Northeast (July 19. 2010)

1) Gorkhaland Linky

The Bengal government today asked the Centre to defer the tripartite talks with the Gorkha Janmutki Morcha. The home ministry, as a result, is unlikely to convene the negotiations on July 24, a date announced earlier by Delhi. A fax from Writers’ Buildings has requested the ministry to defer the talks, sources told The Telegraph. The probable postponement comes in the wake of evidence collected by Bengal police, which could nail top Morcha leaders in the Madan Tamang murder case. Phone conversations between Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri and cadres were reportedly recorded by the police before and after the murder on May 21. “We told the Bengal police to arrest (them) if they have the evidence,” said a home ministry source.

The Bengal government’s predicament is that it would be difficult to take action against Giri and others, who could be accused in the Tamang murder case, after sitting across the table with them. Moreover, the Darjeeling unit of the CPM — the party that heads the Left Front government in the state — is opposed to the talks. In Delhi, officials believe that Bengal would not like to go ahead with the meeting before the Assembly elections. The meeting was to discuss the Centre’s proposal for an interim authority for the Darjeeling hills on the lines of the DGHC, which earlier was an elected body.

For the Morcha, the fear is that the interim body could be equated with the Sixth Schedule status proposed by GNLF chief and former chairperson of the DGHC, Subash Ghisingh. “Right now, it is the internal dynamics of the Morcha and the Bengal government’s worries that are important,” said a source. Voice transcripts are admissible in court after tests at a forensic lab. But for the CPM-led government, elections are a priority and the talks may be conveniently pushed over to next year. North Block, however, would ideally like to continue its engagement with the Morcha, the source said.

SC on highway

The Supreme Court on Monday again directed the Centre and the Bengal government and parties agitating for and against Gorkhaland to stop blocking NH31A, the highway that links Sikkim with the rest of the country. The top court order came just days ahead of a proposed 24-hour bandh by the Morcha on July 25. The court was acting on a PIL filed by P. Bhandari, a resident of Sikkim, who said bandhs cut off the landlocked state completely, snapping supply of essential commodities.

2) DHD (J) Linky

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today took further remand of commander-in-chief of Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) Niranjan Hojai to take him to Delhi for “scientific tests”. Though the NIA had sought his custody for 10 more days, the court of the special judge, Adhir Kumar Das, extended the custody for seven days.

3) Manipur vs. Nagalim: Bah, wake me up later Linky

Manipur police submitted three chargesheets against NSCN (I-M) leader Th. Muivah and some of his cadres in a total of 324 cases registered against them, chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh told the Assembly today. He said the 324 cases were registered between August 1, 1997, and June 30 this year and that he would submit a detailed report of the nature of the crimes to the Assembly during the ongoing session.

“The cases were registered in connection with crimes committed within the territory of Manipur after the NSCN (I-M) ceasefire came into effect. Of these, chargesheets have been submitted in three cases, the final report of 179 cases were returned by the courts and investigations were on in another 142 cases,” Ibobi Singh said replying to a question by R.K. Anand, Opposition member of the Manipur Peoples Party.

4) Paging Kati, is this the blow-hot blow-cold from BD? Linky

The BSF has apprehended a self-styled sergeant major of the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), Joplin Pohtam, from the East Khasi Hills border early this morning.

Sentinel adds: Linky

Acting on specific information on Joplin’s movement from across the border, the BSF swung into action and apprehended him around 50 metres from the international boundary. BSF Public Relations Officer Ravi Gandhi said BSF troops apprehended the HNLC cadre at 4 am from near the border pillar 1272/3-S.

Meanwhile, the ULFA case seems to be heading the way of Anup Chetia, is this the squeeze you thought of? There is no talk of handover. Linky

Bangladesh authorities have slapped four cases against ULFA militant Ranjan Chowdhury and his associate whose arrest was announced on Saturday. A court in Kishoreganj in northeastern region remanded the two men to three-days custody of the paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The cases have been registered against Chowdhury under arms, explosive substances and anti-terror laws.

5) On Lower Subansiri Linky

Uncertainty looms large over the ongoing construction of the 2000 MW Lower Subnsiri Hydro Project at Gerukhamukh on the Lower Subansiri-Dhemaji districts of Arunachal and Assam respectively. A strong anti-dam lobby headed by AASU, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) of Assam in recent times has shrouded a cloud of doubt over the project, which, nevertheless, progresses unhindered. Alleging indifferent attitude of both Assam and Arunachal state governments, the anti-dam alliance has repeatedly claimed that the ongoing dam construction at Gerukhamukh is devoid of technical assessment on the impact on the downstream areas. The protesting groups are of the opinion that districts on the banks of Brahmaputra in Assam would be the worst sufferers and have stoutly called for scrapping of the project. Several students’ organizations of Assam led by AASU and TMPK have been taking up a series of agitation programmes against the failure of NHPC and the state governments to honour the suggestions of the expert committee to keep the construction at abeyance till the final reports was submitted and studied.