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                          Vol.3, No.53  [*] July 29, 1998
                          -------------------------------
                          * S P E C I A L  *  I S S U E *

              Nothing turns out to be so oppressive and unjust
                           as a feeble government.
                              - Edmund Burke
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1  ARE 34 MORE ULFA CONTEMPLATING SURRENDER?		   [S:29-JUL-98]
   -----------------------------------------
   At   least   34   hard-core  ULFA  militants  in  various  ranks  are
   contemplating to surrender if the list of 36 such cadres released  by
   the  ULFA  in a section of the press on Monday and the open appeal by
   the Army authorities to them to report to the nearest Army, police or
   paramilitary post for security, are anything to go by.
   
   ULFA  had  released  a list of 36 cadres to a section of the press in
   Guwahati, who were stated to have surrendered before the Governor  at
   Tezpur on  July  24 and warning them of dire consequences.  The names
   of those who surrendered have been kept secret by the Army,  however,
   do  not  tally with those issued by the ULFA, except two names -- the
   leader Ripu Kalita and `Sergeant Major' Deka, Army said.    The  Army
   have  interpreted  as  that  the 34 cadres, who have not surrendered,
   must be contemplating to surrender which is why the ULFA  has  issued
   the warning to them of dire consequences.
   
   Meanwhile,  the neutral position taken by the AGP on the surrender of
   the militants to the Army has been strongly criticized by sections of
   the people who see it as a weakness of the  State  Government  before
   the Army authorities on such a politically vital issue as negotiating
   a surrender.    A  veteran columnist warned in an Assamese daily that
   this might eventually lead to a serious erosion of the constitutional
   authority of the State Government.
   
2  ASHRC REFERS PARESH BARMAN CASE TO NHRC                [AT:28-JUL-98]
   ---------------------------------------
   The  Assam State Human Rights Commission (ASHRC) on Monday registered
   a case of Army custodial death following a complaint from the Nalbari
   district authorities.  The AHRC referred the matter to  the  National
   Human  Rights  Commission  (NHRC)  as  it was not empowered to handle
   cases related to the Army.
    
   According  to  the wireless transmitted message from Nalbari district
   authorities, based on which the ASHRC registered the case, a  student
   named   Paresh   Barman   died   in  Army  custody  under  mysterious
   circumstances on July 25. Paresh Barman was picked up  by the Army on
   July 22 night from his Paikarkuchi residence in Nalbari district. 

   Army claims that the student died in an accident due  to  flood  when
   the  bulletproof  Gypsy  vehicle  in  which  the Army and Paresh were
   travelling skidded and fell into a pond.  The boy's hands  were  tied
   from behind  at the time of the accident.  The Army party was to raid
   an ULFA office on the information extracted  from  Paresh.    Sources
   claim  that Paresh was not a ULFA but his brother, Madan Barman is an
   active member of the outfit.
   
3  SEVEN POLICEMEN SACKED FOR COWARDICE		           [S:28-JUL-98]
   ------------------------------------
   Seven  constables  of the Assam Police were dismissed on July 27 from
   service for negligence of duty and cowardice  and  failure  to  react
   while  on  escort  duty with Minister of State for Veterinary Hiranya
   Konwar on July 21.  Of the seven policemen, three were from  the  9th
   AP  Battalion,  Brahampur  in Nagaon and four from 15th IR Battalion,
   Jamugurihat, Sonitpur.  They had fled the scene  leaving  behind  the
   minister,  when  the  ULFA  attacked  the  convoy near Puranigudam in
   Nagaon district.
   
4  SULFA SHOT DEAD IN NORTH LAKHIMPUR			   [S:29-JUL-98]
   ----------------------------------
   Three unidentified bicycle-borne youths shot dead the former district
   commander of ULFA, Arun Bharali alias Run  Barphukan  at  Betkari  of
   Phulbari  area  under North Lakhimpur police station at about 8:30 am
   on July 28. Arun Bharali, who had surrendered in 1992, was killed  by
   the youths when he was ploughing in the field.
   
   Meanwhile, Army troops stationed at  Morigaon  killed  the  political
   secretary  of  Kajoli  Kuth local unit of the ULFA, Dinesh Deka alias
   Digen Roy alias Moina Deka in an encounter  near  Kumoni  village  in
   Morigaon district, a press release said.  Two other militants managed
   to escape.    Some  incriminating  documents  and a revolver with its
   ammunition were recovered.
   
5  ASSAM POLICE `BLACK PANTHER' COMMANDO ARRESTED	   [S:29-JUL-98]
   ----------------------------------------------
   The Dispur police in Guwahati nabbed six dreaded dacoits in  the  wee
   hours in the Ganeshguri Chariali area when they were planning to loot
   Guwahati-bound night buses at around 4:45 am. Police sources revealed
   that  one of the dacoits, Deepak Baniya is a `Black Panther' commando
   while another Jogeswar Das, is a constable in the Special Branch (SB)
   of Assam Police. The other four were identified as  Suraj  Borpujari,
   Dilip Kalita, Padumaram Pegu and Anu Boro.
   
   Police also recovered a handmade 9 mm pistol and a  .38  mm  revolver
   with 10  cartridges  of  live  ammunition  from  them.  This group of
   dacoits was involved with a series  of  dacoity  cases  in  Guwahati.
   Police  also  seized one Ambassador car, one Maruti van and a scooter
   which were frequently used by the gang.
   
6  MIRACULOUS ESCAPE FOR IAF PILOTS AT CHABUA             [AT:28-JUL-98]
   ------------------------------------------
   An  MiG-21  fighter  plane  of the Indian Air Force base at Chabua in
   Dibrugarh district crashed during a  test  flight  near  Balijan  Tea
   Estate at 11:30 am on July 27.  The pilot and a trainer bailed out to
   safety with minor injuries.
   
7  SILVER COINS OF 19TH CENTURY FOUND AT BARDOWA	   [S:28-JUL-98]
   ---------------------------------------------
   Thirty-six  silver  coins of the 19th century were recovered recently
   from the sacred premises of the Bardowa Than in Nagaon district,  the
   birth place  of  Sankardev.    The  recovery was made when one of the
   three boys, playing in the field, tripped after hitting the edge of a
   pitcher buried in the ground.    Immediately  the  boys  dug  up  the
   pitcher and  found the coins.  They took them away after fighting out
   over the share among themselves.  The members of the Than management,
   however, came to know about it and retrieved  the  coins  from  them.
   The  coins  have  been identified to belong to the years between 1823
   and 1837, sources said.
   
8  DEER MEAT SOLD AT RS.40 NEAR KAZIRANGA		   [S:28-JUL-98]
   --------------------------------------
   The animals of the Kaziranga National Park have been  badly  affected
   by the  prevailing  floods.    Most  of the animals had moved towards
   highlands and taken shelter in the National Highway 37  which  passes
   across the  Park.    According  to  an  unofficial  report, more than
   hundred deer have been killed by poachers for their meat and sold  at
   Rs.40 to  50  a  kilogramme.    One  ASTC bus and one mini truck also
   killed two deer and tried to take them away in the vehicles but  were
   detected and  fined by the authorities.  [Deers are poor swimmers and
   are exhausted after they swim the flood waters to reach the highlands
   to fall easy prey to the poachers.  -Mozz]
   
9  ASSAM CRICKTER IN INDIA UNDER-15 TEAM		   [S:29-JUL-98]
   -------------------------------------
   Mrigen Talukdar, a promising young all  rounder  of  Assam  has  been
   selected  to  represent India under-15 (years) school cricket team to
   tour England from August 2, a press release stated.    The  selection
   camp was held at Ludhiana in Punjab from June 28 in which 265 players
   from  all  over  the country took part. The team will leave Delhi for
   England on August 2. Mrigen Talukdar has represented  the  East  Zone
   under-16  team  in  the All India Inter Zonal Vijay Hazare tournament
   and was the leading wicket taker of the tournament. He is  a  student
   of  Kamrup  Academy  school,  Guwahati  and a trainee of the Guwahati
   Cricket Coaching Centre.
   
______________________________[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  
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