A couple days after Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi pledged to focus on ensuring security and welfare of women and girl child in Assam in the wake of ghastly Delhi-bus rape of a student and her subsequent death, a senior leader of his party (Congress) was Thursday arrested by Assam police on charges of rape.
The Central Bureau of Investigation which is probing the cause of the riots in lower Assam has not found involvement of any insurgent outfit from Bangladesh, Union Home Joint Secretary Sambhu Singh has said.
The situation in lower Assam on Saturday remained peaceful with no report of any violence even as two special trains arrived in Guwahati carrying 1700 people who had fled the southern states after rumours of impending attacks.
A judicial inquiry will be held to probe the violence in lower Assam even as the Central Bureau of Investigation has taken up seven cases related to the clashes that have claimed 77 lives so far. "We have decided on a judicial inquiry. This will be done at a much larger scale and cover the entire gamut of issues, including lapses by administration and recommendations for preventing such incidents in the future," Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.
The violence in lower Assam has once again brought to the fore the problem of illegal migration and its impact on the socio-economic situation in the state, which had witnessed prolonged unrest on the explosive issue back in the 80s.
Four more bodies were recovered on Wednesday in lower Assam, which witnessed fresh incidents of violence, taking the toll to 77, police said.
At least three more persons were killed while two others injured as fresh violence erupted in strife-torn Kokrajhar district, taking the death toll in the to 64.
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 recovery of a ody in the violence-hit lower Assam districts, the death toll in the unrest on Friday rose to 45, while the army staged flag marches in worst-hit Kokrajhar and curfew was relaxed in some of the affected districts.
Amid continuing violence in parts of Assam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will undertake a visit to the state on Saturday to take stock of the situation and the steps being taken to control it.
Altogether 2,92,852 inmates are currently living in 228 relief camps in four trouble-torn districts of lower Assam, while 10,636 inmates having left the camps during the last 24 hours.
The blast occurred about one-and-a-half kilometres from the Naranarayan Setu at Jugigupa at around 10.20 am when an Army convoy was passing, sources in the Army said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday offered prayers to Goddess Ma Kamakhya Devi at her historic temple atop Nilachal Hill in Guwahati before resuming his poll campaign in Assam.
Passengers of the Kamakhya-Puri Express had a close shave after a powerful bomb was found from the train in lower Assam's Goalpara district, where another powerful bomb was also recovered from a house on Friday, official sources said.
Following Monday night's bus tragedy that claimed lives of at least 28 persons of a marriage party at Charabori on Hajo- Guwahati Road in Kamrup District in Assam, the government has a appointed a one-man inquiry commission headed by Hemanga Kumar Sharma, commissioner of Lower Assam Division.
The stage is all set for the second and final phase of polls in 64 Assembly constituencies in 14 districts of Central and Lower Assam amidst tight security on Monday.
Two person were killed and 20 others, including four police men, injured in a bomb blast near a temporary election office of BJP in Assam's Goalpara district.
The flood situation affected nearly 26.5 lakh people across 28 districts.
The seven were arrested from the Dhomdoma area in the Nalbari district and had been handed over to the Guwahati police for interrogation, district Superintendent of Police Jitmol Doley said.
Five militants were killed in an encounter with army in lower Assam's Sonitpur district in the wee hours on Monday. Troops of the Red Horns division exchanged fire with the insurgents belonging to National Democratic Front of Bodoland and the Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam late on Sunday night at Akabasti, 8 km southeast of Lokra, army sources said.
A major train tragedy was averted on Thuraday when a bomb planted on railway tracks by suspected tribal militants in lower Assam's Udalguri district exploded minutes after Arunachal Express passed the area, official sources said.
At least 23 people were killed, including women and children, and 44 others injured when a speeding bus collided with a truck in lower Assam's Dhubri district in the early hours on Tuesday.
The suspected militants fled the scene after hurling the grenade.
A dwindling population of swarm buffalo has hit the dairy industry in Assam's Sorbhog and Bokakhat areas, famous for curd and milk products.
AAKRSU supporters claimed the violence was triggered by a conspiracy hatched by people opposed to a separate Kamtapur state.
The police on Wednesday arrested three Kamtapur Liberation Organisation ultras including the mastermind of the December 26 blast in Jalpaiguri that left six persons dead.
The toll rose to 78 on Thursday in attacks by NDFB-S and retaliatory violence in lower Assam with Adivasis setting afire houses of Bodos as the backlash to Tuesday massacre continued for the second day.
A heavy downpour in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh and catchment areas of the Brahmaputra has led to flooding in large areas in Upper Assam.
In one of the worst ever floods in the state, 25 of the 27 districts remained inundated.
A self-styled commander of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, who was allegedly involved in the killing of an agriculture department engineer, was shot dead in an encounter with security forces at Nayakgaon village in lower Assam's Kokrajhar district.
One of its cadres was shot dead by security forces.
A railway spokesman said the bomb was hurled around 10.55 pm as the train was on its way from Bongaigaon to New Guwahati station.
Addressing a massive public rally to celebrate the signing of the accord on January 27 that is expected to bring lasting peace to the troubled state, Modi said now the time was to work together for peace and development of the North-East.
The momentum the BJP has in its favour is partly due to the anti-incumbency wave the Congress is battling.
Encephalitis playing havoc in north Bengal, where 102 people have died, has spread its tentacles to Assam as well taking 43 lives there.
One person has been arrested in connection with the Jalpaiguri bicycle bomb blast in which six persons were killed, a senior police officer said on Sunday.
In the event of a Chinese attack on Arunachal, troops and equipment from mainland India will travel on the existing south bank railway till Bogibeel, cross the Brahmaputra on the new bridge and then head further east on the Strategic Rail-Road Link, once it is ready.
The party has forged ties with Bodo People's Front; continues talks with AGP.
This year, Abahan Theatre's marquee play is based on the Olympic boxing medallist Mary Kom. Written by Abhijit Bhattacharya, popular Assamese actor Prastuti Parashar portrays the role of the champion pugilist from Manipur in the play.
A civilian was killed and two army jawans when a group of suspected militants suspected of the anti-talks National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Sangbijit faction) ambushed an army search party at Amjora village under Kajigaon police station in western Assam's Kokrajhar district on Wednesday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances