Newly appointed Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi has denied allegations of having links to the Pakistani establishment, calling the claims made by the BJP a "C-grade Bollywood movie" that will "flop miserably." Gogoi said he had only visited Pakistan once 12 years ago with his wife, who was working on an international project focused on climate change. He questioned why the BJP government had not acted on the allegations in the past 11 years if there was any wrongdoing. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who made the initial allegations, said he would release further evidence on September 10 after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) completes its inquiry.
All along, we were told SIR was an essential exercise carried out as part of the Election Commission's regular duties. But now that the ideological mentor of the ruling party has declared that SIR is a means of detecting infiltrators, one understands the unseemly haste with which it is being carried out, notes Jyoti Punwani.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, allegedly linked to Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi's British wife, has visited India 18 times. Sarma, while speaking in the state assembly, claimed that the initial information in the case is "very fatal" for the Congress and will have a "huge impact" on the politics of Assam. He also stated that the investigation findings will put some people in an indefensible position.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that lookout notices have been issued against North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and Zubeen Garg's manager Siddharth Sharma in the singer's death case.
The Mizoram government is ready to withdraw the first information report (FIR) filed against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuango said on Sunday.
The issue was first raised by Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha during Question Hour, when he asked Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan if the land in the Kaliabor area was allotted under the state's 'Basundhara' scheme.
A "slip of tongue" by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a public rally where he interchanged the official designations of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah has kicked off a political controversy in the state.
Last month, the Cabinet had approved the Repealing Bill to abolish the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and Rules of 1935, which permitted underage marriages under specific conditions.
The Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport in Guwahati has inaugurated a new nature-themed terminal building, designed to handle 13.1 million passengers per year and serve as a key aviation hub for the northeast and a gateway to Southeast Asia.
He said that those who have surrendered and returned to the mainstream are being rehabilitated by both the central and Assam governments and they will participate in the development journey of the state.
Sarma, however, said that police cases filed against six Mizoram government officials will continue to be probed for their alleged role in the deadly gun battle along the inter-state border at Lailapur in Cachar district.
Six days after a violent clash between police forces of Assam and Mizoram claimed seven lives and injured over 50 people, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said such incidents along the inter-state border are 'unacceptable' to people of both the states and advocated a resolution through talks.
Sarma assured the actor that his government will enquire about the demonstration against the movie and ensure that "no such untoward incidents" would occur again.
At least one person was killed and several others, including policemen, were injured in a clash between evicted people and security personnel in Paikan Reserve Forest in Assam's Goalpara district on Thursday, an official said.
'Engaging with Pakistan at this stage sends out a message that undermines the sentiments of the people of India who stand firmly against any compromise on national security.'
Protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act turned violent in Cachar district of Assam on Sunday, with protesters throwing stones at police and the police using batons to disperse the crowd. The incident occurred in Berenga area of Silchar town where around 300-400 people protested without permission. The Cachar district administration imposed prohibitory measures across the district under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to prevent further unrest. The order prohibits gatherings of five or more people without permission, carrying weapons, organizing protests, and traffic disruptions.
Zubeen Garg's cousin and Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg was apprehended on Wednesday in connection with the singer's death in Singapore last month, taking the total number of arrests in the case to five, a senior officer said.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee accuses the BJP of being 'Bangla-Birodhi' (anti-Bengal) and alleges they want to send Bengalis to detention camps. He vowed to electorally wipe out the BJP in the 2026 Bengal Assembly polls.
Sharing a government public notice on 'X', formerly Twitter, Sarma appealed to the people to send their suggestions on the proposed law to ban polygamy in Assam.
Tata Electronics on Saturday began the construction of its Rs 27,000-crore chip assembly plant in Assam, which is expected to become operational next year and create 27,000 jobs initially. The plant will produce 4.83 crore chips per day using indigenously-developed technologies. The plant's Bhumi Pujan (foundation stone laying) ceremony was held at the project site at Jagiroad in Morigaon district in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran.
Altogether 13 refugees have died while over hundred have been affected by malaria in camps in Assam's Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts, which were rocked by recent violence, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday.
A police complaint was lodged on Sunday against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev and others for allegedly violating wildlife protection laws during their jeep safari after dusk in the Kaziranga Nation Park the previous day.
The refugees launched their hunger strike since Monday evening and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has also been apprised of the situation, he added.
'Zubeen Garg had come on his own free will.'
Garima Saikia Garg, wife of the late singer Zubeen Garg, appeals to the public to maintain peace and support the singer's manager, Siddhartha Sharma, following Zubeen's death in Singapore.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said he and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma will also visit the disputed areas later as a goodwill gesture.
Gogoi and Sarma have been locked in a war of words on 'X' since Wednesday on the issue of the chief minister's wife's company allegedly being given a credit subsidy of Rs 10 crore.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said it was only "temporary" and did not disclose the reason behind the decision.
Reciting Islamic verse 'Kalma' saved the life of Assam University Professor Debasish Bhattacharya by a whisker from the terrorists' bullets in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam where he was holidaying with his family.
The accident took place in the Lumding-Bardarpur Hill section under Lumding division.
Campaigning has concluded for the second and final phase of the Bihar assembly elections, marking the end of a month-long intense political battle. Key candidates and prominent leaders from various parties held rallies and roadshows to woo voters.
Both Mr Modi and Amit Shah like Nabin because they know he will never answer back, points out Aditi Phadnis.
Assam journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder was arrested for a second time on Thursday after being granted bail in a previous case where he was accused of attempting to steal bank documents. The arrest came after Mozumder questioned the Managing Director of the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank Limited about alleged financial irregularities. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that Mozumder is not a "recognized journalist" as the government only recognizes journalists from print and electronic media.
The representatives of outfits, including three breakaway factions, deposited their arms to the chief minister at a ceremony organised by the home department Guwahati.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan had on August 22 tabled The Assam Repealing Bill, 2024 in the Assembly to abolish The Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 and the Assam Repealing Ordinance 2024.
The prospect of sitting members of Legislative Assembly, barring Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, appears to be bleak in the four prestigious assembly constituencies of Dispur, Gauhati East and West, and Jalukbari under Kamrup (metro) district going to the polls in the second phase.
"The Lampih area is extremely mineral rich," Assam government Spokesman and Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said, as he led a huge convoy through the dense forest and muddy slippery jungle track over a mountain to assert Assam's right over the disputed land and announce a slew of packages for 3,200 villagers who have to travel for six hours on horseback to reach the nearest road fit for motor vehicles.
Sisodia claimed that while the Assam government procured PPE kits for Rs 600 a piece from other companies, Sarma gave urgent supply orders to the firms of his wife and son's business partners for Rs 990 a piece "taking advantage of the COVID-19 emergency".
The Assam government wants to ban polygamy as "a component of the Uniform Civil Code" and will form a committee to examine whether the state legislature was empowered to prohibit the practice prevalent in parts of the state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday.
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