BJP’s victory in Assam should be a foregone conclusion. Why is it not?

The political chessboard this time is arranged very differently from 2016, and key regions of the diverse state are in unpredictable ferment.Among the states going into assembly elections in the coming days and weeks, only one voted for a BJP government the last time around: Assam.The BJP in Assam is led by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and his senior cabinet colleague Himanta Biswa Sarma,...

Assam Election: No Matter Who Wins, AGP Likely to Be a Net Loser

BJP has taken away a number of winnable seats from AGP and given it constituencies where Congress-AIUDF is strong.By Aditya MenonThe Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) – a party that was founded in 1985 as a result of the Assam agitation and became synonymous with Assamese pride – is now being seen as the weak link in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata...

‘Khela hobe’: Game’s on in Assam too, with a twist – Times of India

  GUWAHATI: Trinamool Congress’s viral election jingle “Khela hobe (the game is on)” is resonating in Assam with some Congress improvisation and BJP gamesmanship. In the Bengali-majority constituencies, Congress candidates like...

After Joining Congress-Led Alliance, Assam 'Kingmaker' Challenges BJP

Over the past three state polls, since the BPF's inception in 2005, the alliance it has sided with has gone on to win the polls. By Ratnadip ChowdhuryHagrama Mohillary's BPF switched allegiance to the BJP only before the 2016 Assembly polls.Guwahati: Once known as a kingmaker in Assam politics, Hagrama Mohilary, the chief of the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), today formally returned to the Congress...

Rare Duck in Upper Assam

 Considered the most beautiful duck in the world, the Mandarin duck made an appearance in Assam's Tinsukia last week after more than a century.By Tora AgarwalaFirst spotted on February 8 by Madhab Gogoi, a Tinsukia-based birder and tour guide, the duck has since become the star of the wetland — an area affected by a blowout and fire at a natural gas well located close by in May 2020....

4 minors rescued in Assam after allegations of attempted human sacrifice

The police took the four boys into protective custody after learning that the father of one of the boys was preparing to sacrifice them. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)  Father of one of the 4 children told police he was preparing to do some exorcism ritual. By Abhinav Sahay           Police...

New Halfong-Silchar Line Declared Dangerous for Passengers by Commissioner of Railway Safety

By Sidharth Pandey New Delhi, Jul 24 :  In a major blow to passengers in the north-east, the top official of the watchdog for Railways safety has declared the Haflong - Silchar link as dangerous for public travel. The Commissioner of Railway Safety who inspected the crucial rail link last month has warned that the "Line cannot be opened for passenger traffic without...

2 Elephants in an Assam Court in Cross-Border Custody Battle

Hailakandi, Assam:  An elephant and her calf spent a morning in a court in Assam this week, where a judge was asked to decide on their custody. The judge had to make a short field trip to the court's lawns to inspect the jumbo duo in Assam's remote Hailakandi district which borders Bangladesh. They were found on the Indian side of the border by the police on Monday....

Asom Gana Parishad Calls 10-Hour Assam Bandh Today Over Land Boundary Agreement

Guwahati:  Opposition Asom Gana Parishad today called a 10-hour Assam bandh today to protest against inclusion of the state in the Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh. Criticising the BJP and the Centre for what it said was "surrendering" to Bangladesh, the AGP called the bandh from 6 am to 4 pm. The BJP was "cheating" the people of the state, AGP General...

Heavy Duty Force To Combat Rhino Poaching In Assam

By Prasanta Mazumdar Guwahati, Mar 23 :The Centre will raise a rhino protection force in Assam by roping in youths of villages that surround the rhino habitats in the eastern state. The decision comes amid an alarming spurt in the poaching of the animal, especially at Kaziranga National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “For the establishment of the central protection force, the...

More than 1,000 Killed in Ethnic Clashes, Bomb Blasts in Assam Over 15 years

By Sushanta Talukdar Assam witnessed eight ethnic clashes over the past nearly 15 years between 2001 and February 24, 2015, which claimed 535 lives. During this period, 810 bomb blasts also occurred in the State in which 471 persons (395 civilians and 76 security personnel) were killed.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rockybul Hussain tabled these statistics on the floor of the Assam Assembly on Monday...

Strands of Belonging

By SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY Malini Bhattacharjee and Nazrul Haque In a research paper presented at Jamia Millia Islamia, academics Nazrul Haque and Malini Bhattacharjee highlight why Assamese Muslims are now asserting their ethnic identity alongside their religious identity The ethnic violence in Bodo Territorial Council areas of Assam has been in the news for some years. Particularly...

Scheduled Tribe Status To More Assam Communities Likely

By MANOJ ANAND It is significant that 26 adivasi communities, which are going to be included in the schedule list of Assam, have Scheduled Tribe status in their respective place of origin. (Photo: PTI) Guwahati, Feb 24 : In what may change course of politics in Assam, the ministry of home affairs is set to recommend tribal status for at least 26 communities of adivsis, like Munda,...

More Than 15,000 Women Raped in Assam in Past 10 Years

By Hemanta Kumar NathGuwahati, Feb 4 : Not only Amrita, more than 15,000 women in Assam were raped in past ten years.Crime against women are on rise in Assam as more than 15,000 women and girls were raped in the state in past ten years.According to Assam police reports , a total of 15,206 rape cases were registered in different police stations in the state from 2005 to August 2014.The reports revealed...

Forest guards gun down three poachers in Assam's Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga, Jan 15 : Three poachers were today killed in two encounters with forest guards in Kaziranga National Park in Assam. On a tip off about the entry of a group of poachers into the Park, forest guards launched an operation in Burapahar Range, Divisional Forest Officer SK Sil Sarma said. Guarding the park. Reuters On facing the forest guards, the poachers fired at them and in an encounter...

Thousands Rally Against Jihadis, 'Bangladeshi Infiltrators' in Assam

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has demonstrated across Assam against the presence of jihadi forces and alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators. With huge rallies in several parts of the northeastern Indian state, AASU has yet again questioned the policies of the state and central governments on the issue. The matter of Bangladeshi...

Assam Blind School Student Allegedly Beaten Up, Forced To Drink Urine, Almost Strangulated to Death By Roommates

By Samudra Gupta KashyapGuwahati, Nov 24 : A 14-year-old student of a reputed residential blind school in Assam has been forced to quit following alleged torture including forcibly made to drink his own urine. With this incident coming to light two months after it allegedly occurred, state chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday directed institution of magisterial inquiry into it.The incident allegedly...

Blockade by Bodo Delays Trains in Assam

By Samudra Gupta KashyapGuwahati, Nov 20 : Several trains including the 12423 Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express were delayed following a sudden blockade of railway tracks by the Bodo People’s Coordination Peace Initiative of Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts at the Kokrajhar railway station today. The agitationists were demanding immediate release of NDFB founder and chairman Ranjan Daimary...

Visitors To Assam Zoo Can Soon View Endangered Pygmy Hogs

By Sushanta Talukdar An adult pygmy hog. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar Will be the only one in the world to have the endangered wild pig The Assam State Zoo is set to welcome a few pygmy hogs this week, making it the only zoo in the world to have the critically endangered pig. The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is the smallest and rarest of wild pigs. The Pygmy Hog Research and...

19th Century Railway Section in Assam Hills Yearns For Heritage Status

A 47-km portion encircling the picturesque hill station of Haflong has remained untouched, including its century-old buildings mostly made of stones and timber. (Source: Samudra Gupta Kashyap) By Samudra Gupta Kashyap Guwahati, Nov 11 : Even as the railways are currently engaged in replacing the 111-year old metre-gauge Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section into a broad-gauge track, a 47-km...