Updates (December 14, 2010)

1) NDFB: On George Boro's arrest: Linky

Top NDFB (anti-talk) leader B Jwangkhang alias George Boro, a prime accused in the October 30, 2008 serial blasts who was detained in Aizawl by a joint team of Assam Rifles and Information Bureau on Friday, was brought to Guwahati this morning (December 12).

Then: Linky

Self-styled deputy commander-in-chief of banned NDFB B Jwangkhang alias George Boro and his body guard S Baglari was today produced before the Court of Special Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup where the duo was remanded to 14 days police custody. The custody was permitted on the strength of Basistha police station case number 439/10, which relates to an extortion demand of Rs 20 lakh. The money was demanded from Jatin Kalita, a city-based business by a caller who had identified himself as a platoon commander of the banned outfit. B Jwangkhang is one of the accused in the case, the FIR related to which was filed on August 27 this year with the Basistha police station.

Telegraph adds: Linky

Boro’s family, including his mother Nilima Boro, were present on the court premises. Boro who hails from Guduligaon in Baksa district did his Masters in English from Pune University before joining the NDFB in 2005.

2) ULFA talks: Linky

The 28 battalion of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) has extended its full support to the proposed peace talk between the ULFA and the Centre. Self-styled commander of the battalion, Bijoy Chinese alias Bijoy Das, in a statement issued to the press, favoured peaceful solution to the three-decade-old conflicts through dialogue. Chinese reiterated that his battalion would only extend direct cooperation to the proposed talks if it would be held in a conducive and honourable atmosphere.
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It may be recalled that the self-styled deputy commander of the 28th Battalion of the ULFA, Lieutenant Haren Phukan also issued a similar statement a few days back.

3) What are they going to do about GNLA now?: Linky

The fledgling Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) has started to bare its fangs and has sent an extortion demand to a sitting Garo Hills legislator yesterday. Sources said a Garo Hills legislator received a call from a person identifying himself as a GNLA cadre on Sunday and demanded Rs 50 lakh. “The legislator is obviously in a state of shock and is consulting his party men,” said the sources.
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Meanwhile, sources said most of the Garo Hills legislators are apprehensive of travelling in the interior parts of Garo Hills districts fearing for their safety. They say the present government has failed to maintain law and order in Garo Hills by being unable to crackdown on GNLA, still a group of riff-raff.

4) PC visit to Manipur: Linky

He will then head for Churachandpur district where he will visit the designated camps of the 19 Kuki militant outfits, which signed the suspension of operations. The construction of the camps is almost complete and the militants have moved into them. The home minister’s visit to the designated camps is expected to herald the start of a political dialogue that the 19 Kuki militant groups are pressing for. The have been demanding the creation of a Kuki homeland (state) under the purview of the Constitution. Chidambaram is expected to get first hand information about the aspirations of the Kuki groups when he meets them.

5) NC Hills scam: Linky

The role of former Governor of Assam Lt Gen (Retd) Ajai Singh in the financial scam in North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council has come under scanner as the records recovered during investigations by different agencies proved that he had given orders for payments directly and in one case he violated the financial rules by issuing an instruction directly to a bank manager. In one of the letters written by the Additional Secretary to the Governor, a bank manager was instructed to honour four drafts and official sources pointed out that there was no reason for the Governor to get involved in such a case and issue orders directly to a bank.
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The special audit report of the AG also pointed out that expenditures amounting to around Rs 8 crore for special projects under the Agriculture Department of the Council could not be audited as the records relating to the projects were taken away by the Additional Secretary to the Governor. Those, along with some other records, were retained by the Governor’s secretariat and the same could not be audited during the special audit carried out by the office of the AG as per the instructions of the Central and State Governments and no one is sure where the money was spent. It is also alleged that RH Khan, one of the main accused in the financial scam, was allowed to use the helicopter allotted for the use of the Governor on several occasions and “security threat” was cited as the reason for the same.

Meanwhile it is rhetoric time: Linky

Former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta today said that the State Government was not cooperating with the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering case against DHD-J leaders Niranjan Hojai and Jewel Garlosa in order to hush up the Rs 1,000-crore NC Hills scam.

6) NRC update: Linky

The amendments proposed are in respect of inclusion of an additional section 5 (B) in the Citizenship Act that provides protection to a displaced person who took shelter in India any time due to civil and religious disturbances from Bangladesh and Pakistan. The amendment, he added to say, is also being sought in regard to section 2 of Foreigners’ Act of 1946 to accommodate a displaced person as a citizen of India. The Supreme Court, it is to be recalled, while scrapping the IM(DT) Act has ruled that action against illegal foreigners could be carried out under Foreigners’ Act of 1946, Foreigners’ Tribunals of 1964 and Immigrant Expulsion Act of 1950. Nishitendu Chowdhury pointing out at the declining Hindu population in Bangladesh expressed his grave concern, calling it a subtle ethnic – cleansing, not in any way different from that of Cyprus where the dominant Greeks are being gradually and systematically swamped by invading Turks. “If this trend continues,” he apprehended, by 2050, Hindu population would be wiped out in Bangladesh. In 1961, Hindu population in Bangladesh was 18.5 per cent which has come down to nine per cent only in 2010, according to the UNDP.
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Prof Partha Sarathi Chanda articulating his views described the plight of Bengali Hindus in Assam as ‘of serious concern’ as many Hindus, uprooted from Bangladesh, and even with valid documents have been either sent to detention centres or pushed back to the other side of the fence. He cautioned if the Centre and State remained indifferent to the problem, a repeat of 1947 like situation could not be ruled out. He at the same time dubbed the exercises by Foreigners’ Tribunals, formed at the cost of huge public exchequer, as futile. Advocate Anil Chandra Dey of Silchar Bar called for immediate halt to the harassment of Hindus.

7) Crazyyy addiction: Linky

A source in New Bongaigaon said apart from taking drugs, sleeping tablets and cough syrups, youths widely inhale adhesives like dendrite and quick fix. There are at least 4,000 drug addicts in Bongaigaon district but it is not known how many youths and minors, including girls, are addicted to dendrite and quick fix, the source said. Ajoy Bose, the secretary of Pragati Sangha, an NGO based at Bhaolaguri near New Bongaigaon Railway Station, said they have been campaigning against drug abuse by creating awareness and motivating youths to discard drugs.

8) Some job for Dato Seri Samy Vellu: Linky

Samy Vellu (74), until recently president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), will be Malaysia's Special Envoy to India and South Asia for Infrastructure with effect from New Year's Day 2011. Announcing his appointment, while releasing his biography at a function in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak praised Samy Vellu for his “connection” with the South Asian countries. “Many Malaysian companies will benefit from his role as a Special Envoy on Infrastructure,” said Mr. Najib. Mr. Samy Vellu has held infrastructure-related portfolio in successive Cabinets for 24 years, besides presiding over the MIC for 31 years. Mr. Samy Vellu would have an office in the Prime Minister's Department and report directly to Mr. Najib.

9) SATP declares:

The Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) declared Sindhupalchowk, Rasuwa and certain parts of Nuwakot Districts as Helmu autonomous region on December 13, reports Kantipuronline. UCPN-M leader Posta Bahadur Bogati made the announcement amid a function at Helambu in Sindhupalchowk. He added the region will be part of the party’s Tamsaling autonomous state. “The declaration is a protest amidst the uncertainty over whether or not the new statute will be drafted,” said Bogati. Tamsaling region in-charge Agni Sapkota said the autonomous state was declared in order to establish the right to autonomy and self-determination. As reported earlier, the UCPN-M has declared 11 autonomous regions before.