September 12, 2026 8:51 pm
Facebook Twitter Youtube

ONLINE AGE

(Online version of the Arunachal Age newspaper)

Author name: OnlineAge

Latest News, Popular News, State News

Eight people from Assam safely rescued from Nepal after flash flood: Himanta

/

GUWAHATI, AUG 30: At least eight people from Assam have been rescued from Nepal, which was struck by a devastating flash flood on August 26, and are being brought back to the state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The state government is coordinating with the authorities concerned to trace other missing people for bringing them back safely to Assam, he said in a social media post on Saturday. “I just spoke to eight people from Assam, who have been safely rescued in Nepal,” Sarma said. The rescued persons — Pankaj Verma, Samar Bezbaruah, Gautam Das, Gopal Debnath, Soneswar Narzary, Sarbison Marak, Silva Marak and Elphison Sangma — are safe and will return home on Sunday, he added. “Efforts are continuing to trace the others and ensure their safe return at the earliest,” the CM said. On Saturday, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that 10 people from Assam were reported missing in Nepal since devastating flash floods struck the Himalayan country. However, the several names Sarma mentioned as safely rescued in his social media post were not on the list of missing people shared by ASDMA. As per the ASDMA list, the missing persons were Dr Dipali Sarkar, Pankaj Neog, Manash Kumar Ghosh, Rhituporno Brahma, Montri Basumatary, Someswar Narzary, Arun Nath, Dr Tirtha Chaliha, Rahul Daimary and Shatadal Nath. Among the missing, three each are from Kamrup Metropolitan and Karbi Anglong, two from Nalbari, and one each from Golaghat and Hojai districts. Earlier, the ASDMA had reported that 12 people from the state were missing in the Nepal floods. Later, it said that the family members of two persons from Nalbari have confirmed that they are safe. The death toll from flash floods in central Nepal rose to 734 on Sunday, with more bodies being recovered even as nearly 2,500 people are still missing, including 85 security personnel and 320 foreigners, following the disaster. The flash floods on Wednesday began after an ice-rock avalanche following a glacial collapse blocked the flow of the Lhende tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, with the resulting surge hitting Timure near Nepal’s border with Tibet and causing widespread destruction downstream. The torrent of water, mud and debris wiped out towns and villages, damaged crucial infrastructure and washed away hydropower stations throughout central Nepal. (Source: PTI)    

Latest News, Popular News, State News

Ahead of 24-hour shutdown over NRC demand, Manipur CM says bandhs create hardship for people

/

IMPHAL, AUG 30: Ahead of a 24-hour shutdown over NRC demand, Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Sunday urged people not to observe bandhs or road blockades as a form of protest, and asserted that such demonstrations do not resolve issues and will only create hardship for people, particularly daily-wage earners and students. Singh also said these modes of protest sometimes lead to violence. His comment comes before the 24-hour bandh called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) from midnight on August 31 to press the demand for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) ahead of the census exercise in the state. The chief minister, who left for New Delhi during the day, said his government and the Centre are committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the state. “Calling a bandh will not serve any purpose and will instead create more hardship for the people. During a bandh, the main sufferers are daily wage earners and students,” Singh said in a statement issued by the state government. The chief minister said women vegetable sellers suffer a lot during a bandh as they earn their livelihood by selling their farm produce daily, and any disruption in their work causes immense hardship to their families. He also said students suffer a lot as their normal academic atmosphere gets disrupted by bandhs. Singh cautioned against attempts to create a chaotic situation and asserted that stringent action would be taken against law violators. The chief minister appreciated the role played by leaders of the 14 civil society organisations and a delegation of MLAs, who recently campaigned in New Delhi and met central leaders and officials to press demand for the implementation of NRC in the state. “Their campaign has yielded a positive response,” Singh said. The chief minister said he was travelling to New Delhi to meet top central leaders and discuss various ongoing issues of the state. After more than three years, the road transport services connecting Imphal, Dimapur, and Guwahati have resumed without any trouble, he said. “The Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati bus services will surely ease the burden of people who had to buy costly air tickets to travel from Imphal to Guwahati,” he added. More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic strife between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups in the state since May 2023. (Source: PTI)      

REGIONAL

Drugs worth Rs 3,253 cr seized, 26,500 people nabbed in Assam since 2021: Himanta

/

GUWAHATI, AUG 30: More than 26,500 people have been arrested and drugs worth Rs 3,253 crore seized across Assam since 2021, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday. He said huge quantities of narcotic substances originate in Myanmar, and enter Assam through various routes in Mizoram and Manipur for further distribution in the rest of India. “Since 2021, with a single-minded focus on our mission #AssamAgainstDrugs, our police and allied agencies have waged a relentless, daily battle against the narcotics trade. The numbers tell their own story — narcotics worth more than Rs 3,253 crore seized, and over 26,500 offenders arrested since the campaign began,” Sarma said in a social media post. He said the number of arrests has climbed steadily each year from 4,175 in 2021 to 4,901 in 2025, asserting this was not a one-time drive but a “sustained and institutionalised war” on drugs. In 2021, Sarma became the chief minister for the first time after the BJP came to power in Assam for the second consecutive term. Talking about the origin and route of the drug movement, the CM said, “Assam sits on a difficult geography — a transit corridor for narcotics originating in Myanmar and routed through Mizoram and Manipur before moving deeper into the country.” Kingpins often operate beyond Assam’s borders, which is precisely why this cannot be the state’s fight alone, he said. “This is where the prime minister’s leadership and the Centre’s unwavering support have made a real difference — intensified coordination with Myanmar, strengthened surveillance along inter-state borders, sharper intelligence sharing and deployment of technology that helps our forces intercept consignments before they spread further,” Sarma said. He further said that the Assam Police have not worked in isolation, but have worked as an extension of a national resolve to eliminate the menace of drugs. Listening to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’, which was on the drug menace, Sarma said, “I was thinking about how the fight against drugs cannot be a fragmented effort — it must be a national mission carried forward with equal resolve at the Centre and in every state.” The PM’s vision of a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ (addiction-free India) and ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’ (addiction-free youth for developed India pledge campaign) speaks to something Assam has believed in and acted upon for years — youth are the greatest asset and protecting them from the poison of narcotics is the sworn duty, he added. “Prime Minister Modi ji has always said that addiction is neither cool nor a style statement; drugs bring only destruction and devastation to families and communities. Thus, his ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’, with a hundred weeks of grassroots engagement reaching crores of young Indians, is a call to every state to match energy with intent,” Sarma said. Assam answers that call with pride as a frontline partner in a mission central to India’s future, he added. “As Prime Minister Modi ji leads the nation towards a Nasha Mukt Bharat, Assam will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Centre relentless, coordinated and uncompromising — until the drug network across our borders is fully dismantled and every young Assamese grows up free from this menace,” the CM said. He said that Assam’s fight will not pause, knowing full well the scale of the challenge. “Every seizure means a family protected and a future secured. Few weeks back, we publicly destroyed seized contraband worth Rs 472+ crore at Nalbari — driving home the message that what is seized will never re-enter the homes of any Assamese family,” Sarma added. (Source: PTI)  

National, State News

Suitcase murder case: Couple nabbed in Manipur after pan-India hunt

/

CHENNAI/IMPHAL, AUG 30: Police have arrested two persons, suspected to be the prime suspects behind the murder of a 38-year-old woman, whose dismembered body was found in a suitcase onboard the Tamil Nadu Express train in Agra earlier this month. Manik Uddin Laskar (22), a native of Assam’s Cachar district, and his wife Bhagabati Majhi (21) from Kendujhar district in Odisha were apprehended from Kashimpur in Manipur’s Jiribam following a multi-state hunt, police sources in Chennai said on Sunday. The duo were nabbed by a joint team of Manipur and Tamil Nadu Police, officials in Imphal said. “The arrested persons are being handed over to the SHO of Guduvanchery Police Station,” a Manipur Police official said. The crime came to light on August 5, when passengers onboard the Tamil Nadu Express noticed an unbearable smell from an abandoned red suitcase in an unreserved compartment after the train pulled into Agra station. Government Railway Police officials inspected the luggage and discovered the headless, dismembered remains of an unidentified woman. Subsequent investigation and forensic analysis identified the victim as Hayathun Nisha (38), a native of Odisha who lived in Guduvanchery and worked in a private firm. During the investigation, police analysed hours of CCTV footage from Chennai Central railway station, eventually spotting a man and a woman lugging the heavy red suitcase through the station premises. Tracing their movements back to the suburbs of Chennai, police located a rented house on Mosque Street in Guduvanchery. A search of the premises revealed more horrific details, as officers recovered additional dismembered body parts stored inside a large cooking vessel. While the case was initially registered as a missing woman’s report at the Guduvanchery police station, authorities promptly altered the charges to murder following the findings. Police swiftly identified the suspects as Laskar and Majhi, who had gone into hiding shortly after disposing of the body. Special police teams launched a pan-India search operation to trace the accused. On August 29, officers tracked the fugitive couple to Kashimpur in the Jiribam district of Manipur. The duo will be produced before a local magistrate in Manipur, and the Guduvanchery police will bring them to Tambaram on a transit warrant, police sources said. The motive for the gruesome murder would be known only after they are interrogated, they added. (Source: PTI)    

REGIONAL

4 armed men killed in encounter with Meghalaya Police-ATS

/

SHILLONG, AUG 30: Four armed men were killed in an exchange of fire with a joint team of the Meghalaya Police and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in East Garo Hills district in the early hours of Sunday, police said. The gunfight took place around 4 am when the joint team had set up a checkpoint on the road from Songsak towards Kagal following intelligence inputs, East Garo Hills SP Pawar S Vasantrao said. During checking, the team signalled a suspected vehicle to stop, but its occupants allegedly opened fire at the police personnel, prompting the security forces to retaliate, he said. “In the ensuing counterfire, the four men who were in the vehicle sustained serious injuries. They were immediately shifted to the hospital, where they were declared brought dead,” he added. The SP said the identities of the four men are yet to be established, and police are verifying their criminal antecedents. “Their possible involvement in the recent kidnapping and killing of a businessman near the inter-state border in Damra is also being examined,” he said. “Due verification of their identity will also be done properly, and all the forensic teams are still on the job,” he said. The SP said the investigation and other legal procedures were underway. (Source: PTI)      

Editorial

Himalayan catastrophe

/

On the morning of August 26, a slab of glacier broke off a mountainside on the Nepal-Tibet border, crashed into a valley and blocked the Lhende River. The lake it formed burst almost instantly, sending ice, rock and water down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers into Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, and across into Tibet’s Gyirong County. Nepal’s police have confirmed over 160 dead and hundreds missing, among them more than a hundred Indians, many on the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, and foreign nationals from half a dozen other countries. Bridges, highways and roughly an eighth of Nepal’s hydropower capacity were knocked out within minutes. The immediate trigger was natural, violent enough that seismographs first mistook it for an earthquake. But natural is not the same as normal. Nepal’s glaciers are retreating up to 15 metres a year, and glacial-origin floods across the Hindu Kush Himalaya, once expected roughly once a decade, numbered three in just two months last year, according to ICIMOD, the region’s mountain-research body. What has shifted is temperature, not geology. Layered on top is a man-made factor: hydropower stations, roads and settlements pushed into unstable valleys with almost no early-warning cover, in a country that emits less than a tenth of one per cent of the world’s carbon. Cutting the toll of the next flood, and there will be one, means treating glacial lakes as the infrastructure risk they are: systematic mapping of the region’s most dangerous lakes, sensor-based warning systems extended from a handful of pilot valleys to every settlement below a glacier, zoning that keeps construction off riverbanks, and hydropower design built for catastrophic failure, not average monsoon rainfall. Nepal and its neighbours have already piloted much of this; what’s missing is scale and money. This flood crossed from Tibet into Nepal in minutes, and from Nepal into India within hours, since the Trishuli becomes the Gandak, putting Bihar on flood alert before rescue teams had finished searching Rasuwa. A hazard indifferent to borders needs cooperation that matches it: real-time hydrological data-sharing between Nepal, China and India, built on existing frameworks such as ICIMOD’s glacial-lake inventories and the Koshi Basin Initiative, not one-off goodwill after each disaster. The UN’s response has followed the standard emergency script: Secretary-General António Guterres’s condolences, followed swiftly by the WFP, WHO, UNICEF, UNDP and OCHA deploying rations, medical kits and satellite mapping. Nepal needed monitoring and money years before this week, not sympathy after it. India moved with familiar speed: Modi’s call to his Nepali counterpart Balendra Shah, the promise of all possible humanitarian assistance with NDRF teams on standby. India has as much at stake in Himalayan glacier monitoring as Nepal does. First response should now make room for first investment: shared early-warning networks, not relief flights after the water has fallen. (Source: The Pioneer)  

Latest News, Popular News, State News

Frontier security, development must get top priority: APCC

/

ITANAGAR, AUG 29: The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Saturday said frontier communities and security forces in strategically important areas must be accorded the highest priority, as it called for stronger infrastructure and adequate logistical support for troops in border areas. APCC president Bosiram Siram made the remarks after completing a four-day visit to the Taksing sector of Upper Subansiri, where he and other party leaders along with panchayat representatives interacted with local residents and security personnel. “Those who speak about the frontier must also have the courage to reach the frontier, meet the people and understand the realities on the ground. Taksing is not a distant corner of India, it is the frontline of India,” Siram said in a statement. Siram also urged the Centre to facilitate a joint all-party parliamentary delegation to visit Taksing and other strategically important frontier areas. He said such visits would strengthen democratic oversight and allow elected representatives to directly assess the ground situation, interact with frontier communities, security personnel and local authorities. The APCC chief also called for uninterrupted supplies, equipment, communication facilities, accommodation, medical support and adequate manpower for troops deployed in difficult frontier areas. Siram also advocated for creation of an ‘Arunachal Regiment’, with substantial recruitment of indigenous tribal youth of the state. “The people of Taksing are not living at the periphery of India. They are living at the frontline of India. If the nation expects them to stand firm on the frontier, it must stand firmly behind them,” he added. (Source: PTI)  

Latest News, Popular News, State News

Nocte community adopts script at general body meeting

/

DEOMALI, AUG 29: The Nocte community on Saturday took a significant step towards preserving and strengthening its linguistic heritage with the adoption of a proposed Nocte script at a General Body Meeting organised by the Nocte Script Development Committee in collaboration with Wangcha Rajkumar Government College (WRGC), Deomali. Representatives of various Nocte-speaking groups, including Hahwakhun, Ollo, Khappa, Tang and Phungsung, participated in the meeting and offered suggestions to make the script more inclusive, while keeping scope for further amendments and refinement. The meeting was chaired by Arunachal Pradesh Environment and Forests Minister Wangki Lowang. The central highlight was the presentation of the proposed Nocte script by Dr Wanglit Mongchan. Representatives of different Nocte dialect groups discussed the script and future strategies and endorsed the proposed script as presented by Mongchan. Addressing the gathering, Lowang appreciated Mongchan and members of the Nocte Script Development Committee for their contribution towards preserving and developing the linguistic heritage of the community. He termed the initiative a landmark achievement that would benefit future generations. The minister also called for the development of a Nocte multidialectal dictionary to facilitate wider understanding and communication among different Nocte-speaking groups. He stressed the need for greater linguistic and cultural assimilation and urged the community to rise above minor differences and work collectively for the preservation and development of its identity. The programme also featured cultural performances by students of Government Higher Secondary School, Deomali, and WRGC. The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by WRGC Principal Dr Watsen Bangsia. The adoption of the script marks an important milestone in efforts to preserve the linguistic identity of the Nocte community and pass it on to future generations.    

Latest News, Popular News, State News

Kiyak Laam Kraam Tourism and Culture Experience Tour concludes

/

Tourism collaboration can open new window of opportunity: Sona ITANAGAR, AUG 29: The six-day Kiyak Laam Kraam: Our Journey – Tourism and Culture Experience Tour concluded here on Saturday with a valedictory ceremony at the State Banquet Hall, bringing together around 100 tourism stakeholders, tour operators and homestay owners from the eight northeastern states. The participants from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura visited 11 destinations across Arunachal Pradesh during the tour. The programme provided a platform for participants to share experiences and explore opportunities for greater collaboration in tourism, hospitality and cultural exchange across the Northeast. Arunachal Pradesh Tourism and Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona, who was the chief guest, described the initiative as a unique collaboration between the university and tourism stakeholders that had opened a “new window of opportunity” for interaction and mutual understanding among the people of the Northeast. Emphasising the importance of recognising shortcomings and working towards improvement, Sona said, “Your strength is identifying your weakness, and growing from.” He expressed hope that such initiatives would help make the Northeast one of India’s leading tourist destinations. Stressing the need to preserve the region’s natural beauty, he called for sustainable and responsible tourism development as well as stronger collaboration among the northeastern states and tourism stakeholders to dispel misconceptions and showcase the region’s cultural heritage, natural beauty and tourism potential. Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) Vice-Chancellor (in-charge) Jayadeba Sahoo, who chaired the programme, said tourism was not merely about travelling to destinations but also about experiencing and understanding different cultures. He called for collective efforts to strengthen tourism in the region and highlighted the spirit of “Atithi Devo Bhava”. He also underlined tourism’s impact on local communities and the need to remain open to both its opportunities and challenges. In his opening remarks, RGU Registrar NT Rikam expressed hope that the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) initiative of the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), under which the programme was organised, would continue its engagement with the university and create greater opportunities for all stakeholders. Rikam explained that Kiyak Laam Kraam, meaning “Our Journey” in Meyor, an endangered language of Arunachal Pradesh, reflected the spirit of the initiative. He stressed that tourism and hospitality were complementary and emphasised the importance of promoting greater tourism and cultural exchange among the northeastern states. The genesis of “Our Journey” was explained by event director, cultural activist and RGU the Northeast is often viewed as a single region, interaction and awareness among its people remain limited. “Just like there is a need for international and domestic tourists to visit our region, there is also a felt need for regional tourism where we visit each other and share experiences,” Riba said, describing the initiative as a step in that direction. A key highlight of the programme was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department of Industries, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, and the North East India Tourism Confederation (NEITC). The agreement seeks to facilitate greater collaboration and synergised initiatives in tourism and related activities. The programme also featured an interaction with delegates from the eight participating states. The session began with feedback from NEITC president Tsering Wange, followed by representatives from the participating states, who shared their experiences of travelling across Arunachal Pradesh and discussed its destinations, cultural heritage, hospitality, homestay practices and community-based tourism. The discussions covered tourism infrastructure, homestay development, cultural tourism, connectivity and accessibility, tourist expectations, digital promotion, sustainable tourism, inter-state cooperation, capacity building and community participation. A short film showcasing highlights of the tour was screened during the ceremony. The programme also featured The Arunachal Story, a fusion presentation of priestly chants, folk melodies and traditional dance forms, besides a performance by students of the Department of Fine Arts and Music, RGU, showcasing the state’s rich cultural traditions. The programme concluded with closing remarks by Industries Joint Director and RAMP Nodal Officer Goli Angu, followed by a group photograph and high tea. The initiative was curated by the Department of Mass Communication, RGU, and the Centre for Cultural Research and Documentation (CCRD), with support from the Department of Industries, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, under the RAMP initiative of the Ministry of MSME, Government of India. Tourism stakeholders, delegates, students and faculty members of the university and invited guests attended the programme.    

Latest News, Popular News, State News

New quarter, classrooms inaugurated at Lal Bahadur Shastri GUPS

/

Mingkeng Osik PASIGHAT, AUG 29: A newly constructed Type-II residential quarter and two additional classrooms at Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Upper Primary School, Pasighat, were inaugurated by Pasighat East MLA Tapi Darang on Saturday. The programme was attended by Pasighat Chief Councillor Tagom Padung, Ward 5 Councillor Rahul Tamuk, Ward 2 Councillor Mem Tamut and Ward 3 Councillor Oyon Pabin, besides the teaching and non-teaching staff of the school. Speaking on the occasion, Darang called for collective efforts to restore the school’s earlier reputation, recalling its strong standing in the past and expressing concern over its comparatively low student enrolment at present. He stressed that efforts to increase enrolment must go hand in hand with quality teaching, discipline and improved academic outcomes. He said parents would be more inclined to opt for government schools when teachers provide sincere, dedicated and quality education. The MLA also emphasised the need for rational and need-based development of government schools. Referring to discussions with the Pasighat Deputy Commissioner, he said infrastructure and facilities should be planned according to student strength and the specific requirements of individual institutions. “Where there are more students, adequate facilities should be provided according to their requirements,” Darang said, adding that schools with low enrolment require focused efforts to improve their academic environment and attract more students. He also stressed the need for effective utilisation of teaching resources, observing that some government schools have a relatively high teacher-student ratio. Darang appreciated the staff of Lal Bahadur Shastri School for maintaining discipline, punctuality and uniformity. He particularly noted the practice of teachers attending school in uniform, describing it as a positive example of discipline and commitment. The newly inaugurated facilities are expected to improve staff accommodation and provide additional classroom space. Darang expressed hope that coordinated efforts by teachers, parents, the community and the administration would help the school regain its earlier reputation, increase enrolment and emerge as a stronger centre of quality education in Pasighat.