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                     Vol.3, No.16 [*] March 30, 1998
                     -------------------------------

        A holiday gives one a chance to look backward and forward,
                   to reset oneself by an inner compass.
                              - Mary Sarton
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1  ARUN, DRUPAD ELECTED TO RAJYA SABHA			   [S:28-MAR-98]
   -----------------------------------
   Dr  Arun  Kumar  Sarma  of the AGP and Mr Drupad Borgohain of the CPI
   have been elected to the Rajya Sabha on March 27 while  the  Congress
   nominee and former Union Minister Mr Santosh Mohan Dev lost the polls
   to Mr Drupad Borgohain.  It may be mentioned that Dr Sarma and Mr Dev
   who  were  member  of  the  11th  Lok Sabha lost the election for the
   current 12 Lok Sabha.
   
   The  groundwork  for the victory of the two candidates of the AGP-led
   alliance in the Rajya Sabha election was  finalized  only  after  the
   six-member  PDF team extracted an assurance from the State Government
   at a high-level  meeting  that  the  boundary  of  the  BAC  will  be
   finalized within  April  30.   The PDF had earlier announced that all
   its members will cast `conscience votes' since the AGP  and  the  CPI
   had  both  failed  to  honour  electoral  promises  to the PDF on the
   Bodoland issue.

2  ADVANI TO MEET NE CMs, FERNANDES TO VISIT NE	          [AT:29-MAR-98]
   --------------------------------------------
  
   The Union Home Minister, Mr L.K.Advani has convened a meeting of  the
   Chief Ministers of the North Eastern States on April 6 to discuss the
   situation in  the  region.   The main focus of the discussions in the
   meeting would be the problem  of  insurgency  in  the  region.    The
   allegations  of  links  between some political leaders and insurgents
   are also likely to be discussed.
   
   Defence Minister George Fernandes will pay a five-day  visit  to  the
   sensitive  priority  areas  in the North Eastern states from April 2.
   Fernandes tour  to  the  Northeast  will  be  his  first  as  Defence
   Minister.   For  reasons  of  economy,  the new Defence Minister will
   travel to Guwahati by a schedule commercial flight and from  Guwahati
   onwards he will visit the forward areas in an IAF helicopter.
   

3  AASU TEAM LEAVES FOR NEW DELHI			   [S:29-MAR-98]
   ------------------------------
  
   A delegation of the AASU, comprising among others the union president
   Sarbananda  Sonowal,  general  secretary  Samujjal  Bhattacharya  and
   adviser  Satyabrata  Kalita  left  for  New Delhi on March 28 to hold
   discussions  with  the  Prime  Minister  and  the  Home  Minister  on
   implementation  of Assam Accord within the stipulated time, repeal of
   the IM(DT) Act, correction of  the  voters'  list,  solution  of  the
   tribal problem and the economic problems of the State.
   

4  JNANANANDA SARMA PATHAK SENTENCED TO 3 YEARS RI	   [S:28-MAR-98]
   -----------------------------------------------
   
   A Special Court in Guwahati on March  27  sentenced  former  Director
   General  of  Police (DGP), Assam, Mr Jnanananda Sarma Pathak to three
   years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs.3 million in default  of
   one  year's  simple  imprisonment,  for  illegally  acquiring  assets
   disproportionate to his known sources of income.    Mr  Sarma  Pathak
   failed to account for the huge property, he had created and valued at
   Rs.3,274,593, which fetched him monthly income of Rs.630,345.
   
   The CBI  conducted  the  investigations into the case.  It raided the
   house of Mr Sarma Pathak in December, 1986 and recovered  unaccounted
   wealth  of  Rs.3.27  million,  including Rs.1.2 million in cash, bank
   accounts, etc and documents relating to purchase of one mini bus  and
   a deluxe  bus.  Mr Sarma Pathak was placed under suspension after the
   raid, a few days before his retirement, which was due in December 31,
   1986.  (Amar Axom adds:  He is a noted literateur and a winner  of  a
   special award from the Axom Xahitya Xabha.)
   

5  HIGH COURT ORDER ON NSA DETENUES		         [PTI:27-MAR-98]
   --------------------------------
   
   The Gauhati High Court has ordered Assam Government to bring back the
   24  people arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) and sent to
   Jodhpur Jail in December and January last.  Justice  J.N.Sharma  said
   in  an order on March 26 that the State Government's decision to send
   the detenues to Jodhpur jail was `illegal and unnecessary.' The order
   follows a writ petition filed by human rights activist  and  advocate
   Santanu  Bharali pleading for the return of the detenues as they were
   being denied legal aid.
   

6  BLT ULTRA CAUGHT IN GUWAHATI				   [S:29-MAR-98]
   ----------------------------
   
   The Guwahati City Police on March 28 nabbed a BLT activist identified
   as one Rajesh Boro, near the Down Town Hospital in Guwahati at  noon,
   when he came to extort Rs.5 million from a businessman.  The militant
   has been admitted in the GMC Hospital for treatment of gunshot injury
   he received in the abdomen during the operation.
   
   According to police, the BLT demanded Rs.5 million from a businessman
   in the Paltanbazar area of the city on March 25  and  fixed  a  point
   near  the  Down  Town  Hospital  to  make  the  payment  on March 28.
   Accordingly, the businessman accompanied  by   two  cops  in  civvies
   posing as  his  `brother'  and his `driver' went to the spot.  
   
   As the car reached the spot,  a  Bodo  youth,  aged  about  25  years
   accosted  them  and asked their identity and demanded to know if they
   had brought the money.  He pulled the `driver' out and he himself sat
   on the driver's seat to drive  away  the  car.    But  the  policeman
   sitting  in  the  rear seat quickly moved out of the vehicle and shot
   the youth aiming at the militant's legs.   But  the  bullet  hit  the
   militant's abdomen and he collapsed on the steering wheel.
   

7  BDO, TE MANAGER ABDUCTED, MONEY RECOVERED	        [S+AT:28-MAR-98]
   -----------------------------------------
   
   Unknown  miscreants  kidnapped  the  senior Block Development Officer
   (BDO) of Bihdiya Jajikhana Block of Bihata Chariali,  Mr  Aga  Ahmed,
   from his  office  on  March  27.    According to police sources, four
   youths came on two motorcycles and kidnapped Mr Ahmed.
   
   Six suspected NDFB  ultras  dressed  in  Army  fatigue  abducted  the
   manager  of Sapai Tea Estate of Dhekiajuli, Mr Badrilal Diduwani, and
   snatched away two rifles from the two personal security  men  of  the
   manager at around 4:30 pm on March 27.
   
   Police  recovered  Rs.479,700  from  the  house  of one Tilak Bora of
   Teteliasara village near Kampur town in Nagaon district.  The  amount
   is  a  part  of Rs.550,000 which was looted from the Doyang office of
   the NEEPCO by Jadav Bora (18) on March 26.  Jadav who hails from No.1
   Kaki village, is a relative of Tilak Bora.
   

8  ULFA SHOT DEAD BY ARMY, ONE ULFA AND 3 YOUTHS HELD	   [S:28-MAR-98]
   --------------------------------------------------
   
   The  Army  shot  dead  a hard-core ULFA militant, later identified as
   Samsing Deka alias Arjun Bora, in an Army encounter at Kumar  village
   in  Morigaon district on March 27, an Army press release said. A .303
   pistol, some  ammunition,  a  copy  of  ULFA's  mouthpiece  etc  were
   recovered from the ultra.
   
   A  police  team  of  Simaluguri  police  station,  led by the OC Ajay
   Rajkhowa, apprehended a ULFA activist Biraj Konwar alias  Devid  Pegu
   of Simaluguri Konwargaon, at Simaluguri Chariali near North Lakhimpur
   on  March  27.  Some  incriminating  documents including a diary were
   recovered from his possession.
   
   A  column  of  Army  personnel held three youths -- Manju Gogoi (30),
   Lakhi Gogoi (27) and  George  (27)  from  a  congregation  which  was
   watching  a  cultural  function  at Ramrup village near Nazira on the
   night of March 27.  The soldiers lined  up  all  the  youths  present
   there, and picked up the three among them for interrogation.
   

9  SCHOLASTIC INDIA TO LAUNCH BOOK MOVEMENT	          [AT:29-MAR-98]
   ----------------------------------------
   
   Scholastic India Pvt  Ltd,  a  subsidiary  of  the  US-based  company
   Scholastic  Inc,  the largest publisher and distributor of children's
   books and other reading and learning material in the  world,  is  all
   set  to  launch  its book movement in the state. As a first step, the
   Scholastic India, in  collaboration  with  Anwesha,  a  sociocultural
   study  circle, is organising a book fair in Guwahati from March 30 to
   April 5 and the company is also planning to launch  its  school  book
   club programme in the schools in the city.

______________________________[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.assam.org/assam/news/index.html
________________________________________________________________________