Wing Commander Raveendran and flight steward Sargeant Iyer, though shaken and injured, managed to open the rear door of the aircraft and shouted for Prime Minister Morarji Desai and the passengers in the forward cabin to exit in haste since they suspected that fire would engulf the aircraft.
A leading Kuki-Zo organisation in Manipur has demanded a judicial probe into the killing of 10 youths in a gunfight with the CRPF, raising questions about the paramilitary force's neutrality. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) also reiterated its demand for a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo community in the state, where ethnic violence between Kuki tribals and Meiteis has claimed over 250 lives since May last year. The ITLF claimed the post-mortem reports showed the youths were shot from the back, suggesting they were not engaged in a gunfight when they were killed. The organisation further alleged that CRPF personnel stationed nearby refused to intervene during an attack on Zairawn village, where a woman was killed. The ITLF has called for a political solution to the ongoing conflict, urging the Union Home Minister to consider a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people.
A group of villagers from Meghalaya allegedly vandalised and burnt down a forest office in Assam's West Karbi Anglong district, following the killing of six people in violence that occurred in a disputed area along the border between the two states, officials claimed on Wednesday.
'Assam is not a dumping ground for Bangladeshi Hindu refugees,' says Assamese actor Ravi Sharma who joined the BJP in August and quit the party on December 10 in protest against the Citizenship Act.
In a stunning comeback, Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance on Saturday stormed to power in Jharkhand for a second consecutive term, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, despite an all-out blitz by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance which managed only 24 seats.
The autopsy report of the 31-year-old tribal woman, who was killed in Manipur's violence-hit Jiribam district on November 7, revealed that she was subjected to third-degree torture and suffered 99 per cent burns.
A provision has been made for relaxation in the upper age limit and exemption from the Physical Efficiency Test in the recruitment to the post of constable (general duty) and rifleman in the CAPFs and Assam Rifles for ex-Agniveers, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in response to a written question.
Two Central Reserve Police Force personnel also sustained injuries during the heavy exchange of fire that happened at Jakurador Karong in the Borobekra sub-division, they said.
Wangchuk, who has been camping at Ladakh Bhawan in the national capital, is yet to be approached by a central government representative, a group member said.
Official sources in Guwahati informed that the Central team would be led by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar who would be accompanied by Union Special Secretary Home M L Kumawat and Defence Secretary Vijay Singh.
The ongoing agitation against infiltration in Assam on Thursday took a communal turn with clashes reported in Rowta in central Assam, killing one and injuring seven others critically. Clashes broke out between two communities and the Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta informed that police had recovered one dead body from the area. "The situation is tense but under control," he said.
The government's assurance came amid reports of Meiteis fleeing the state following an 'advisory' by an ex-militant's association of Mizoram asking them to leave due to tension triggered by the viral video of two women being paraded naked by a mob in Manipur.
Sarma claimed there has been a lot of improvement in the neighbouring state in the last month.
When the internal security situation spirals out of the control of the provincial law and order machinery, the CAPFs can be called in, providing a security buffer before the Army is deployed.
Major rivers of the state, including the Brahmaputra, were flowing above the danger level at different places.
Amid the political blame game over Bengal's potato ban, which led to shortages in Jharkhand and Odisha, Uttar Pradesh farmers are the unlikely winners.
After a gap of 75 days, the North East Frontier Railway has decided to resume passenger train service along the Lumding-Badarpur hill section that passes through the insurgency ravaged North Cachar Hill district after Assam government assured proper security along the route.
Dismissing his Assam counterpart's claim, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday asserted in the assembly that Mukroh village on the disputed inter-state border, where a violent clash claimed six lives last year, is a part of the hill state.
Sarma, 53, has been enjoying a Z category cover provided by the Central Reserve Police Force VIP security unit for his travel in the north eastern states till now.
'There are 7,000 guns which are in the hands of the armed militia of the Kuki and Meitei communities.'
'Hatred increases with every killing.' 'It sets one family against another.' 'The sooner it is stopped, the better.'
Over 100 people have been arrested so far in the crackdown, according to Punjab Police.
The Manipur government has accused Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma of stoking hatred and division through "unwarranted comments" and called on him to display "better statesmanship" by being a "good neighbour". In a statement, the Manipur government alleged that Lalduhoma's comments were part of a "greater agenda" to carve out a Kuki-Chin Christian nation from contiguous areas of Myanmar, India, and Bangladesh. It also warned against any attempt to "push" illegal Kuki-Chin immigrants from Mizoram into Manipur for land grabbing and the creation of a "Greater Mizoram." The Mizoram government could not be reached immediately for comment.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday condemned the drone bomb attacks on civilians as acts of terrorism and vowed a firm response.
At least three persons were killed and about 30 others injured when a powerful bomb explosion ripped through the coach No 8209 of Guwahati-Tinsukia passenger train near Diphu Railway station in Karbi Anglong Hill district of Assam at around 8:15 this morning.
Meanwhile, Dr Singh on Monday gave assurance to 24 religious and cultural heads (satradhikars) of Vaishnavite monasteries from Majuli, the largest inhabited river island in the world, to continue the campaign for acquiring world heritage tag for the endangered river island located in the bosom of mighty Brahmaputra River in Jorhat district of Upper Assam.
A powerful bomb exploded on a railway track in Karbi Anglong district of central Assam early on Thursday morning. According to the police, the attack was targeted at the Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express by militants from the suspected Karbi Longri National Liberation Front insurgent group. Nobody was injured in the blast. The incident occurred five kms away from Diphu, just after a security escort engine for checking the tracks passed the area.
Five people were arrested from Nagaon and Morigaon districts of Assam for allegedly supplying SIM cards to Pakistani agents, a police spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Four persons, including a forest guard, were killed in violence at the Assam-Meghalaya border in West Karbi Anglong district in the early hours of Tuesday after a truck transporting illegal timber was intercepted, officials said.
To assess relief and rehabilitation requirements of violence-affected people, a team of seven senior central officials will visit Assam on Tuesday.
'The pace of disbursement and project recommendation picks up as the tenure of the House draws near and usually all amount is released.'
Police claimed that it was an operation carried out by 20-odd armed militants belonging to the proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom and tribal militant group Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front.
The letter said the high-powered committee of the ministry, which was holding talks with representatives from Ladakh, will meet them next on December 3.
However, in 950 booths, voting will end at 4 pm, though people standing in the queue at that time will be able to exercise their franchise.
'This is leading to anarchy.'
Two adult Rhinos with their horns chopped off were found dead today in separate forest areas of central Assam.
The girl and a man were taken into custody on June 21 in connection with a child marriage case.
The monsoon spelt mayhem in several parts of the country on Monday, particularly Mumbai where local train services and flight operations were hit and everyday life disrupted as well as Assam that was grappling with floods yet again.
The Centre has rushed five teams of medical experts to the six bird flu-hit districts of Assam, to check if the infection has spread to humans. But state authorities on Monday claimed that the bird flu outbreak has been brought under control and no fresh incidents have been reported in the last 24 hours.Central teams of medical experts have not found any cases of humans being infected, informed a senior medical official.
The government will provide Rs 11.11 lakh crore for capital expenditure for 2024-25 and introduce viability gap funding to spur private investment in infrastructure, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. Presenting the Union Budget for FY2024-25, she said that the government will endeavour to maintain strong fiscal support for infrastructure over the next five years, in conjunction with imperatives of other priorities and fiscal consolidation.