REGIONAL

IMPHAL, SEP 7: Nine Naga MLAs on Monday abstained from attending the ongoing Manipur Assembly session in protest against the killing of six civilians from the community in Kangpokpi district in May. Naga People’s Front leader Awangbou Newmai said the legislators decided to boycott the day’s proceedings as justice had not yet been delivered in the killings at Leilon Vaiphei in Kangpokpi. He also criticised Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen for attending the Assembly session, alleging that her husband was involved in the killings. “We have eyewitness accounts that Kipgen’s husband, the leader of the KNF (P), is the prime accused in the killings,” he alleged. Newmai said Naga leaders had been making efforts to maintain peace and prevent tensions between communities. He also demanded that Kipgen step down from her post. The six Naga civilians were allegedly abducted on May 13, 2026. Their mortal remains were recovered on June 10, nearly a month after the abduction, during a joint search operation by security personnel. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI, SEPT 7: The release of a book based on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s doctoral thesis, which was to be launched by Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan at Gauhati University, has been deferred. The chief minister said he requested the university authorities to defer the release after he came to know that a book on the life and legacy of eminent Assamese singer Bhupen Hazarika was also scheduled to be released at the same event. ”Today, my book, based on my PhD thesis, ‘Integrated Development – The Role of the North Eastern Region’, was scheduled to be released at Gauhati University”, Sarma posted on ‘X’. ”However, when I learnt that a book on the life and legacy of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika would also be released at the same function, I requested the University authorities to defer the release of my book to another occasion,” he said. ”Today belongs to Bhupen Da. My book can wait for another day,” he added. The VP, who laid the foundation stone of the Rs 110 crore Infrastructure Development Project for Gauhati University, also released two books — Dr Bhupen Hazarika: 100 years of a Wandering Song, and the expanded fifth edition of Chandrakanta Abhidan, published by the university. (Source: PTI)  

IMPHAL, SEP 7: At least eight cadres suspected to be members of the Kuki Liberation Army were apprehended by security forces during a raid in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, police said on Monday. Arms and ammunition were also seized from their possession, they said. “A joint operation was conducted by Manipur Police, CoBRA, CRPF, Mahila personnel and RAF teams at Gampum village under Saikul Police Station in Kangpokpi district on Monday during which the security forces raided an unauthorised/ illegal camp belonging to suspected Kuki Liberation Army (KLA)” a police statement said. The camp has been sealed by the security forces, it said. The Kuki Liberation Army is a signatory to the Suspension of Operations pact inked between the Union government, the Manipur government and dozens of Kuki and Zomi militant outfits. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI, SEP 7: One suspected cattle smuggler has been arrested, and 11 livestock were rescued in two separate operations by Kokrajhar police, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday. He asserted that strong action against cattle smuggling will continue in the state. “Major blow to cattle smuggle! In two major operations, @KokrajharPolice rescued 11 livestock and apprehended one person,” Sarma said in a post on X. He, however, did not specify when the operations were carried out. Sarma said investigations are on to identify those associated with the network. “Action against cattle smuggling will continue,” he added. (Source: PTI)  

IMPHAL, SEPT 6: Two UKNA militants were killed and two others injured in a gunfight with a joint team of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, officials said. Acting on intelligence inputs, the security forces launched an operation at Phaibong village in the Henglep subdivision on the night of August 29, they said. The forces established surveillance over a UKNA camp and commenced tactical closing-in at 5 am on September 2, they said. The UKNA cadres opened “indiscriminate firing” around 5.30 am, prompting the troops to retaliate with controlled fire, they added. “Intel confirms 2 UKNA cadres neutralised and 2 injured,” the Assam Rifles said in a social media post on Saturday night. The United Kuki National Army (UKNA) is not a signatory to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact signed between the Centre, Manipur government and several Kuki and Zomi armed outfits. The Assam Rifles said a subsequent search of the camp led to the recovery of two MA rifles, one AK-56 rifle, one lathode gun, seven lathod grenades, 15 AK magazines, 371 AK-56 rounds, 601 MA rifle rounds, 172 SLR rounds, 15 combat uniforms and seven ammunition pouches. The operation is continuing in the surrounding jungles, it said. (Source: PTI)    

IMPHAL, SEP 6: The Election Commission on Sunday released Manipur’s final electoral roll following the Special Intensive Revision, with 19.60 lakh voters figured on the list, deleting 1.89 lakh and adding 56,871 during the exercise. State Chief Electoral Officer Arun Kumar Sinha said women outnumbered men in the post-SIR voter roll. “After the SIR exercise, the state now has over 19.60 lakh electors across 60 assembly constituencies. Of the total voters, 9,53,350 are men and 10.06 women. There are 308 third-gender electors,” he said. Sinha said the revision exercise began with 20.93 lakh electors on the voter list as of May 18 this year. The number of voters in the final roll is 6.33 per cent less than the number of electors before the beginning of the revision exercise. The draft electoral roll, published on July 5, had 19.34 lakh electors. “During the claims and objections period from July 5 to August 4, the authorities received 96,985 claims and objections, all of which were processed for final publication. The final list includes 56,871 additions, while 30,650 electors were deleted from the draft roll,” he said. The gender ratio stands at 1,056, while the electoral participation ratio is recorded at 51.99, he said. “Enumeration forms were generated and distributed to all electors, of which 19,34,399 forms were returned,” he said, adding that the remaining 1,58,677 electors were excluded. Based on probable reasons, including being absent, shifted, deceased, duplicate entries and other reasons, the excluded electors were categorised, he said. “As many as 34,740 were classified as absent electors, 72,473 as shifted electors, 43,000 as deceased electors, 7,394 as duplicate entries and 1,070 cases were given under other reasons,” he added. (Source: PTI)  

GUWAHATI, SEP 5: Around 330 people, accused of being involved in various fraudulent activities, including impersonating police personnel, have been arrested in a special operation since early Saturday, DGP Harmeet Singh said. He said the crackdown was underway and the number of arrests would increase. Some of the suspects have been traced outside Assam, including cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru, and they will also be brought under the police net soon. “Around 330 people, accused of being involved in various fraudulent activities, have been arrested in a crackdown since early Saturday,” the director general of police said. Singh said those arrested were involved in various frauds, like luring people with the promise of settling police cases or impersonating police officials, and threatening people over the phone and extracting money. “The police have been working against these frauds. This special crackdown is being carried out as per the instructions of the chief minister,” he added. (Source: PTI)      

KOHIMA, SEP 5: Nagaland has emerged as the third most literate state in the country with a literacy rate of 95.7 per cent, Advisor School Education and SCERT, Dr Kekhrielhoulie Yhome said on Saturday. Addressing the state-level Teachers’ Day celebration at the local ground in Kohima, Yhome attributed the remarkable transformation in the high literacy rate largely to the contribution of teachers, saying the achievement would not have been possible without their sustained efforts. “When Nagaland got statehood in 1963, the literacy rate was among the lowest at 21.95 per cent. Today, it is the third most literate state in the country, only behind Kerala and Mizoram, with 95.7 per cent,” Yhome said. He described the progress as a significant achievement for a relatively young society and thanked teachers for not only improving lives through education but also imparting lifelong lessons. Yhome said 32,714 teachers serving across government and private schools in Nagaland are currently engaged in educating the state’s children. He said their contribution was particularly significant given the difficult geographical and working conditions faced by many teachers across the state. Describing teaching as one of the “most noble professions”, he said teachers impart the same love and care to their students as they would to their own children. “The reward they get is how their children fare in life,” he said, emphasising that the success of students remains the greatest source of satisfaction for teachers. Yhome said the state government is working towards transforming Nagaland’s school education system around three key pillars — infrastructure, human resources and curriculum. On infrastructure, he acknowledged that inadequate facilities remain a major challenge in both government and private schools, including the absence of basic amenities such as toilets in some schools, particularly affecting girl students. He said infrastructure would be progressively improved through developmental projects. The second pillar, he said, would focus on teacher training, human resource management, improved coordination between schools and field offices, and stronger administration and governance. The government also intends to bring greater personalisation to the school system through a stronger school feeder system, he said. The third and “perhaps most important” pillar would be the introduction of a world-class education system through curriculum redesign and innovative approaches aimed at preparing students for the demands of the 21st century, he said. Yhome said the education system must evolve to prepare Gen Z, Gen Alpha and future generations for a rapidly changing world, stressing the need to equip students with global 21st-century skills. “We are building a generation of leadership, and that comes through our school ecosystem,” he said. He also highlighted achievements by Naga students and institutions as evidence of the potential to compete at national and international levels. Yhome said the government’s broader objective was to nurture generations capable of becoming “world-class” and competing with the best internationally. The Advisor also congratulated Government Higher Secondary School, Sechu Zubza, for producing teacher R Ronald Meru, who received the National Teachers’ Award in New Delhi on Saturday, saying his selection among teachers from across the country was a matter of pride for Nagaland. The state-level Teachers’ Day celebration was organised by the School Education Department, Government of Nagaland. Altogether, 12 teachers from government and private institutions were honoured with awards for their dedication to the profession and their students. The programme also featured the presentation of the School Safety Excellence Award. Teachers’ Day is observed annually on September 5 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr S Radhakrishnan and recognise the contribution of teachers to society and nation-building. Meanwhile, the state government has declared September 7 a holiday for all educational institutions in honour of teachers. (Source: PTI)