REGIONAL

IMPHAL : Three militants were arrested on charges of extortion in Manipur, police said on Tuesday. Two cadres of the proscribed Peoples’ Liberation Army were arrested from Imphal East district on Monday, they said. The suspects were identified as Maibam Arun Singh (49) and Thangjam Surankumar Singh (30), they added. A member of the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup was arrested from an office complex in Imphal West district. He was identified as Bramacharimayum Sana Sharma alias Ibungo alias Manisana (38), police said. These militants used to threaten locals and small businesses, demanding money, they said. (Source: PTI)    

AGARTALA : Six forest personnel, including a range officer, were injured as suspected timber smugglers attacked them in a remote area of North Tripura, officials said on Tuesday. Two vehicles of the Forest Department were extensively damaged in the attack that happened in the Kanchapur police station area on Monday night, they said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of the department tried to intercept a timber-laden vehicle near Chandipur around 11 pm. As the driver did not stop the vehicle, the forest personnel chased it on a jeep, they said. “A few kilometres away, the driver fled, abandoning the timber-laden vehicle. But shortly after, a group of about 50 smugglers returned with dao and sticks, and attacked the forest personnel. To save their lives, the personnel took shelter in the dense forest,” said Sub Divisional Forest Officer (SDFO) Suman Mitra. “Six personnel, including a ranger officer, were injured in the attack and two departmental vehicles were vandalised,” he said. A case has been lodged in connection with the attack, Mitra said, adding that no arrest has been made so far. (Source: PTI)        

GUWAHATI : The Assam government on Monday announced a two-month suspension of the distribution of subsidised pulses, sugar and salt under the public distribution system due to the continuation of the vote-on-account budget following the recent assembly elections. In an advertisement published in newspapers, the food, public distribution and consumer affairs department said supplying the three food items, which were being given to eligible people at subsidised prices, has been stopped for two months with effect from June. The department said the state is currently operating under a vote-on-account budget and the full budget for 2026-27 will be presented by the new government in July. “The new government will present a full budget in July, and after its passage, the scheme will restart from August,” it added. However, distribution of monthly free rice will continue uninterrupted during this period. The government said if some shops have leftover Masoor dal, sugar and salt after distribution in May, those will be given to poor families this month. Presenting the interim budget in February ahead of the assembly elections, then Finance Minister Ajanta Neog had sought a vote-on-account of Rs 62,294.78 crore to enable the government to meet expenditure on essential services pending the presentation of the full budget. She had said securing the basic right to food, the government covered 70.71 lakh families and provided free rice to over 2.49 crore citizens under the NFSA and PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. (Source: PTI)    

NALBARI : In a case of unrequited love, a local All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) leader was killed and his cousin sister critically injured in a machete attack by a teenager, who was later gunned down by police while trying to escape after his arrest in Nalbari district of Assam, officials said on Monday. The attack on the duo took place in Gangapur village near Jagara on Sunday evening when they were returning home from Nalbari town after purchasing some books, while the police action on the assailant happened at a ‘char’ (riverine island) in Mukalmua on Monday. The AASU leader, identified as Madhurjya Barman (19), suffered cuts on his head and neck in the machete attack, and he was immediately brought to Nalbari Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, a police officer said. He was an assistant secretary of Paschim Nalbari Aanchalik Satra Santha, a regional unit of the AASU. His cousin sister, who is a Class 11 student, has been seriously injured and is undergoing treatment at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, police said. “As per information, the accused, identified as Ashik Ali alias Roj Ali, stopped the AASU leader’s scooter 300 metres from the sister’s residence and attacked them with a machete,” the officer said. Nalbari SP Bibekananda Das said police received a tip-off about the presence of Ali at an interior ‘char’ in Mukalmua and a team rushed there to nab him. He had fled to the riverine island on Sunday night. “We apprehended him there. He led us to retrieve the murder weapon, but he suddenly snatched a self-loading rifle from a policeman and fired three rounds at the team and it hit our vehicles. In retaliation, the law enforcers fired at him and one bullet hit his chest,” he added. Although he was rushed to hospital, doctors pronounced him dead, police said. Another officer said the incident is a case of rejected love, with Ali proposing to the injured sister of the deceased sometime back. However, she rejected his proposal. “The attacker had proposed to her when she was studying in Class 9, and both are of the same age. Aggrieved at the rejection, Ali had threatened to kill her in front of her parents,” he added. When the girl’s parents wanted to lodge a police complaint, Ali’s family requested them not to do so and promised that he would never disturb her again. So, the police complaint was not filed. “However, Ali suddenly attacked her, but her brother tried to protect her and lost his life,” the officer said. AASU vice president Bhabajit Bezbaruah condemned the attack and demanded that the accused be brought to book immediately. The organisation took out a protest rally through the arterial roads of Nalbari town, raising slogans against the incident and demanding justice for the deceased. (Source: PTI)                

GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Delhi, and discussed ways to make the state a leading player in the defence ecosystem and boost trade and tourism with the neighbouring countries. Sarma, during his meeting with Singh, also thanked him for participating in the Assembly election campaign in the state. “It is always enriching to meet Raksha Mantri Adarniya @rajnathsingh ji. He is a powerhouse of wisdom and knowledge. We have so much to learn from his vast experience as an excellent administrator, a dedicated public servant and a veteran karyakarta,” the CM said in a post on X. “During my meeting today, I thanked him for his impactful campaign run during Assam Elections and sought his blessings and guidance to position Assam as a major player in the defence scheme of things in the days ahead,” Sarma added. The chief minister’s office (CMO), also in a social media post, added that Sarma and Singh “discussed opportunities to strengthen Assam’s role in the nation’s defence ecosystem”. Posting about his meeting with Jaishankar on the micro-blogging site, Sarma said, “This morning, I had the pleasure to call on Hon’ble External Affairs Minister, @DrSJaishankar ji. His perspective on global affairs and how India is navigating current geopolitical headwinds is always enlightening.” “I thanked him for sharing his insights on further strengthening Bharat’s Act East Policy. We look forward to his guidance on how Assam can play a role in strengthening trade and tourism ties with neighbouring countries,” he added. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said his ministry would be expanded with the swearing in of new ministers next week. Sarma was sworn in as the chief minister for the second consecutive term on May 12 by Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers, chief ministers of NDA-ruled states and other top dignitaries. Along with the chief minister, four other ministers had taken oath — the BJP’s Ajanta Neog and Rameswar Teli, Asom Gana Parishad’s Atul Bora and Bodoland People’s Front’s Charan Boro. “I am pleased to inform that the Council of Ministers of the Government of Assam will be expanded on June 5, 2026,” Sarma said in a post on X. He did not mention the number or names of new ministers to be inducted. The BJP-led NDA came to power for a third successive term in the state, bagging 102 out of the total 126 seats. The saffron party had secured 82 seats, and its allies AGP and BPF won 10 each in the April 9 elections. (Source: PTI)