REGIONAL

GUWAHATI, OCT 25: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday directed police to take immediate action against those responsible for an alleged attack on a Bihu troupe in Sribhumi district, asserting that any insult to the state’s culture and heritage would not be tolerated. “The news of an attack on a Bihu troupe in Sribhumi is deeply disturbing and unfortunate,” Sarma said in a social media post. The incident took place on Friday during a Durga Puja idol immersion procession in Sribhumi, where miscreants allegedly attacked a Bihu troupe invited to perform at the event. Several members of the troupe sustained injuries, while the attackers also allegedly damaged musical equipment. Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, directed the DGP to initiate immediate action against those responsible. “Bihu is the soul of Assam, our pride and our identity. We will never tolerate any insult to our culture and heritage,” he said. “I have directed the @DGPAssamPolice to ensure immediate action against those responsible,” the chief minister added. (Source: PTI)

AGARTALA, OCT 24: INDIA bloc’s Tripura unit will organise a rally here on October 30, pressing for a five-point charter of demands, including the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the inclusion of voters excluded from electoral rolls through the SIR, two senior leaders said. Addressing a press conference, Leader of the Opposition in the Tripura Assembly Jitendra Chaudhury said the country was heading towards a national crisis as citizens’ voting rights were allegedly being curtailed in the name of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. “Over 13 crore electors have so far been disenfranchised through SIR across the country. The CEC has been acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure BJP victories in electoral battles,” Chaudhury claimed. The CPI(M) state secretary alleged that the SIR exercise in West Bengal and Bihar was aimed at ensuring the BJP’s victory in the two states’ Assembly elections. “We have learnt that around 2.50 lakh voters may be deleted from the electoral rolls through SIR in our state. The move to disenfranchise valid voters is aimed at giving political mileage to the BJP in electoral battles. If this happens, we will strongly raise our voice,” he said. Chaudhury also criticised the Modi government over a law passed in the Lok Sabha that, he alleged, granted the CEC immunity from legal action for acts performed in office. “Lifetime immunity has been given to the CEC to protect him from facing any legal action for his wrongdoings in the future. Even the President of India, the Prime Minister and chief ministers do not enjoy such immunity,” he said. Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Asish Kumar Saha said the INDIA bloc has been fighting for people’s voting rights nationwide. “To intensify the movement in Tripura, we will organise a massive rally on October 30 with a five-point charter of demands, including the removal of Gyanesh Kumar and the inclusion of names deleted from electoral rolls through SIR,” Saha said. He added that if security forces attempted to stop the proposed rally, the INDIA bloc would stage a demonstration outside the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). Saha also appealed to people to join the movement, setting aside their political beliefs, and said the issue concerned the larger interests of the country and the universal franchise guaranteed by the Constitution. (Source: PTI)  

SHILLONG, OCT 24: Former Meghalaya minister Ismail R Marak joined the BJP on Saturday, party leaders said. Marak joined the BJP in Tura, the headquarters of the western Garo Hills division, in the presence of BJP Meghalaya in-charge and MP Kanad Purkayastha, state co-in-charge Numal Momin, and state president Rikman G Momin. Marak was elected MLA from the Rongram constituency in 2008 on a Congress ticket. He was Minister of State (independent charge) for the Transport Department in the D D Lapang ministry in 2008. In 2023, Marak joined the TMC ahead of the Assembly elections. In June 2026, the Enforcement Directorate provisionally attached immovable property valued at Rs 40 lakh registered in Marak’s name, stating that the action was linked to the alleged misappropriation of development funds by him. (Source: PTI)

SHILLONG, OCT 23: Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma on Friday recognised the merger of three United Democratic Party (UDP) MLAs with the ruling National People’s Party (NPP). The move came days after eight UDP MLAs merged with the BJP, now leaving only one UDP legislator in the assembly. The Speaker, in an order, said he had “accepted the factum of their merger with the National People’s Party under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India”, and directed that the three legislators be allotted seats as NPP members in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. The three MLAs had written to the Speaker on October 17, stating they had decided to merge with the NPP and constituted at least two-thirds of the UDP Legislature Party in the assembly. According to the order, the Speaker directed the three legislators to personally verify the contents of their letter. They appeared before him on October 19, verified the communication and reiterated their decision to merge with the NPP. The Speaker said he was “satisfied that they have decided to merge with the National People’s Party voluntarily and of their own will”. The latest development follows an order issued on October 16 recognising the merger of eight UDP legislators with the BJP. With the recognition of the two mergers, the UDP’s strength in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly has fallen from 12 to just one. The ruling NPP’s strength increased from 33 to 36 in the 60-member House. (Source: PTI)    

IMPHAL, OCT 23: Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Friday said the state government would extend all possible support to youths seeking jobs in Japan, an official statement said. Singh made the remarks during an interaction with representatives of Japan-based Zenken Corporation and six Japanese social welfare corporations at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. The representatives are visiting Imphal to conduct a recruitment drive at the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) International Academy at Manipur University. More than 230 youths from the state are currently working in Japan across various sectors, the statement said. The state government will also organise training programmes for truck and taxi drivers seeking employment opportunities in Japan, it added. In a social media post, Singh said the delegation had expressed keen interest in recruiting skilled youths from Manipur for employment opportunities in Japan. “The state government will extend all possible support to youths seeking employment opportunities in Japan,” the statement said. (Source: PTI)

GUWAHATI, OCT 23: The Assam government has instituted a new award, the ‘Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika National Award’, and it will be presented to eminent singer Usha Mangeshkar, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will present the award at the concluding ceremony of Hazarika’s year-long birth centenary celebrations at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on November 29, Sarma said at a press conference. The award will be given every three years and comprises Rs 10 lakh in cash and a citation. Sarma said around 5,000-7,000 people from across the country are expected to participate in the concluding event. It will showcase Bhupen Hazarika’s remarkable artistic legacy and multifaceted genius, whose music, poetry and humanist philosophy have transcended geographical and cultural boundaries, he said. Renowned singers Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal and artistes from Assam will also pay a musical tribute to the maestro, celebrating his enduring contribution to India’s cultural heritage, the CM said. Sarma said an exhibition will also be organised on the occasion to introduce Hazarika’s timeless creations to a wider international audience. He said the culmination of the year-long celebrations must reflect the stature of a cultural icon whose creative genius enriched Assam and the nation alike. The CM pointed out the importance of taking Hazarika’s message of humanity, harmony and universal brotherhood to future generations, while strengthening global recognition of his contributions to music, literature and culture. The concluding event is envisioned as a landmark occasion celebrating not only the extraordinary contributions of the ‘Bard of the Brahmaputra’, as the singer was popularly called, to India’s cultural landscape but also his enduring legacy as a voice that transcended borders and united people through the universal language of music and humanity, the chief minister added. The year-long birth centenary celebrations began last year with Modi attending a special tribute meeting for the singer. The prime minister had also released a commemorative coin of Rs 100 brought out by the Reserve Bank of India to honour the singer, and also a biography of the maestro, titled ‘Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika’, on the occasion. Hazarika was born on September 8, 1926, at Sadiya in Tinsukia district of Assam. He died on November 5, 2011, in Mumbai. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2019. (Source: PTI)          

GUWAHATI, OCT 22: The body of a police officer serving in the chief minister’s vigilance cell was recovered from a hotel room in Assam’s Bongaigaon district on Thursday, a senior official said. Deputy Superintendent of Police Khargeswar Rabha had checked into the hotel on October 18, and his partially decomposed body was recovered from the room today, Bongaigaon Senior Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta told reporters. The cause of death is yet to be ascertained, though health issues are suspected, he said. The body has been sent to Bongaigaon Medical College and Hospital for postmortem examination, Mahatta said. Rabha’s wife and other family members have reached the town, and further details will be available following investigation, he added. (Source: PTI)        

IMPHAL, OCT 19: Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Monday said around 3,000 acres of illegal poppy cultivation had been destroyed in the state in the last one year and 467 suspected drug traffickers were arrested. Addressing the 135th Raising Day of the Manipur Police at the 1st Manipur Rifles ground here, Singh said the state government remained committed to combating illegal poppy cultivation and drug trafficking. “The police and other agencies are closely monitoring the situation and intensifying efforts to identify, trace and dismantle drug networks operating across the state,” he said. Singh said the state government, in coordination with security forces, had undertaken concerted efforts to restore peace and stability, adding that these sustained efforts had also encouraged the voluntary surrender of arms. He appealed to all sections of society and political parties to appreciate good work and point out shortcomings constructively to help rectify them. “Undue criticism would undermine the state’s progress and would not contribute to restoring peace,” he said. Singh reaffirmed the government’s commitment to modernising and strengthening the police force. Paukhanmung Guite, commandant of the 1st Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) in Churachandpur, served as the parade commander at the function. Officials said he was the first police officer from the Kuki-Zo community to serve as parade commander at a state function in Imphal since the 2023 ethnic violence. DGP Mukesh Singh said October 19 had been celebrated as the collective Raising Day of the entire Manipur Police force since 2008. The force had stood firm against complex challenges, from decades of counter-insurgency operations to rapidly changing societal, demographic and technological demands, he said. The DGP said that when violence broke out in May 2023, the Manipur Police, along with the Central Armed Police Forces, the Army and the Assam Rifles, had immediately taken to the frontline to protect lives and public property. (Source: PTI)  

SHILLONG, OCT 19: Three of the four remaining United Democratic Party MLAs in Meghalaya are likely to join the National People’s Party (NPP) on Monday, increasing the strength of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s party from 33 to 36 in the 60-member Assembly, a UDP leader said. The development comes days after the Assembly Speaker recognised the merger of eight UDP MLAs with the BJP. The UDP, which once had 12 MLAs, is now set to be reduced to just one legislator, party president Metbah Lyngdoh, who is also a minister in the Conrad Sangma government. Both BJP and UDP are constituents of the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance. UDP leader Paul Lyngdoh said that three of the four remaining UDP MLAs would join the NPP on Monday. The latest political realignment is set to further reshape the composition of the Meghalaya Assembly, where the NPP is the largest party in the ruling coalition. After the recent successful merger, the BJP’s strength increased from 2 MLAs to 10. Eight legislators joined the BJP in New Delhi on September 23 and submitted a letter informing the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly of their merger two days later. Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma recognised the merger in an order on October 16. The next assembly election in the northeastern state is due in early 2028. (Source: PTI)