REGIONAL

GANGTOK : The Citizen Action Party-Sikkim on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the health of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on hunger strike in the national capital over the past 18 days, and called on the Centre to engage in a “constructive dialogue” with the protesters. Wangchuk was under round-the-clock medical supervision, with a medical bulletin issued by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) stating that the activist remains “very weak”. His weight has fallen to 57.15 kg, a drop of 400 grams in the last 24 hours, taking his total weight loss since the beginning of the fast to 8.9 kg. His blood pressure was recorded at 105/76, blood sugar at 80 mg/dL, oxygen saturation at 97 per cent, while hydration was described as fair. In a statement, the Citizen Action Party-Sikkim said it was praying for Wangchuk’s well-being and hoped the Centre would engage in a “constructive and meaningful dialogue” on the issues he has raised. “We offer our sincere prayers for his safety, good health, and well-being, and remain hopeful that the Union government, in keeping with the finest traditions of Indian democracy, will give due consideration to his concerns and initiate a constructive and meaningful dialogue at the earliest,” it said. The statement described Wangchuk as one of India’s foremost voices on sustainable development, climate resilience and community-led innovation. “The Citizen Action Party-Sikkim firmly believes that dialogue, mutual respect, and democratic engagement remain the strongest pillars of our republic. We are confident that through sincere and meaningful discussions, an amicable and honourable resolution can be achieved,” it added. (Source: PTI)    

IMPHAL : Petroleum and LPG transporters’ associations in Manipur on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh to immediately take action against “rampant extortion” along NH-37, warning that they will suspend operations from July 31 if the problem is not addressed. In a memorandum to the chief minister, nine organisations, including the All Manipur Petroleum Products Transporters Association, alleged that tanker operators transporting fuels between Imphal and Jiribam have been subjected to illegal collections despite travelling under CRPF escort. According to the transporters, petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) and LPG tankers have been plying along the Imphal-Jiribam stretch of NH-37 under security escort since the ethnic violence broke out in May 2023. The associations alleged that nearly 100 tankers in every convoy are forced to pay illegal “taxes” to “looters” along the highway. “Initially, the amount collected was Rs 200 per truck, but it has now increased to Rs 7,000 per truck,” the memorandum claimed. The transporters said they have repeatedly raised the issue with the authorities, but no effective action had been taken. “We have raised this extortion issue many times, but it is still continuing. The transporters are no longer in a position to bear these expenses,” they said. The associations urged the CM to take necessary steps to eliminate the alleged extortion along the highway before July 30. They warned that if the issue remained unresolved, transporters would be compelled to suspend the movement of petroleum and LPG tankers from July 31 onwards. (Source: PTI)    

KOHIMA/IMPHAL : Security forces on Tuesday intensified search operations in Nagaland’s Chumoukedima district after an Assam Rifles jawan was killed and four other personnel and a civilian were injured in an IED blast targeting a vehicle on the previous day, a Defence official said. Havildar Mohd Iqbal from Jammu and Kashmir was killed and four other Assam Rifles personnel were injured in the improvised explosive device (IED) blast close to a vehicle of the paramilitary force near Sukhovi on Monday afternoon. Operations intensified on Tuesday with additional columns of the Assam Rifles and Nagaland Police inducted into the area, a Defence PRO said. The Defence PRO also said “all four injured personnel were stable” and operations were underway to track down those responsible for the attack. Havildar Mohd Iqbal of 28 Assam Rifles was posted with the Assam Rifles Training Centre and School at Sukhovi in Nagaland. Born on August 3, 1981, he had enrolled in the force on April 5, 2003. Hailing from Kallar Mohra village in Poonch district, he is survived by his wife Nasim Akther, officials said. A wreath-laying ceremony in honour of the fallen soldier is scheduled to be held on Tuesday afternoon at the Assam Rifles Training Centre and School at Sukhovi, they said. The Assam Rifles personnel were travelling in a mini truck when the blast occurred. A civilian nearby was hit on the leg by a flying object from the blast, officials said, adding that an autorickshaw was also completely damaged. Meanwhile, the NSCN/GPRN (NSCN-IM) on Tuesday strongly condemned the IED blast near Khopanala, Sukhovi, describing it as a “cowardly terrorist act” which was aimed at disrupting peace in the region. In a statement, the outfit said the use of improvised explosive devices and anti-personnel mines could not be justified, warning that such attacks put civilian lives at risk, spread fear among the public and undermine the peace that people of the region have worked to preserve. While distancing itself from the attack, it said it would seek to establish the facts behind the explosion and identify those responsible and urged the public not to speculate over the incident and appealed for cooperation so that those behind the blast could be held accountable. No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : Over six crore tourists, including 2.4 lakh foreign visitors, visited Assam in the last 10 years, the state Assembly was informed on Tuesday. Replying to a query by Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, Tourism Minister Ajanta Neog said a total of 6,04,85,638 visitors toured Assam from 2016-17 to 2025-26. Out of them, 2,41,192 were foreign tourists from different countries of the world, she added. Neog informed the House that the highest 98,31,141 tourists, including 18,946 foreigners, came to the Northeastern state in 2022-23, just after the COVID-19 pandemic. The lowest tourist footfall was recorded in 2020-21 when just 13,52,037 people, including 347 foreign nationals, visited the state due to the pandemic, she added. Some of the countries from where the largest number of foreign tourists visited Assam are from UK, France, UAE, Australia, USA, Switzerland, Nepal, Bangladesh, Canada, Sri Lanka, Japan, Spain, Belgium and Israel, the minister said. She also said that Australia, Japan and 27 countries of the European Union have recently reviewed their advisories against visiting Assam as the law and order situation of the state has improved considerably. (Source: PTI)     SC to hear on July 21 Meghalaya govt’s plea against bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would hear on July 21 a plea filed by the Meghalaya government challenging the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of killing her husband during their honeymoon in 2025.   The accused, a resident of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, was arrested in June last year in connection with the killing of her businessman husband, Raja Raghuvanshi.     The couple had gone missing while vacationing in Meghalaya’s Sohra area on May 23 last year. Subsequently, Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was found in a deep gorge on June 2, 2025.   The police has alleged that Sonam Raghuvanshi conspired with hired assailants to kill her husband for financial gains.   The Meghalaya government’s plea came up for hearing on Tuesday before a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and P B Varale.   Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Meghalaya, requested the bench to take up the matter for hearing at 2 PM.     However, the counsel appearing for the accused urged that the matter be taken up next week.   The bench posted it for hearing on July 21.   While hearing the matter on July 9, the apex court said it might refer to a larger bench the legal question whether the mere mention of a wrong statutory section in an arrest memo, specifically a typographical error, was sufficient to invalidate an arrest and grant bail to the accused in the case.   The top court had also indicated that it would closely examine whether the high court was justified in granting bail to Raghuvanshi on the grounds that the arrest memo contained a typographical error.   On July 3, another bench of the top court had refused to stay the high court order granting bail.   The solicitor general on July 9 raised the question whether the mere mention of a wrong statutory section in an arrest memo, specifically a typographical error, was sufficient to invalidate an arrest and grant bail in the “shocking” murder case.     The high court had upheld Raghuvanshi’s bail on the grounds that the police failed to supply proper written grounds of arrest, noting a “total non-application of judicious mind” because the memo cited Section 403 (which does not exist in the context) instead of Section 103(1) (punishment for murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).   The solicitor general had argued that the error was purely clerical.   On June 29, the Meghalaya High Court upheld a trial court order granting bail to the accused.   The high court had dismissed a petition filed by the state seeking cancellation of the bail granted by the trial court on April 27.   It had held that the manner in which the grounds of arrest were prepared reflected a “total non-application of judicious mind”. PTI      

AIZAWL : Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Monday emphasised the need to preserve indigenous craftsmanship and promote better market access for tribal artisans. Inaugurating the week-long Zo Fair in Aizawl, Lalduhoma said the history and identity of the people of the North East have long been preserved through traditional attire, crafts and indigenous skills, even before they were recorded in written form. Jointly organised by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Mizoram Cooperation department, the fair brings together artisans from across the North East and different parts of Mizoram to showcase traditional handicrafts, handwoven textiles, bamboo products, forest produce and indigenous food items. The chief minister said that the products displayed at the fair reflect generations of inherited craftsmanship and cultural traditions. Lalduhoma noted that while modern technology has enabled mass production of goods, handcrafted products continue to require painstaking manual work. He urged artisans to take pride in their traditional skills and avoid undervaluing or abandoning them, saying growing appreciation from outside the region has created new market opportunities for indigenous products. These crafts, he said, are an integral part of the identity of the people and serve as a living record of their history and culture. The CM lauded the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, TRIFED and the departments involved for their efforts to conserve and promote tribal and forest-based products. Welcoming participants from outside Mizoram, Lalduhoma invited them to experience the state’s hospitality and interact with local communities beyond the fair. Rural Development and Administration Minister Lalnilawma, who attended the event, also said the cooperative movement has transformed economies in many parts of the world and expressed confidence that Mizoram could achieve similar success. Referring to the recent Horti Fair at Aizawl’s Lammual, he said that sales of around Rs 20 lakh were recorded in a single day, demonstrating the market potential of locally produced goods. He said that achieving the vision of ‘Viksit (developed) Mizoram 2047’ requires every village in the state to become self-reliant, and added that efforts in that direction have already begun. TRIFED Regional Manager (North East) P S Thuingaleng said that Mizoram’s Van Dhan Vikas Kendras are among the best-performing in the North East. He, however, stressed the need for improved product packaging to enhance marketability. The fair features 25 stalls, comprising 13 from various North Eastern states and 12 from Mizoram. Two stalls are dedicated to tribal cuisine, while the others display handicrafts, textiles, bamboo products, food items and natural produce. Organisers said the event is designed to facilitate direct interaction and trade between producers and buyers without intermediaries. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : The two Raijor Dal legislators staged a walkout of the Assam Assembly on Monday to protest against the arrest of two rights activists. Midway during the Question Hour, party MLAs Akhil Gogoi and Mehboob Muktar stood up and demanded the release of the two apprehended activists, Pranab Doley and Aditya Rabha. Both the MLAs wore black clothes, while Gogoi displayed a placard with ‘Free Aditya Rabha, Pranab Doley’ written on it in Assamese. As Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass asked them to take their seats, the two Raijor Dal legislators walked out of the House in protest. Doley, who has been leading protests over various issues relating to indigenous people’s rights and proposed five-star hotels near Kaziranga National Park, was reportedly detained by police from Guwahati on Sunday. Rabha, also involved with the land rights movement, was apprehended last week in connection with alleged financial irregularities in a cooperative small savings bank. (Source: PTI)  

GUWAHATI : More than 1,600 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh have been repatriated from Assam in the last two years, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday. Replying to a question from AIUDF legislator Badruddin Ajmal, Sarma laid in the Assembly that the state follows the central government’s directives in the matter of citizenship, and enough safeguards have been ensured so that human rights violations do not take place while implementing laws in this regard. “A total of 1,679 illegal immigrants have been repatriated (deported/sent back/expelled) from Assam to Bangladesh in the last two years,” Sarma, who also holds the Home and Political Department, said. Sharing the list in the House, he said the repatriation took place between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2026, after identification of the illegal immigrants. While some of the illegal immigrants were ‘sent back’, others faced ‘expulsion’, while a few were returned to their home country through the process of ‘deportation’. Sarma said no identified illegal immigrant is repatriated if any appeal is pending in the High Court or the Supreme Court. Asked about the procedure followed by the government to ‘push back’ the infiltrators, the CM said that the subject of citizenship is a matter under the central government. The state government follows the existing provisions of law as well as the directions issued by the Centre from time to time while taking actions against illegal immigrants. The Assam government does not deal directly with any other foreign country, bypassing the Centre, he said. “The state government implements the provisions of law as well as directions issued by the Centre pertaining to the citizenship matter. While implementing such laws and directions, enough safeguards are put in place so that the human rights of an individual are not violated,” Sarma added. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : Assam Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah on Monday stressed on wildlife habitat restoration for mitigating human-elephant conflict in the state. He said the state government was adopting short-term as well as long-term measures for restoring the natural habitat of the pachyderms, and urged the support of all stakeholders. Replying to a ‘Calling Attention’ motion by BJP legislator Padma Hazarika in the assembly, Baruah said it has been observed that wherever encroached forest area has been cleared, instances of elephants entering human habitation have come down. “Wherever we have been able to clear forest land of encroachment… we have found that human-elephant conflict has decreased there. It has happened in three to four places,” he said. The minister said that while the increase in population of elephants has been at a normal rate, the dwindling forest cover has led the pachyderms to venture into human habitation. Development activities along traditional elephant corridors and alleged torture of these animals in some bordering states have led to more elephants entering human habitations in Assam, even in areas where they were not spotted earlier, Baruah said. While forest restoration will be a priority long-term measure to mitigate the conflict, short-terms steps such as solar fencing, creation of waterholes inside forests, promotion of Assam lemon plantations as natural barriers, scientific evaluation of beekeeping as an elephant deterrent and better equipped Rapid Response Teams, among others, are also being pursued by the department, he said. “To address the issues of human-elephant conflict and monkey menace, we will be holding a meeting with the MLAs on July 15,” Baruah said. Earlier, raising the issue, Hazarika sought a scientific approach in tackling human-elephant conflict. (Source: PTI)                

NALBARI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday launched a drive to destroy Rs 472 crore worth of seized drugs across the state in the next 10 days. Launching the exercise in Nalbari district, he said that the state will be “ruthless” in handling narcotics cases in order to make Assam drug-free. “At the launch of Assam’s state-wide narcotics destruction drive at the 14th APBN campus, Daulashal, Nalbari, HCM Dr @himantabiswa announced that drugs worth over Rs 472.51 crore seized by Assam Police will be destroyed over the next 10 days,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a post on X. Sarma said that the state government is going a step ahead with the Centre’s help as it looks to dismantle the inter-state drugs cartel in the coming period. “This Centre-state joint approach will help us track illicit substances movement, identify history sheeters, catch them at the borders before they enter Assam and prepare a strong case to prosecute them. We will be ruthless in this fight against drugs — that’s a promise and warning,” he added. The chief minister reiterated that border fencing alone is not helpful in this regard and therefore, it is necessary to try to eradicate the rackets involved in drugs. “The Government of Assam will take stern action against drugs in the next five years and international cooperation will be sought in this regard,” he added. Sarma said that over the last five years, different agencies in Assam have seized over Rs 3,000 crore of drugs, arrested over 26,000 involved and charged them under NDPS to build a strong deterrence. Later speaking to the media, the chief minister said that the Assam government’s fight against drugs in the state will be accelerated in the next five years. “For this, the government will use technology and seek the cooperation of the people so that the guilty can be punished severely under the laws in court,” he added. Sarma said the Assam Police have already been directed to take strong action against drug peddlers and urged the people to be aware of such criminals. “The public should report such information to the police immediately, and technology will be used properly in this regard. Training has been arranged among the police personnel in this regard, as in many cases, the guilty persons escape in court due to lack of sufficient and proper evidence,” he added. Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, said that the police should gather evidence against the guilty so that they can be convicted in court. He added that regular meetings have been held with DGPs of all states at the Union Home Minister level to enhance inter-state cooperation. Sarma said that cooperation has been received from Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and West Bengal to fight against drugs. He further said that rehabilitation is very important in the field of drugs and this time the government has decided to pay more attention to awareness and rehabilitation. (Source: PTI)  

IMPHAL : Manipur Congress president O Ibobi Singh on Sunday said the Assembly election due early next year is very crucial to decide the future of the state and alleged that law and order has totally collapsed in the state. Singh also condemned the incident at Kanto Sabal in Imphal West district on Saturday when a mob of nearly 600 set ablaze at least three abandoned houses. Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan, Singh said, “Yesterday’s incident at Kanto Sabal was very surprising to us. However, such acts are not new and every now and then something unfortunate and unwanted always happens in the state. He said, “Kanto Sabal is located just by the side of a huge army camp, and a large number of central forces are also being deployed in the area. He also claimed that state forces and fire tenders were also not being allowed to enter the area when the abandoned houses were burnt. The former three-time Manipur chief minister said, “We, in fact want to question if President’s rule is being continued in the state or not. The absence of any statement from the state Home minister on the incident is very unfortunate. We also want to reiterate that law and order has totally collapsed. Democracy is being wiped out from Manipur. How long can we tolerate such violent acts as a Manipuri and as a citizen of this country.” He also said, “We don’t even know if the state government is still in existence or being controlled from the Centre through remote control. “The time has come for a fresh mandate in the state and let the people decide whether BJP shall continue or be wiped out. The coming elections are going to be a crucial one to decide the future of Manipur,” Singh added. Assembly elections in Manipur are due in February 2027. Earlier, the Congress welcomed the joining of 11 people, including a former woman police officer, Th Brinda Devi and former BJP candidate Anwar Hussain, into the grand old party. (Source: PTI)