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                     Vol.I, No.86 [*] February 1, 1997
                     ---------------------------------

o  MAJOR BLOW TO AGP:  EC MAY ALLOT 'ELEPHANT' TO BSP	[AT:31-JAN-97]
   -------------------------------------------------
   
   In  what  can be described as a major blow to Asom Gana Parishad, the
   Election  Commission  is  on  the  verge  of  allotting  its   symbol
   'elephant'  to  one  of  its  most unlikely rivals, The Bahujan Samaj
   Party, in the wake of its decision to accord the party with  national
   status.
   
   A bitter fight appears to be on the cards to  rescue  the  'elephant'
   from the enemy's clutches as the regional party prepares to fight one
   of its most desperate battles, ever with the EC and the BSP.  And for
   a  change  the battle will not fought on political battlefield but in
   quite offices of the EC and court rooms.
   
   EC's  decision to recognize the BSP as a national party, sort of blew
   to whistle in the battle for the prized pachyderm.  According to EC's
   rule, a national party gets usually preference over a regional  setup
   over selection of its symbol.  And BSP which like the AGP also sports
   the same symbol, may get a lead in the fight.
   

o  ULFA MEN KILL SULFA MAN				[S:30-JAN-97]
   -----------------------
  
   Four  ULFA  activists  coming  on  two  motor  cycles  gunned  down a
   surrendered ULFA activist, Mukul Bora (35) and seriously injured  his
   brother,  Ranjan  Bora  (30),  at  Kamalpur village, about 23 km from
   North Lakhimpur on January 29.
   
   According  to  reports  the  ULFA  militants came to the house of the
   deceased and forcibly took away one Prasanta Saikia from Bora's house
   to an undisclosed destination after beating him up.    The  ULFA  men
   came back  later and forcibly took Mukul out of the house.  They then
   shot at him killing him on the spot.  The brother  of  the  deceased,
   who came out hearing the gunshot, attacked the ULFA men with a khukri
   and injured  one  of  them.   At this point the ULFA men shot at him.
   The ULFA men then fled from the scene leaving behind a  motor  cycle.
   Police  had  reportedly  recovered  the  motor  cycle  and  two empty
   cartridges of AK-47 rifles from the scene of the killing.
    

o  LoC:  REDDY HELPED ACCUSED				[AT:29-JAN-97]
   -------------------------
   
   Mr  Janardhan  Reddy,  former  manager  of  the AT Road branch of the
   Andhra Bank, presently posted in Hyderabad, had helped the Letter  of
   Credit  (LoC) scam accused persons to open accounts in fictious names
   in the bank.  The Central Bureau of Investigation, investigating into
   the scam in Veterinary department of Assam,  arrested  Mr  Reddy  who
   hails  from  Domalguda  in  Andhra  Pradesh and the accountant of the
   ICDP, Demow  Jogeswar  Dutta  on  January  27  in  charges  of  their
   involvement in  the  Demow  case.  They were produced in the court of
   Special Judge, Assam, on January 28 and the court  remanded  them  to
   judicial custody for a period of 14 days.
   

o  SIT TO PROBE PARAG KILLING 				[S:1-FEB-97]
   --------------------------
  
   The  State  Government  has   decided   to   constitute   a   Special
   Investigation  Team to be headed by DIG Tarapada Chakravarty to probe
   the killing of renowned journalist Parag  Kumar  Das,  a  high  level
   official sources  said.    The SIT will also probe the killing of the
   IGP, S.K.Deb.
   

o  ULFA HIDEOUT BUSTED					[AT:31-JAN-97]
   -------------------
  
   The Army busted a hideout of the ULFA at Tarabari in Barpeta district
   and  recovered  a  sten  carbine  and one 12 bore gun, on January 30.
   Army sources said that the few days back,  the  Army  apprehended  as
   arms dealer Bishnu Bhadra.  During interrogation, he gave information
   to  the Army about the whereabouts of a female cadre of the ULFA, who
   was also arrested by the Army.   The  Army  got  to  know  about  the
   hideout  from  the  interrogation  of  the  female  ULFA  cadre, Niru
   Talukdar and raided it.  Sources said that the militants  present  in
   the hideout managed to escape after a brief exchange of fire with the
   Army personnel.    Army  sources  said that both Niru and Bishnu were
   handed over to the police.
   

o  GUNRUNNER RACKET SPOTTED				[S:30-JAN-97]
   ------------------------
   
   The police raided the house of a SULFA activist on  January  28,  who
   has  been  in  Jorhat  jail  following his arrest on November 30 last
   year, and recovered a  loaded  .38  revolver  along  with  five  live
   cartridges.   Some  incriminating  letters  revealing  a  gunrunners'
   racket were also recovered during  the  raid,  police  sources  said.
   Police  had  recovered  two  sophisticated  guns from the SULFA man's
   possession after he was arrested following a hot chase in the town in
   November last year.
   

o  HC HEARING ON UNIFIED COMMAND				[S:30-JAN-97]
   -----------------------------
   
   The  Gauhati  High  Court  has fixed February 13 as the next date for
   hearing about the acceptability of  the  public  interest  litigation
   filed  by  advocate  Shantanu  Bharali in connection with the Unified
   Command, according to court sources on January 29.
   

o  NALBARI AGP DENIES LINK WITH ULFA			[AT:30-JAN-97]
   ---------------------------------
   
   The Nalbari district committee of AGP has denied  the  reports  in  a
   section  of  Press  that  State Forest Minister Nagen Sarma and State
   Agriculture Minister  Chandra  Mohan  Patowary  had  received  active
   support  from  the  ULFA  during the last election and they have been
   helping the extremist organization financially , besides  maintaining
   close links  with  it.    Terming  the reports as false, baseless and
   politically motivated, the district committee in  a  Press  statement
   said  that  both the Minister from Nalbari district have own the last
   three elections on the strength of the party and the goodwill of  the
   people.
   

o  DHANIRAM'S BAIL APPLICATION DEFERRED			[AT:30-JAN-97]
   ------------------------------------
   
   The bail application of Dr Dhaniram Barua and others which was  taken
   up  by  the  Gauhati  High Court on January 29 has been deferred till
   February 5 as certain reports from Hyderabad have not arrived as yet.
   

o  MAJULI LINKED BY WATER TRANSPORT			[S:29-JAN-97]
   --------------------------------
   
   Majuli,  the  world's  largest  river  island  and  nerve  centre  of
   spiritual, art and culture of the Northeast  India  has  been  linked
   with  the  mainland  by  water  transport  under  a  new  master plan
   initiated by the Minister of Transport, Mr Pradip Hazarika.
   
   Under  this new scheme, commercial movement of goods from the nearest
   river port in the mainland, Nimatighat near Jorhat to  South  Salmara
   of Majuli,  had  been started since January 5, 1997.  According to Mr
   I.R.Rahman, commercial officer, IWT  commercial  service,  Dibrugarh,
   MV-Na-dihing  and  other  two boats are kept as stand by for carrying
   cargo to Majuli.
   
o  NATIONAL SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY				[AT:30-JAN-97]
   ------------------------------
   
   A national seminar on 'the concept of person' sponsored by the Indian
   Council  of  Philosophical  Research,  New  Delhi  was  held  in  the
   Department  of  Philosophy,  Gauhati  University  where  the renowned
   philosophers from the different  universities  of  India  deliberated
   that  the philosophy of person and personal identity has been studied
   in a multidimensional way.  The person is not a 'limit' of the world.
   The western concept of 'person'  has  been  understood  in  India  as
   'purusha', a  psyco-physical subject.  The seminar was directed by Dr
   Nilima Sharma, Professor and Head, Department of Philosophy,  Gauhati
   University.
   

o  STEPS TO STREAMLINE CITY BUS SERVICES			[AT:30-JAN-97]
   --------------------------------------
   
   In a bid to streamline the city bus services at Guwahati it has  been
   decided  to  strictly  enforce  the  wearing  of  uniforms along with
   identity cards by the drivers, besides adopting stern  measures  like
   cancellation  driving  licences  of drivers during renewal in case of
   habitual offenders.  This was decided on  January  29  in  a  meeting
   presided over by Deputy Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar and attended by Mr
   Deven  Dutta,  President,  Grahak Suraksha Santha, representatives of
   various bus owners' associations, Traffic Police, Assam Institute  of
   Management and District Transport Officers.
   

o  SEMINAR ON HUMAN RIGHTS					[AT:30-JAN-97]
   -----------------------
   
   A  national  seminar  on human rights is being organized by the State
   Human Rights Commission  is  open  for  participation  of  all  NGOs,
   thinkers,   educationists,  writers,  Mahila  Samitis,  youth  clubs,
   officials etc.,  according  to  the  Secretary,  Assam  Human  Rights
   Commission.
   

o  STATE FACES POWER CRISIS				[S:31-JAN-97]
   ------------------------
   
   The  State  has been going through a severe electricity crisis due to
   cut of 120 MW power supplied to ASEB by the NTPC from West Bengal for
   non-payment of outstanding dues of Rs.640 million by  ASEB  to  NTPC.
   The entire except Guwahati has been badly affected.
   

o  TRAFFIC COP GETS PEOPLE'S THRASHING 			[S:31-JAN-97]
   -----------------------------------
   
   A traffic constable incurred the wrath of the people when he beat  up
   a  truck driver near Dhing Gate, Nagaon on January 30 morning but his
   colleagues later took revenge on the truck driver by severely beating
   him in public.  The driver, Phani Singh, has  been  admitted  to  the
   Nagaon Civil Hospital where his condition was stated to be serious.
   

o  ASSAM WATCH STAGE PROTEST IN LONDON			[S:29-JAN-97]
   -----------------------------------
  
   The  Assam  Watch,  a  UK-based  human  rights organization, staged a
   two-hour protest demonstration in front of the Indian High Commission
   office in London on January 26 protesting against 'rape, torture  and
   killings  in  Assembly  security  forces' and demanding withdrawal of
   Central forces from Assam, stated a press release.
   

o  COURSE IN XATRIYA MUSIC IN DU SOON			[S:31-JAN-97]
   ----------------------------------
   
   A plan was afoot under the aegis of the Assamese  Department  of  the
   Dibrugarh University to introduce a two-year degree course on Xatriya
   music in the University, Dr Kesavananda Dev Goswami of the Department
   informed.   According  to  Dr  Goswami, a syllabus for the course has
   already been prepared and the course is likely to be introduced  from
   the next academic session.
   

o  DEMAND FOR BG LINE EXTENSION TO JOGIGHOPA		[S:31-JAN-97]
   -----------------------------------------
   
   A  mammoth  public meeting was held in the Baxirhat (Chagalia) on the
   Assam-West Bengal border on January 27 to demand extension  of  broad
   gauge line from New Mainaguri to Jogighopa.  About 30,000 people from
   Assam and North Bengal attended the meeting which as presided over by
   a  presidium  consisting  of  former  Assam  Assembly  Deputy Speaker
   Giasudin Ahmed of CPI and MLA Sudhir  Pramanik,  West  Bengal.    The
   meeting  was attended by leaders and workers of political parties and
   general people of both the States.
   

o  SALARY DEDUCTION IN NAGALAND				[AT:1-FEB-97]
   ----------------------------
  
   Two  days  salary  of about 90,000 Nagaland Government employees, who
   went on pen down strike on January 22 and  24  at  the  call  of  the
   Confederation  of All Nagaland States Services Employees Association,
   would be deducted at source.
   

o  JORHAT BICENTENATY FROM FEBRUARY 4			[S:29-JAN-97]
   ----------------------------------
   
   The  bicentenary  of  celebration  of  Jorhat  will  be observed from
   February 4 with a colorful four-day long programs.  The president and
   secretary of the organizing committee have  meanwhile  requested  the
   various  organizations  not  to  spoil  the  spirit  of  it  with any
   agitational programs during this time.
   

o  NEW RRB CHAIRMAN					[S:29-JAN-97]
   ----------------
  
   Noted lawyer and AGP leader Amiya Kumar Bora has been  appointed  the
   new  chairman  of  he  Railway Recruitment Board by the Government of
   India vide its order released on January 20.  He is succeeding former
   Congress(I) MR Bhubaneswar Kalita.
   

o  NARAYANAN TO VISIT STATE				[S:29-JAN-97]
   ------------------------
  
   The Vice-President of India Mr  K.K.Narayanan  will  visit  Assam  on
   March  8  and  9  in  response  to  a  request made by Chief Minister
   Prafulla Kumar  Mahanta,  says  a  Government  release.     He   will
   participate  in the 63rd Bilasipara session of Axom Xahitya Xabha and
   birth centenary celebrations  of  late  Debeswar  Sarma  at  Rabindra
   Bhawan, Guwahati.
   

o  ANSHUMAN TO LEAD ASSAM					[AT:29-JAN-97]
   ----------------------
  
   Anshuman Bhagawati will lead a 16-member Assam team for the C.K.Naidu
   trophy cricket tournament to be held at Aurangabad from February 2.
   

o  ASSAM MEN TO PARTICIPATE IN WORLD THAI BOXING		[S:29-JAN-97]
   ---------------------------------------------
  
   Dilip  Roy  and  G.S.Kundu  of  Assam will represent India in the 3rd
   Amateur Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) World Championship.  Dilip  Roy  will
   represent as contestant and G.S.Kundu as an official, a press release
   said.   The tournament will be held at the National Stadium, Bangkok,
   Thailand.

______________________________[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
________________________________________________________________________