Fresh clashes between Bodos and Adivasis erupt in Assam's Kokrajhar, leading to the deployment of the Rapid Action Force, suspension of internet services, and imposition of prohibitory orders.
The situation in Kokrajhar escalated late on January 19 after a Scorpio vehicle carrying three Bodo individuals hit two Adivasi persons at Mansingh Road under the Karigaon police outpost.
The unrest erupted on Monday night after a Bodo man allegedly knocked down a Santhal Adivasi youth with his car. The Bodo individual was later killed by a mob.
Eight persons have been killed in floods and landslides in Assam as incessant rainfall caused massive inundation in 17 districts, affecting over 78,000 people, officials said on Saturday.
Three persons including a 23-year-old-woman were injured after suspected militants launched a fresh bomb attack using a drone in Manipur's Imphal West district, police said on Tuesday.
Drones are a new technology added recently to the weapons used in the violence between the two large ethnic groups -- Meitei and Kuki -- in the northeastern state, which left over 200 people dead since May last year.
Manipur experienced a year of intense turmoil in 2024, marked by escalating violence, displacement, and deepening divisions between the Meitei community in the valley and the Kuki tribes in the hills. The conflict, rooted in historical grievances and fueled by political tensions, resulted in numerous casualties, mob attacks, and drone strikes on civilian areas. The situation has led to widespread displacement, fear, and a sense of insecurity among the affected communities, with no signs of peace in sight.
The rocket which fell on the compound of former chief minister Mairembam Koireng's residence seemed to be an improvised one.
The use of drones to mount attacks was new to the ethnic clashes in Manipur that left over 200 people dead since May last year.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday condemned the drone bomb attacks on civilians as acts of terrorism and vowed a firm response.
Dhubri is the worst-hit district, followed by Cachar and Darrang.
Assam's flood situation remained critical on Tuesday with over 6.71 lakh people affected in 20 districts in the second wave of flooding this year, as the Indian Air Force (IAF) rescued 13 stranded fishermen from the severely-hit Dibrugarh district, an official said.
The student was detained three days after the ISIS India head Haris Farooqi alias Harish Ajmal Farukhi and his associate Anurag Singh alias Rehan were arrested in Dhubri district after they had crossed over from Bangladesh.
India's first woman elephant mahout Parbati Baruah famous as Hasti Kanya, tribal environmentalist Chami Murmu, social worker Sangthankima who runs Mizoram's largest orphanage and plastic surgeon Prema Dhanraj who treats burn victims are among 34 "unsung heroes" awarded Padma Shri on Thursday.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a 'Red Alert' and predicted 'very heavy' to 'extremely heavy' rainfall across several districts of Assam over the next five days.
The flood situation in Assam deteriorated drastically on Thursday with one person losing his life and nearly five lakh people reeling under the deluge across 12 districts, an official bulletin said.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a 'Red Alert' and predicted 'very heavy' to 'extremely heavy' rainfall across several districts of Assam till Thursday.
The Manipur government relaxed the curfew in Imphal East and West districts for seven hours from 5 am on Friday to facilitate common people to purchase essential items, officials said.
Major rivers of the state, including the Brahmaputra, were flowing above the danger level at different places.
At a time when Manipur is burning, voices like Colonel Sapam's serve as a healing balm. 'These are voices that need to heard and their stories of peace and reconciliation must be retold -- over and over again.
The Brahmaputra and Barak rivers along with their tributaries are in spate, even as floodwaters started receding from a few areas, they said.
Many parts of Cachar district's severely affected Silchar town are still waterlogged.
The total number of people killed in flooding and landslides in the state this year has gone up to 76. While 50 people were killed in inundation, 26 died due to landslides.
The toll due to the flood since mid-May is now 101, they said.
Madhubala Mandal, a widow, returned home to her hearing impaired daughter on Wednesday evening, shortly after being freed from a camp for illegal immigrants in Kokrajhar.
After a calm of ten days fresh violence broke out in parts of lower Assam claiming five lives and pushing the overall toll to 61 on Sunday.
With the fresh fatalities, the total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood and landslides across the state has gone up to 42.
A total of 246 militants of United Gorkha People's Organisation and Tiwa Liberation Army formally surrendered before Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati on Thursday.
Two more died in the state today. With this, the total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood and landslide has gone up to 115 across the state -- 89 were killed in flood-related incidents and 26 in landslides.
Currently, the Brahmaputra at Guwahati, Nimatighat in Jorhat, Tezpur in Sonitpur, Goalpara and Dhubri towns, while the Barak at AP Ghat in Cachar and Badarpurghat in Karimganj are flowing above the danger mark.
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, was completely withdrawn in Meghalaya in 2018, Tripura in 2015 and Mizoram in the 1980s.
Over four lakhs riot-hit are lodged in 278 relief camps in the violence-affected areas and out of those over 200 relief camps have been set up in educational institutions.
Over 1,700 inmates have taken shelter in relief camps in trouble-torn Kokrajhar and Chirang districts of Assam since on Thursday following tension in the wake of a Bodo member of Legislative Assembly's arrest.
Renowned spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, on Wednesday visited the riot-hit districts of Chirang and Kokrajhar in Assam with the objective of healing the wounds of the recent clashes. He visited several relief camps and interacted with the inmates.
The toll in the clashes between minority migrants and Bodo tribals rose to 53 in Assam on Saturday as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited worst-hit Kokrajhar district.
In the wake of violent ethnic clashes, the Army staged a flag march in violence-affected Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts of Assam on Wednesday morning.
Violence escalated in trouble-torn Kokrajhar district of Assam on Sunday with a senior DIG rank police official and three others injured in mob attack prompting police to fire in self-defence, while the death toll in the last two days' clash between Bodos and immigrants rose to 12.
Relief camps in Assam's Kokrajhar and Barpeta districts have 4,615 new refugees, while 376 have left for home in Chirang district since Sunday. In Kokrajhar, 4,587 people have sought refuge where 60,252 are housed in 50 camps while in Chirang, there are 31,442 refugees in 24 camps, official sources said on Monday.
In bad news for security forces, Bodo insurgent group NDFB-S is believed to have aligned with UNLFW, an umbrella organisation of terror groups in the north-east, responsible for the recent ambush in Manipur that killed 18 soldiers.
Five persons were killed in fresh violence in lower Assam's Chirang district on Saturday taking the toll to 85 since ethnic trouble erupted last month.
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