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                     Vol.2, No.20  [*] June 6, 1997
                     ------------------------------

      Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their 
      sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.
                                 - Sam Ewing
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1  PROSPECTS OF SETTLING B.A.C. TANGLE BRIGHTEN		[S:6-JUN-97]
   --------------------------------------------
   
   The process of a settlement of the vexed Bodoland Autonomous  Council
   (BAC)  boundary demarcation issue has gained momentum with a majority
   of the political parties, including  the  Peoples'  Democratic  Front
   (PDF)  having agreed to the State Government's offer of including 562
   additional villages in the BAC area. Support has been extended to the
   proposal, besides the ruling AGP,  by  its  coalition  partners  CPI,
   CPI(M),  and  the  UPPA while the Congress and the BJP, the two major
   Opposition parties have also agreed to it.
   
   Meanwhile, the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) and the Bodoland State
   Movement Council have reiterated the demand for a separate  State  of
   'Bodoland'  and  rejected the on-going process of a settlement of the
   vexed issue of the boundary demarcation of the BAC area initiated  by
   the State Government in consultation with all political parties as an
   exercise which would 'end in fiasco'.
   

2  DON'T IMPOSE PRECONDITIONS, CITIZEN TELL ULFA	[S:5-JUN-97]
   ---------------------------------------------
   
   Prominent  citizens in Guwahati have expressed deep distress over the
   ULFA putting three preconditions for talks  with  the  Government  no
   sooner than they had urged the militant groups to come over for talks
   without  any  preconditions  in  their meeting with the Government of
   Assam.  A number of citizens, who participated in the meeting on June
   3 said that the ULFA's stance would only  push  the  situation  to  a
   point  of  no  return  in which case it would be the dark forces with
   vested interest that alone would benefit.  ULFA's preconditions  are:
   (i)  the Army must first be withdrawn; (ii) the talks must be held in
   a 'third country' and (iii) the only agenda must be  the  sovereignty
   of Assam.
   
   The AGP has appealed on June 4 to all sections of the people of Assam
   to  help  build  a  peaceful  atmosphere  in  the  State conducive to
   reconstruction and development, and not to be misled by  the  violent
   campaign  of  the  militants with the belief that the people of Assam
   could challenge the constitutional scheme of the country.

3  CBI CHARGES 25 IN TEZPUR LOC CASE		[S:4-JUN-97]
   ---------------------------------
   
   Eighteen contractors and seven Government officials were named by the
   CBI in the charge-sheet (first  part)  filed  in  the  court  of  the
   special judge in Guwahati on June 4 regarding the Tezpur ICDP case of
   the multi-crore-rupee  LoC  scam  in  the  State.    The court issued
   summons to all the 25 accused to produced  themselves  before  it  on
   July 16.  Two of the accused contractors, Nagendra Saikia and Chandra
   Bora had  taken  up  jobs  of  teachers.    The  main  accused in the
   charge-sheet, the officer-in-charge of the ICDP, Tezpur  Mr.J.P.Dutta
   had died.    He  was  charged  to  have  released  Rs.246,600 to P.R.
   Mechanical Enterprises and M.M.  Business Farm.
   
   The other  accused  are:    Mahesh  Kalita,  Digendra  Haloi, Hemanta
   Borthakur,  Bhupendra  Kumar  Bora,  Nripendra  Kumar   Bora,   Jiban
   Borkataki,   Rajendra   Prasad   Sarma,   Amarjyoti  Bezbaruah,  Anup
   Bezbaruah, Mukut Medhi, Utpal Medhi, Puna Das,  Girish  Deka,  Ranjit
   Deka,  Ratul  Das,  Abdul  Matin, Nabaz Kalita, Surajit Bora, R.Bora,
   Gautam Saikia, Amarjyoti Bora and Madan Bora.
   
   According  to CBI sources, the accused had defrauded the exchequer of
   Rs.4,268,915 by submitting more than 100 fake  bills  for  supply  of
   medicines  and construction works with the ICDP, Tezpur during March,
   1992.
   

4  ASSAM GOVT SIGNS POWER DEAL WITH GOLDEN ENERGY INC [UNI:4-JUN-97]
   --------------------------------------------------
      
   The Assam Government signed a letter of understanding with the Golden
   Energy Inc. of New Jersey, USA, recently for exploring  possibilities
   of  setting  up power projects in the State. The US-based company was
   also considering taking over the  240-MW  (60x4)  Bongaigaon  thermal
   power station (BTPS) on lease for its renovation and upgradation.
   

5  AGP MP PRABIN CHANDRA SARMA TO VISIT US		[S+AT:6-JUN-97]
   ---------------------------------------
   
   The Ambassador of the United States to India,  Mr  Frank  Wisner  has
   officially  invited  Dr Prabin Chandra Sarma, member of Parliament of
   the  Assam  Gana  Parishad  (AGP)  to  visit  the  United  States  to
   participate  in  an international visitor programme, as a member of a
   multiparty delegation of the MPs.
   
   Starting from June 7 the visit  will  approximately  last  for  about
   three  weeks  and this visit will focus on the US Congress, executive
   legislative  relations,  American  political  parties  and  political
   campaigning, American policy as it relates to South East Asia and the
   role of  the  States in the US system of shared powers.  Introduction
   to the workings of American federalism with emphasis on the  role  of
   the Congress will be a special feature of the visit.
   

6  IGP A.K.SAHU TO CONTEST SUSPENSION ORDER	[S:6-JUN-97]
   ----------------------------------------
   
   The Inspector General of Police, Mr A.K.Sahu  who  was  placed  under
   suspension  on  June  4  has  said  that he will be going to court to
   question the propriety of the Assam Government Action.   The  charges
   mentioned  against  Mr  Sahu  in  his  suspension  order  say he had:
   started   indulging   in   spreading   ill-will,   disaffection   and
   indiscipline  in  the  police  force;  been making derogatory remarks
   against the Government and the Chief Minister; created  division  and
   chaos among the members of the police force.
   

7  NOTORIOUS DACOIT, SIBEN MONDAL ARRESTED		[S+AT:6-JUN-97]
   ---------------------------------------
  
   In a dramatic move, an assistant sub-inspector of Assam Police, Hakim
   Ali Ahmed nabbed Siben Mondal when the latter was getting a hair  cut
   at salon  in  the  Ulubari area of Guwahati.  The arrest was possible
   because of a rare show of courage by Bibhas Bora, a 24-year-old youth
   of R.G.Baruah road, who was familiar with the  face  of  the  dacoit,
   spotted him  in  the  Ulubari area.  He followed the dacoit up to the
   salon and informed the Guwahati City Police control  over  telephone.
   Siben  Mondal  was  wanted  for more than 30 cases of dacoity and the
   murder of an ACS officer, Nandeshwar Nath in the  Panjabari  area  of
   Guwahati.
  
 
8  COP'S BIKE BURNT BY IRATE MOB			[S:5-JUN-97]
   -----------------------------
   
   An irate mob incensed by the death of a  muster-roll  worker,  Dhiren
   Das,  who  was  run  over by a speeding minibus at the Khanapara toll
   gate in Guwahati on June 5, set fire to the motorcycle of a policeman
   and confiscated the minibus  that  killed  the  youth.    The  Deputy
   Commissioner,  Kamrup  had ordered for a magisterial inquiry into the
   incident and had announced an ex-gratia  relief  of  Rs.5000  to  the
   next-of-kin of the deceased person.

______________________________[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://www.cs.uccs.edu/~kalita/assam/news/news-from-assam-index.html
________________________________________________________________________