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                     Vol.I, No.81 [*] January 10, 1997
                     ---------------------------------

o  DR DHANI RAM BARUAH AND TWO OTHERS ARRESTED	       [S+AT:10-JAN-97]
   -------------------------------------------
   
   The  controversy  that attracted worldwide attention over the alleged
   pig-to-man organs-transplant operation  performed  by  Dr  Dhani  Ram
   Baruah reached a climax on January 9, with the arrest of Dr Dhani Ram
   Barua,  Dr Jonathan Ho of the Hong-Kong based Prince of Wales Medical
   Institute and  C.S.James,  perfumist,  for  violation  of  the  Organ
   Transplantation Act, 1994 in Sonapur near Guwahati.
   
   The arrest of Dr Baruah and his associates were made on the basis  of
   an FIR filed by the Joint Director of Medical Services, Government of
   Assam,  after Dr Baruah claimed that he had successfully transplanted
   a pig's heart, kidneys and lungs on Purno  Saikia  on  the  night  of
   December 31.    Subsequently,  the patient died at the Jogdal Sonapur
   Heart Institute of Dr Baruah on January 7.
   
   Following the death, Saikia's relatives lodged an FIR that the Doctor
   was not willing to part with the body, after which the Kamrup  Deputy
   Commissioner entrusted two magistrates to inquire into the matter and
   hand over the body for post-mortem. The body was later handed over to
   the  police and was brought to the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital,
   Guwahati for post-mortem.
   
   Dr P.C.Sharma, head of the Department of  Forensic  Medicine  of  the
   Gauhati  Medical  College,  who  is  among  the  team  of top experts
   examining  the  body,  told  newsmen  at  the  Hospital   site   that
   preliminary  investigation suggested that the patient could have died
   at least a week back.

o  NO HANDING OVER ANY AREA TO ARMY:  CM	       	  [AT:9-JAN-97]
   -------------------------------------
   
   In  the  face  of  escalation  of  violence  in Assam, the Union Home
   Ministry has proposed to hand over the charge of maintaining law  and
   order  in  the  State  exclusively  to  the  Army  under the 'unified
   command' system even as the Central Government granted  its  seal  of
   approval  to  the State Government for raising two more battalions on
   January 8.
   
   The  State  Government had initially sought to raise seven battalions
   but the Centre has granted sanction for only two.  Under the proposal
   given by the State Government, apart from giving the  money  required
   for  raising  the  battalions,  the Union Government have to give the
   recurring cost for 10 years.  The formal announcement in this  regard
   is expected soon after the Union Cabinet approves the proposal.  This
   was  announced by the Chief Minister, Mr Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, in a
   crowded Press conference at Guwahati on January 8.
   
   Under  the  system,  the  State  Government  will  have  no  say   in
   maintaining the law and order and total powers on this regard will be
   vested on  the  Army.  This unified command system was first tried in
   Punjab and the system is being practised in Jammu and Kashmir.
   

o  KOKRAJHAR BLASTS:  GOVT HAD PRIOR INFORMATION      [PTI+AT:06-JAN-97]
   ---------------------------------------------
  
   A  confidential report was filed by the Kokrajhar Deputy Commissioner
   to the Assam  Government  apprehending  an  attack  by  the  Bodoland
   Liberation  Tiger  Force  (BLTF) on December 26, four days before two
   blasts rocked the Delhi-bound Brahmaputra Mail, killing 33 passengers
   and injuring 49 others in Sesapani near Kokrajhar.
   
   Stating this, a spokesman for the  Assam  Government  denied  charges
   that the Government had failed to act despite being tipped off on the
   possible attack.   The spokesman said the instructions were issued to
   the  deputy  commissioners  of  neighboring  Nalbari,   Barpeta   and
   Bongaingaon to remain alert and take precautionary measures.
   
   He  also  admitted  that  there  were  intelligence  reports  on  the
   possibility of  some  disturbances  in  the  railway  tracks  between
   Guwahati  and  Sirirampur,  but  said  that  it was difficult for the
   Government to act unless the report was area specific.

o  BLAST IN GORESWAR CIRCLE OFFICE BY BORO ULTRAS	[S+AT:8-JAN-97]
   ----------------------------------------------
   
   Suspected Bodo Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF) extremists engineered  a
   powerful  bomb  explosion  at  the  office  of  the Circle Officer of
   Goreswar in the Kamrup district  at  around  midnight  on  January  7
   causing serious damage to four rooms.  However, no one was injured in
   the explosions.
   

o  OPERATIONS AGAINST ULTRAS INTENSIFIES:  21 HELD	   [AT:8-JAN-97]
   -----------------------------------------------
   
   Swift  Army  columns  have launched widespread operations over a vast
   area in the State to apprehend the Bodo and ULFA militants,  even  as
   the  State  police  have  apprehended  21  suspected  members  of the
   militant outfits from various parts of lower Assam on January 7.
   

o  HIGH-LEVEL MEET ON NE SITUATION			[PTI:9-JAN-97]
   -------------------------------
  
   The  Union Ministry would organise a high-level northeastern security
   coordination meeting later this  month  in  Guwahati  to  review  the
   present  law  and  order  in  the  region  following an unprecedented
   escalation of violence and 'import of RDX culture'.  Official sources
   said that among others the proposed meeting would be attended by  the
   Chief  Ministers,  the  Chief  Secretaries  and  Directors General of
   Police from across the region.  The last such meeting was held  about
   two years ago.
   

o  LoC SCAM ACCUSED REMANDED			        [S+AT:9-JAN-97]
   -------------------------
   
   All the 22 accused in the Abhayapuri and  the  Nagaon  cases  of  the
   Letter  of  Credit  (LoC)  scam  in  the State were ordered to appear
   before the special court trying the cases on January 24. The  special
   court  judge,  Mr  K.K.Das  also remanded the 11 persons, arrested by
   CBI, to judicial custody till January 24. 
   
   The arrested, produced by CBI, were Kironmoy Roy Choudhury,  Sunirmal
   Aditya,   Nripen  Dutta,  Anisur  Rahman,  Samsul  Haque  and  Pallab
   Bordoloi.  Three more accused Abidur  Rahman,  Deepak  Bayan  and  Dr
   Ranjeeta Roy,  surrendered  before the court on January 8.  The first
   two were sent to judicial custody while the last was allowed to go on
   bail of Rs.10,000 as she was on anticipatory bail.
   

o  SECURITY MEASURES TIGHTENED IN GUWAHATI		[S+AT:7-JAN-97]
   ---------------------------------------
   
   The Guwahati Police beefed up  security  measures  following  reports
   that  Bodo  ultras  might  try  to  plant  explosives to demolish the
   Anandaram Baruah Setu (Chandmari flyover) on January 7.   The  Police
   swung   into   action   and   posted   paramilitary   personnel   and
   plainclothesmen in all the bridges in the city.
   

o  DARING ROBBERY IN JORHAT BANK, PETROL PUMP IN GOLAGHAT  [S:10-JAN-97]
   ------------------------------------------------------
   
   In a daring robbery, six  armed  youths  looted  Rs.53,000  from  the
   Bahana  branch of Lakhimi Gaonlia Bank near Jorhat at around 12:30 pm
   on January 9.  According to eyewitnesses, the robbers came in a white
   Ambassador car.  While three of them stood guard  outside  the  bank,
   the  other three entered the bank and fired a round in the air before
   ordering the bank employees to hand over the money.  The looting went
   for about 10 minutes and  during  this  period  one  of  the  robbers
   brandishing  a  'sten-gun'  like weapon forced the pedestrians on the
   road in front of the bank to stand still.  After looting the cash the
   robbers fired another round in the air and sped away in the car.
   
   In another incident, four youths coming on a motorcycle and a scooter
   looted Rs.60,000 at gunpoint from two employees of a petrol  pump  in
   Golaghat at around 6:40 pm on January 9.
   

o  STATE TO GET TWO POWER PROJECTS BY MARCH 15	            [S:9-JAN-97]
   -------------------------------------------
   
   Despite the fact that it is reeling under a severe financial  crises,
   the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) is all set to commission two
   new  gas-based  power  projects in the Barak valley with an installed
   capacity of 24.5 MW by March 15.  This was disclosed by the  Chairman
   of  the  ASEB  Mr  B.K.Mishra while talking to newsmen at Guwahati on
   January 8.
   

o  ITA TO SET UP TWO INDUSTRIAL PARKS		          [AT:07-JAN-97]
   ----------------------------------
   
   The Indian Tea Association (ITA) has decided to set up two industrial
   parks in Upper  and  Lower  Assam  respectively  to  encourage  local
   entrepreneurs by the tea industry, Dr Jayanta Madhav, chairman of the
   North East Development Finance (NEDFi) said in Guwahati on January 6.
   
   Leading  tea  companies  like Brooke Bond and Tata Tea have agreed to
   purchase the goods produced in the new industrial parks, while  other
   groups are expected to follow suit, Dr Madhav said.

o  SANKAR JANMOTSAV IN LONDON			       [S+AT:09-JAN-97]
   --------------------------
   
   Sankar  Janmotsav,  the  birth  anniversary  of  Shri  Sankardev  was
   organised  by  Dr  Dinesh  Kakoti  with  the  members of the Assamese
   community in and around London.  A cultural  programme  followed  the
   'naam  kirtan'  and  enthralled  the  audience with notes of borgeet,
   lokageet and modern Assamese songs.  Members shared  their  nostalgic
   memories  amidst  maah  prasad,  narikol  laru  and other tantalizing
   Assamese delicacies.
   
   Sankar  Janmotsav  was  first  organized in London in 1984 by veteran
   Vaisnavites late Padmadhar Deka of  Tezpur  and  late  Subhadra  Bala
   Kakoti of  Saulkuchi.    Since  then  on,  each  year this auspicious
   occasion has been observed with due solemnity.
   

o  SOLE JONGA DEALER IN NORTHEAST			[S:08-JAN-97]
   ------------------------------
   
   Mohini  Automobiles of Sibsagar has been appointed the sole dealer of
   Jonga, manufactured by vehicle production unit of  Defence  Ministry,
   for the north-eastern region excluding Mizoram.
   

o  MITRA PHUKAN WINS ANOTHER KATHA AWARD		[S:08-JAN-97]
   -------------------------------------
   
   Popular  columnist,  vocalist,  social  worker  and  writer, Ms Mitra
   Phukan bagged another Katha  award  at  the  All  Indian  Translation
   Contest  organized  by  Katha  in  association  with the British High
   Commission for her  English  translation  of  the  original  Assamese
   story, the  Rainmaker, by Harendra Kumar Bhuyan.  The first prize was
   bagged by Apratim Baruah while the  commendation  award  went  to  Ms
   Phukan.  Ms Ranjita Biswas received special mention.
   

o  PROMILA, ANIMA WIN GOLD IN NE SPORTS FESTIVAL	[AT:10-JAN-97]
   ---------------------------------------------
   
   Assam's Pramila Bharali earned the first gold in shot-put covering  a
   distance  of  14.4  metre  and Anima Sonowal clinched the gold in the
   high jump event finishing at 1.45 metre in the athletic events of the
   Northeast Sports Festival currently underway in Itanagar.

______________________________[Mozz-BG]_________________________________

Compiled from newspaper and agency reports for private circulation only.
      [S=Sentinel, AT=Assam Tribune, Agencies = UNI, PTI, PIB]
              http://www.cyberspace.org/~mozz/aol.html  
  http://piglet.uccs.edu/~kalita/assam/news/news-from-assam-index.html
________________________________________________________________________