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                         Vol.4, No.15 [*] March 8, 1999
                         ------------------------------

                The ruler who submits to democratic ideals,
                            his rule is lasting.
                               - Adi Granth
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

1  BID TO INTRODUCE BILL ON BODOLAND                      [S:8-MAR-99]
   ---------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   The leaders of the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU), the
   People's Democratic Front (PDF) and the MLAs and MPs  of  the  Bodo
   community  are  currently camping in New Delhi to exert pressure on
   the Centre to introduce the Bodoland Bill  in  the  ongoing  Budget
   Session of the Parliament and to concede other political demands of
   the Bodos  without any further delay.  The ABSU president said that
   the Bodo problem, being a political one, should be dealt with  from
   a  political  point  of  view,  and any effort otherwise would be a
   futile exercise.

2  AASU URGES GOVT, ULTRAS TO NEGOTIATE                   [S:7-MAR-99]
   ------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  Newly elected president of the All Assam Students' Union
   (AASU) Parbin Bodo called upon the government to hold  negotiations
   with  the  banned  militant  organizations  of  Assam  without  any
   preconditions.  He was addressing the  first  press  conference  in
   Guwahati on March 6 after assuming charge as the AASU president.

   Mr  Bodo said that if necessary, the government should not hesitate
   to hold talks on the sovereignty issue as demanded by the  outlawed
   ULFA and  NDFB.   He added that the problem cannot be solved unless
   negotiations are initiated.    He  suggested  that  the  government
   should  also  agree to the outfits' demand to hold talks in foreign
   land, and that representatives of the United Nations should also be
   involved in the negotiations with the militant outfits.
   
3  IOC-OIL-TEA LOBBY IN FRAUDULENT TRADE IN CRUDE OIL     [S:6-MAR-99]
   --------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  A powerful lobby of unscrupulous officials of the Indian
   Oil Corporation (IOC), Oil India Limited  (OIL),  transporters  and
   tea  garden  managers  have been siphoning off a colossal amount of
   revenue, estimated to run into tens  of  million  rupees  annually,
   through  a  clandestine business in crude and tea-drying oil needed
   for tea factories in upper Assam areas.
   
   According to reports, so powerful is the lobby that even the police
   fear to investigate the matter  lest  the  investigators  would  be
   transferred out  of the area.  However, the police have alerted all
   police station and outposts in the upper Assam districts to keep  a
   close watch  on  the movement of the oil tankers.
   
   The entire  fraud  came  to  light  last  September,  when  Central
   Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel caught a tanker carrying
   14,000 litre of crude  oil at Makum.
   
4  ASSAM POLICE COMMANDO FORCE SOON                       [S:8-MAR-99]
   --------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  In a bid to counter the growing insurgency in the State,
   the Government has decided to select 50 police personnel  including
   officers,  to  constitute  the  first  batch  of the proposed Assam
   Police commando force to be sent to the  National  Security  Guards
   and  the Central Reserve Police training centre for which selection
   is going on currently.
   
5  ENCROACHER BEATS UP LOCAL STUDENT LEADER               [S:8-MAR-99]
   ----------------------------------------
   GOLAGHAT:  The publicity secretary of the Golaghat district unit of
   the AASU, Mr Ratul Dutta was beaten up and seriously injured by one
   Risheswar Kalita as the student leader opposed the encroachment  of
   the  land of the Chinatoli Higher Secondary School by Risheswar and
   a few other persons of the area.  The student leader  was  admitted
   to the  hospital.    The AASU condemned the attack and demanded the
   arrest of the guilty.  A  case  has  been  registered  at  Golaghat
   police station in this connection.
   
6  SENSATION OVER RAGGING, POLICE BRUTALITY               [S:6-MAR-99]
   ----------------------------------------
   GOLAGHAT:  Sensation prevails in Golaghat district over the  police
   brutality  on  a hapless student of Dibrugarh University, Padmeswar
   Bora, who left the university for  home  at  Dergaon,  after  being
   subjected to  brutal  ragging  by some senior students.  The police
   mistook him for a delinquent and tortured him physically in such  a
   manner that he has lost his mental balance.
   
7  YUBA TIRTHA TO PROMOTE CULTURAL INTERACTION            [S:8-MAR-99]
   -------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  With a view to promoting  cultural  interaction  amongst
   the  different  sections  of the people besides preserving the rich
   cultural heritage of the State, a new cultural  organization,  Yuba
   Tirtha  has  been formed, majority of the members of which belonged
   to the Yuba Bani, the popular  programme  broadcasted  on  the  All
   India Radio (AIR).
   
   The  inauguration  of  the  new  troupe  will  be celebrated at the
   Rabindra Bhawan in Guwahati on March  27  where  a  seminar  and  a
   cultural show   has   been   organized.     The  president  of  the
   organization Pranab Bora said that they would  strive  to  preserve
   the cultural heritage in its original form. There are 25 members in
   the organization and the working president is Mrinal Chowdhury.

______________________________[Mozz-BG]_________________________________
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