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                   Vol.2, No.60  [*] December 5, 1997
                   ----------------------------------

             Behold, I do not give lectures or a little cahrity,
                 When I give I give myself.  - Walt Whitman
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1  LOC SCAM: CBI FILES CHARGE SHEET IN TEZPUR CASE	    [S:4-DEC-97]
   -----------------------------------------------
   
   The  CBI  on  December  3  filed  the charge sheet against 16 persons
   including the employees of the State  Veterinary  Department  in  the
   Tezpur  swindling  case  in  which  Rs.18.6 million were siphoned off
   through fake bills and LoCs in  1992  by  these  officials  from  the
   Tezpur treasury.
   
   Those  charge  sheeted  in the case include five Government officials
   and 11 businessmen.  They are:  the  project  officer  of  the  crash
   project  Mr  Durga  P.Bhuyan,  the accountant of the project Mr Lalit
   Chandra  Gohain,  the  Treasury  Officer  of  Sonitpur  treasury   Mr
   Bhupendra  Kumar  Bora,  Superintendent  Mr  Jibon  Barkakati, Junior
   Account Officer Mr Bulbul Kakati and businessmen Dilip  Kumar  Sarma,
   Ratul  Chandra  Das, Imran Hussain, Jugal Chandra Das, Haren Goswami,
   Dinesh Barman, Abidur Rahman, Nagendra  Saikia,  Nazir  Ahmed,  Bolen
   Bora and Ranjit Kumar Deka.
   

2  SC REJECTS ANTICIPATORY BAIL PLEAS OF TTL MEN	  [PTI:4-DEC-97]
   ---------------------------------------------
   
   The Supreme Court on December 3 refused to grant anticipatory bail to
   three  top  Tata  Tea officials, against whom the Assam Police lodged
   FIR accusing them of funding the banned  militant  outfit  ULFA.    A
   division  bench  comprising  Mr  Justice M.K.Mukherjee and Mr Justice
   K.T.Thomas  said,  grant  of  anticipatory  bail  to  the  officials,
   R.K.Krishna  Kumar, Sayeed Kidwai and K.Siridhar did not arise as the
   offence was bailable and prima facie evidence against them existed at
   present.  The bench,  in  its  11-page  judgement,  disposed  of  the
   appeals  filed  by  the  three  officials  saying  'a direction under
   Section 438 can be issued only in respect of a non-bailable offence.'
   

3  AJIT BHUYAN RELEASED ON BAIL				    [S:4-DEC-97]
   ----------------------------
   
   Editor  of  Asomiya  Pratidin and Sadin and the chairman of MASS Ajit
   Kumar Bhuyan was released by the Gauhati High  Court  on  a  bail  of
   Rs.10,000 on  December 3.  The defence was submitted before the court
   by counsel P.K.Goswami that the 'incriminating  documents'  recovered
   by  the  police  from  a  trunk at an 'undisclosed location', had not
   indicated that Mr Bhuyan had links with the  banned  ULFA.    It  was
   revealed  that  the  MASS had links with the outfit and Mr Bhuyan was
   never concerned with it.  However, Mr Bhuyan is yet to be released by
   the AMC Hospital, where he had been shifted for treatment.

4  STATE TO OBSERVE ASSAM DAY ON DECEMBER 2	           [AT:4-DEC-97]
   ----------------------------------------
   
   The Assam Government will now on observe December 2 every year as the
   Assam  Day  in  honour  of Swargadeo Sui-Ka-Pha, the architect of the
   Assamese nationality, said Chief Minister P.K.Mahanta on  December  3
   while  addressing  the  open  session  of  the  770th  anniversary of
   Chao-Lung Siu-Ka-Pha at the Judges' Field in Guwahati.
   
   Secretary of the celebration committee Dilip  Kumar  Buragohain  said
   that the yearlong programme to celebrate the 770th anniversary of the
   Chao-Lung  will  include holding of functions in Bangkok and Unan etc
   in South-East Asia, besides functions at several places of Assam  and
   India.   The  valedictory  function  is scheduled at Charaideo with a
   three-day programme from November 30, 1998.
   

5  ASHIM ROY MAY JOIN DUTIES SOON			   [AT:3-DEC-97]
   ------------------------------
   
   Former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Assam police, Mr Ashim  Roy,
   presently  under  suspension  after  fleeing  the  state when the AGP
   alliance Government came to power in May last year is tipped to  join
   his duties  soon,  reliable  sources  in  Guwahati  said.  Mr Roy was
   suspended for dereliction of duty and an enquiry ordered against  him
   by the Government.  He is likely to be given charge of the Bodo areas
   in view of his past experience in the area.
   

6  KIDNAPPED DWARIKA BARUA REMAIN UNTRACED		   [AT:5-DEC-97]
   ---------------------------------------
  
   Noted  social worker and Gandhian Mr Dwarika Barua, who was kidnapped
   by suspected NDFB militants from a place near  Dhamdhama  in  Nalbari
   district on  November  26 continues to be under confinement.  Several
   social organisations and the public have appealed the  kidnappers  to
   release the 76 year old social worker.  Mr Barua had devoted his life
   to selfless  social work.  He had established Gram Lok Sewa Sangha in
   1977 at Dhamdhama and the Baska Buniyadi Shiska Niketan  in  1952  at
   Gerua,  besides  being involved in many other social work in the Bodo
   dominated areas.
   

7  TRIPURA RAISES TEA WORKERS' WAGES		          [UNI:2-DEC-97]
   ---------------------------------
   
   The Tripura Government has increased the minimum rates of  wages  for
   tea  garden workers from December 1, benefiting nearly 12,000 workers
   in the State.  An official spokesman told newsmen  in  Agartala  that
   the  minimum  wages  for  adult  male  and  female  workers  had been
   increased to Rs.20.63 per day from Rs.17.70.  For the adolescent  and
   children it was increased to Rs.10.31 from Rs.8.85.
   

8  SUSPECTED FOUL PLAY				           [AT:2-DEC-97]
   -------------------
  
   Suspicion  over a freshly covered grave, in an isolated spot near the
   Sweet Falls in Shillong, led some locals  to  inform  the  police  of
   suspected foul play.  The police and a magistrate came to investigate
   the murder.   A curious crowd gathered to witness the proceedings, as
   the investigating team set to work.  After diggers carefully  removed
   the  soil  from the grave, something wrapped in cloth, heightened the
   mounting tension.  As soon as the  cloth  was  unwrapped,  the  'foul
   play'  turned  into  comic  relief,  as  the  body  of a dead dog was
   revealed.  It is presumed that its owner had lovingly given a  decent
   burial to his pet.
   

9  WORLD PUNJA MEET BEGINS AT GUWAHATI			    [S:5-DEC-97]
   -----------------------------------
  
   The 18th World Armsport Championship '97 got off to a colourful start
   in  Guwahati  with  Assam  Governor  S.K.Sinha  unfurling  the  World
   Armsport Federation (WAF) flag amidst a kaleidoscopic  of  dance  and
   music of the Northeast.
   
   The  Governor  also took the salute of the march past participated by
   nearly  300  competitors  from  30  countries  during  the  inaugural
   ceremony  at the Nehru Stadium. The rendering of Paul Robson's famous
   number -- 'We are in the same boat brothers ...'  --  by  noted  folk
   singer of Assam Pratima Baruah Pande, bihu dance, xatriya dance among
   others  marked  the  grand  ceremony  which  was  attended by top WAF
   officials.
   
   'Strongest arms in the universe have united here for a grand occasion
   and I hope they will find themselves in Olympic in near future,'  WAF
   chairman Bob O'Leary said, addressing the ceremony.  He informed that
   already  70  countries  are  members of the WAF and there are 12 more
   applicants to get the recognition.  'Our target is to  get  at  least
   120 countries under our body by the year 2000', he said.
   
   The bouts began just after the cultural show, and of the five  events
   held  so  far,  USA  bagged  four  golds  in  four  events.  The most
   impressive player from USA was Gregg Bednarg who clinched  the  80-kg
   gold.  Among  the  Indians,  Jay Ranade earned fourth position in the
   90-kg group. In the women's masters group, Brazil won the gold  while
   Canada came second.
   
   Results:  Masters (men):  70 kg:  1st (position) Turkey.  80 kg:  1st
   USA, 2nd Canada, 3rd USA.  90 kg:  1st and 2nd USA, and  3rd  Canada.
   100 kg:  1st USA, 2nd Russia, 3rd Turkey.
   

10 ODI AD RIGHTS CONTROVERSY END IN 50-50		   [AT:3-DEC-97]
   --------------------------------------
  
   The  controversy over advertisement rights of the December 22 one-day
   international (ODI) cricket match between India and Sri Lanka at  the
   Nehru  Stadium in Guwahati has come to an end with the Calcutta-based
   Arun Sign agreeing to give 50 per cent  of  the  work  to  two  local
   advertising firms, Aspa Ads and Leo Advertising of Guwahati.
   
   In  a  press  release jointly issued by Aspa Ads and Leo Advertising,
   expressed their gratitude  to  Assam  Cricket  Association  secretary
   Abdul Matin  at whose initiative the imbroglio has been solved.  They
   also thanked Arun Sign for honouring the rights and sentiments of the
   local entrepreneurs and also AASU, AJYCP and  all  those  who  raised
   their voice in the issue.

______________________________[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
________________________________________________________________________