Situation in lower Assam remains tense, army conducts flag marches

August 28, 2012
aassam

Guwahati, August 28: Army staged flag marches at various places in BTAD as the All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU)-sponsored day-long Assam bandh turned violent with the attack on government officials and mediapersons leading to imposition of curfew in some areas.

Assam IGP (BTAD) S N Singh told PTI “Flag marches by the Army are on at various places. The situation in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) is tense but under control.”

The death toll in the violence, which began on July 19-20 has reached 88, he said.

As the 12-hour bandh called by the AAMSU turned violent police opened fire on the supporters who blocked NH 31 at Joghighopa in Bongaigaon district, neighbouring lower Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts, injuring three of them.

CRPF and police opened fire also in Dhubri district in lower Assam to disperse bandh supporters, who burnt an effigy of Bodoland Territorial Council chief Hagrama Mohilary near Kali Mandir on NH 31 at Gauripur.

The bandh supporters attacked the vehicle of Sonitpur Deputy Commissioner Tapan Chandra Sarmah and three police vehicles escorting him near Idgah Maidan in Tezpur in central Assam.

A youth was critically injured by bandh supporters when he tried to stop them from forcibly closing down shops near Mahabhairab Temple in the heart of the town leading to the imposition of indefinite curfew there.

Indefinite curfew was also imposed in 26 villages of Ambagan in Nagaon district after a clash between bandh supporters and local people who opposed the shutdown.

Mediapersons were attacked in Barpeta in lower Assam and Sibsagar in upper Assam, while sporadic violence was reported along with Morigaon and Nagaon districts of central Assam.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has meanwhile urged political parties and outfits to refrain from calling bandhs which were ‘inflaming passions’ in violence-hit areas.

“I am not happy about the way in which BJP and All India United Democratic Front and some other outfits are conducting themselves. I appeal to them not to make any more provocative statements,” he told reporters here.

Referring to Monday’s bandh in the state by Bajrang Dal and the one on Tuesday by AAMSU, Mr. Gogoi said “This is not a time to call bandhs. Instead of bringing calm, bandhs only flare the temper and also affect the economy. I urge all parties and outfits to refrain from calling bandhs.”

Admitting that the state continued to be rocked by incidents of violence, Gogoi said the army has been given power to seize arms and was confident that results would soon be visible.

The state government has directed several ministers and parliamentary secretaries to visit the violence-hit areas of lower Assam to restore confidence among victims and oversee the return to normalcy.

Among others, Revenue Minister Prithibi Majhi, Planning Minister Tanka Bahadur Rai and Social Welfare Minister Akan Bora, Agriculture Minister Nilomoni Sen Deka, Transport Minister Chandan Brahma and Environment and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain have left for BTAD and adjacent districts.

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News Network
July 22,2020

New Delhi, Jul 22: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government as 'goonda raj' (rule by hooligans), hours after Ghaziabad-based journalist Vikram Joshi succumbed to bullet injury he received from a group of men, who had allegedly harassed the scribe's niece.

"Journalist Vikram Jashi was killed after he protested against the harassment against his niece. My condolence to the family. They promised Ram Raj, but gave Goondaraj," Gandhi tweeted.

"Is it the same Ram Rajya that BJP promised after it came to power? This is complete 'Goondaraj'. Neither journalist, nor those who protect the law are safe in UP, so how can the common man expect justice," tweeted his party colleague Randeep Surjewala.

Expressing his shock over the incident, party leader and lawyer Abhishek Singhvi said, "Shocking jungle raj in #Ghaziabad area with journalist #Joshi, already known as the complainant in #FIR, being shot on a scooter while with his daughters, struggling in a coma with a bullet in the skull! Thank God daughters not hit. Shocking, scary, disgusting lack of fear of law & order! #UP."

Ajay Kumar Lallu, Congress president in the state added, "The Ghaziabad incident has shocked the entire state. It's a tragic incident. Nobody is safe in Uttar Pradesh. If it is not jungle raj then what is. The government remains silent while criminals are becoming more active. While leaving home in the morning, people in the state worry whether they will be able to return in the evening or not."

In the meantime, the Station in-charge has been suspended and a departmental inquiry has been ordered after the journalist's family accused the police of inaction. A total of nine accused have been taken into the custody, while efforts are on to nab another accused.

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Agencies
May 26,2020

New Delhi, May 26: The in-fighting among the residents of housing societies over feeding of stray dogs is nowhere near ending, with yet another attack on a pregnant Russian woman again in the national capital region this time in Noida.

The Russian woman residing in a condominium in Noida's Sector 71 was allegedly attacked by two men for feeding foundling canines inside the complex.

"We have initiated an inquiry and a case has been registered against the men for voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation," Amit Kumar Singh, Station House Officer of Phase 3 police station told IANS.

The police said that the victim is married to an Indian man and they live in that society.

The issue was raked up on social media by one of the residents of the society. Her post had even solicited a response and help from the Noida Police Commissioner.

Kaveri Rana Bharadwaj wrote, "Mob led by Vikas Sharma, and Mr. Chauhan beat up a pregnant woman in Jagriti Apartment, Sector 71 Noida. Request you to immediately arrest these men and provide security to the scared woman!"

When contacted, a member of the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of the society said that the allegations levied by her are false and that he, along with a handful of other people, had only asked her not to feed the dogs.

Vikas Sharma divulged, "The woman was called at the society gate by the members of the RWA. When she was asked not to feed the street dogs, she became aggressive, started fighting with the residents of the society and even pushed a 70-year-old woman. The complaint that she registered against us is false. We did not even touch her."

He added that there are 70-80 street dogs in the society who have lately become extremely aggressive. "The lady was asked not to feed them as people feared stepping out of their houses and getting bitten."

In another incident on Tuesday, a Greater Noida man beat up a Chinese woman for allegedly fostering a stray dog which bit his canine.

Greater Noida District Commissioner of Police Rajesh Kumar Singh told IANS that the man named Amar Pratap Singh of ATS Paradiso misbehaved with the woman after his dog was bit by another dog who she used to feed every day.

The incident happened in the wee hours of the day when the accused took his dog out for a walk. "After his dog was bitten, in a fit of rage, he misbehaved with the Chinese woman." A Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) has been registered and no arrests have been made so far, the police said.

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News Network
January 13,2020

New Delhi, Jan 13: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has alleged that the varsity administration has blocked the registration of 300 students on the basis of 'fake Proctor inquiries'.

The union had on Saturday asked students of the university to pay their academic tuition fee but not the hiked hostel fee.

"Today the Vice Chancellor first blocked the fee payment portal and then blocked the payment of tuition fees. It is clear that the VC was lying through the teeth when he said students want to register but are not being allowed to by protesters," JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh said.

She said the VC has also blocked the registration of 300 students based on fake proctor enquiries which are not even completed.

"The truth is that it is the administration which does not want students to register and is blocking their registration," she said.

JNUSU vice president Saket Moon said that in the meetings held in HRD ministry, it was decided that the administration would take a lenient view on the students' protest and not take action against them.

He said many students, who opened the portal for registration found they had been academically suspended and could not register.

He said the JNUSU had softened its stand by saying that they would register by paying the old fees but that has been kept on hold.

On Sunday, the administration extended the date for the winter semester registration till January 15.

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