga Peoples’ Front Manipur unit office at Liangmai Taphou in Senapati district late on Wednesday, after the bodies were recovered by the police. Furniture and other office property were set afire by the agitators, officials said. Miscreants also torched two trucks near a school in Karong area on Wednesday evening, they said. The United Naga Council, the apex body of Nagas in Manipur, has imposed a 24-hour shutdown in parts of the state from 6 am on Thursday to protest againt the killing. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : Legendary musician Zubeen Garg mesmerised his innumerable fans for decades with his signature humming, but the real science behind it was acoustic properties carrying warmth and expressivity, according to a study by two researchers of Handique Girls’ College. Kishore Dutta and Jyotshna Saikia, both Assistant Professors of Physics, in their research paper ‘Quantitative Acoustic Profiling of Zubeen Garg’s Humming: Temporal Patterning and Spectral Balance’ tried to look at the uniqueness of Garg’s voice. “Zubeen Garg’s vocal style is known for its distinctive use of humming. His humming often functions as a musical signature that transcends linguistic boundaries and has been described in journalistic and listener accounts as ‘soothing, soulful or magnetic’,” the study said. Its appeal arises not from linguistic meaning but from its underlying acoustic organisation and timbral expressivity, it added. The article, published in ‘Journal of Voice’ — the peer-reviewed official medical journal of the Voice Foundation and the International Association of Phonosurgery, said that vocal humming occupies a distinctive position in Indian popular music as an emotive bridge linking melody, memory and mood. “Zubeen Garg’s characteristic humming style, noted for its fluidity and expressive warmth, invites systematic investigation of what acoustically defines its appeal,” the researchers said in the paper. The study presented a quantitative acoustic profiling of Garg’s humming, focusing on how measurable voice parameters contribute to its distinct sonic character, they added. Explaining the methodology, the duo said: “A detailed set of temporal, spectral and timbral features was extracted, including jitter, shimmer, harmonic-to-noise ratio, spectral centroid, rolloff, tilt, roughness and Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs).” The analyses revealed characteristic temporal patterns and the statistical comparisons showed highly significant differences in fundamental frequency between Garg’s humming and singing, and in jitter between his and other singers’ humming. “Multiple MFCCs also showed significant distinctions, indicating limited timbral differentiation in harmonic structure. Spectral features showed non-significant trends toward lower centroid and elevated roughness,” it added. These results indicated that a subset of temporal and timbral features contributes to an acoustic profile associated with Garg’s humming, the paper said. “While no perceptual testing was undertaken, interpretations are grounded in established psychoacoustic literature linking acoustic measures to perceived attributes such as tonal warmth and vocal steadiness,” it added. Within this interpretive framework, the findings suggested that Garg’s humming exhibits an acoustically measurable combination of selected temporal and spectral characteristics that may be associated with its perceived resonant quality. The celebrated singer died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 last year while swimming in the sea. He had gone to the South Asian nation to attend the 4th edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF). The research paper stated that Garg’s humming exemplified how micro-acoustic precision and spectral balance may contribute to a listener’s impression of tonal warmth and vocal presence. “The present analyses show that this perceived quality is associated with a tendency toward distinct temporal patterning combined with spectral balance and harmonic cohesion,” it added. These acoustic properties together may contribute to the perceived warmth and expressivity of his humming. Its appeal arises not from linguistic meaning but from its underlying acoustic organisation and timbral expressivity, it added. “Despite its artistic and cultural significance, the acoustic structure of such humming has rarely been examined through a quantitative lens,” the researchers said. The study investigated the acoustic expressibility of humming, examining how measurable voice parameters jointly shape its perpetual distinctiveness, they added. Dutta and Saikia in their research found that Garg’s humming combines precise pitch centering with smooth spectral shaping and balanced harmonic richness, producing perceptually warm and resonant timbre. “The study thereby establishes a reproducible, data-driven framework for interpreting artistic humming through measurable acoustic evidence. By profiling a singular voice, it connects acoustic analysis with broader musical context, showing how controlled temporal variability and spectral balance contribute to the expressive identity of humming in Indian popular music,” they added. The duo, however, acknowledged that the dataset in the research was limited in size and focused on a single artiste’s humming style. “As a case study, these findings are not intended for population generalisation but rather to demonstrate a replicable analytical framework for quantifying stylistic individuality in expressive humming. Future studies with larger, controlled corpora are needed to validate and extend those observations,” they added. (Source: PTI)      

IMPHAL : Suspected militants attacked a village in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Thursday, gunning down two persons and burning several houses, police said. The incident took place a day after the bodies of six Naga civilians were recovered in Kangpokpi district. It is suspected that the mortal remains belonged to those held hostage by armed groups. Kultuh Kuki, a small village, was attacked by suspected militants at around 4.55 am, during which two persons were killed, police said. Some 30 households near the border area with Myanmar were also burnt, the official said. Security forces have reached the remote village, but the identity of the perpetrators is yet to be known. Kuki Baptist Convention condemned the killings and urged the authorities to take “decisive and comprehensive measures” to ensure protection of civilians. On the killing, Congress leader Dr Lamtinthang Haokip claimed that “the Head Deacon of the Kultuh Church and Chairman of the Youth Dept were brutally murdered.” He alleged that the government’s failure to control the situation is “beyond tolerance”. (Source: PTI)