_ _ _ _ _    _              
               _ a a a / \  | |_ __ ___   __ _ _ __   __ _  ___ 
              _ s s s / _ \ | | '_ ` _ \ / _` | '_ \ / _` |/ __| 
             _ s s s / ___ \| | | | | | | (_| | | | | (_| | (__   
            _ a a a /_/   \_\_|_| |_| |_|\__,_|_| |_|\__,_|\___|  
           _ m m m  (Guaranteed 100% Pure Local News from Assam) 
          ------------------------------------------------------
                       Vol.2, No.13 * July 3, 1999
   -------------------------------------------------------------------
   
1  FIRST MARTYR FROM GOLAGHAT TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE IN KARGIL 
   ---------------------------------------------------------
   GOLAGHAT:   Captain  Jintu  Gogoi  became  the  first  martyr  from
   Golaghat  to  lay down his life in the ongoing warlike situation in
   the Kargil sector of the Indo-Pak border when he was killed in  the
   evening of  July  1.    Son of Mr T.R.Gogoi of Khumtai, 23-year-old
   Jintu was serving in the 17 Gharwal Rifles.

   The news of his death came at around 8:30 pm on July  2,  from  the
   Army  Headquarters,  when  a  Major  General  informed the Golaghat
   District Magistrate over phone.  On receipt of the information, the
   District Magistrate and the  Superintendent  of  Police  rushed  to
   Khumtai to attend to the family of Martyr Jintu Gogoi.  From Jorhat
   Sub Area Headquarter, Army officials also arrived the place.
   
   On seeing many high officials,  Jintu's  mother  could  sense  that
   something serious had happened to her son and said, `I know that my
   son is  no more.  But what is gripping me is to think how and where
   he may be lying...'.  His father coming  back  from  Bokajan  along
   with  his  two  daughters, on hearing the news put up a brave face,
   and said, `I am proud that my only son had laid down his  life  for
   the nation'.    Jintu's  father himself had served in the Air Force
   for 33 years before retiring in 1995.
   
   An  alumni  of  Sainik  School,  Goalpara,  Jintu Gogoi was also an
   outstanding  sportsman  having  attained  excellence   in   boxing,
   football  and  volleyball,  and  of  whom the Major General who had
   communicated  the  news  of  his  death,  spoken  in  high   spirit
   acknowledging his contribution to the nation, as a soldier.  It may
   be  mentioned  that  his  engagement ceremony was held only a month
   ago.  Apart from his parents, he left  behind  one  elder  and  one
   younger sister.
   
   The  body  is  expected  to reach Golaghat on July 6. All necessary
   arrangements are being made for his ceremonial State farewell  with
   full Army honours, sources said.
   
2  SHIFTING OF CHECK POST DEMANDED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY      [S:1-JUL-99]
   -------------------------------------------------
   JAGIROAD:   The death of a young businessman, in a road accident in
   front of a forest and agricultural marketing checkpost in the heart
   of Jagiroad town has made  the  local  people  to  reiterate  their
   demand  for  shifting of the checkpost to a safer area of the town,
   where a shed for the purpose was already constructed.
   
   The  personnel  manning  the  checkpost  have  been responsible for
   causing traffic hazards, even during the  busy  school  and  office
   going  hours,  when  they  stop heavily loaded trucks for checking,
   without any concern for the safety of the public.  The  trucks  are
   made  to  park  along the highway for long hours creating a chaotic
   situation, and threat to lives of students hurrying to schools.
   
   The situation takes a  new  twist  at  night,  when  the  checkpost
   personnel  and  the  police create a panicky situation in the area.
   They take positions on the side of  the  highway  armed  with  long
   bamboo sticks.    They start damaging headlights of trucks which do
   not stop and pay the ransom demanded by the officials.
   
3  WOODEN FURNITURE SHOPS ON THE INCREASE AT JAGIROAD     [S:1-JUL-99]
   --------------------------------------------------
   JAGIROAD:  The easy availability of raw materials, despite a ban by
   the Supreme Court of India on felling trees in the  Northeast,  has
   given  rise  to  many  furniture  shops  at  Jagiroad  in  Morigaon
   district.  At least twenty shops along the national highway can  be
   seen,  where carpenters work for 24 hours everyday to carter to the
   increasing demands of people, mostly from upper Assam.
   
   Customers  here  can  buy  general  household wooden furniture at a
   cheaper rate than in the towns of upper Assam.  It is alleged  that
   owners  of  these  shops  have  direct  links  with some agents who
   provide the raw materials, who in turn  bribe  forest  official  to
   carry out their illegal business.  At one end of the town, it looks
   likes  a  speciality  area where one can see no other shops, except
   the furniture show rooms -- a thriving business indeed.

4  SEVENTY-FIVE YEAR OLD WOMEN VICTIM OF WITCH HUNT       [S:2-JUL-99]
   ------------------------------------------------
   GOLAGHAT:  One Sombori Basumatari, a 75-year-old woman of Rengmapur
   village near the Assam-Nagaland  border  had  fallen  prey  to  the
   prevailing superstition in the area.  She was taken for a witch who
   was  responsible  for  bringing  misfortune to the village, and was
   generally avoided and chided by the local people regularly.
   
   The final blow came to her, when one old woman who was ailing for a
   long time, dreamt one night that a witch attempted  to  strangulate
   her.   She  told  the local people that the witch she dreamt of was
   none other than Sombori Basumatari.  The news spread like wild fire
   and the village expert on witchcraft  was  summoned.    The  expert
   started  his  expertise  on the ill-fated Sombori in such a inhuman
   way that she was compelled to accept the allegation.

   The poor woman's  misfortune  did  not  end  there.    The  village
   panchayat  meeting held on June 19 confirmed her as the root of all
   evils.  As soon as the verdict was announced  by  the  panchayat  a
   section of  irate  mob  assaulted  her.  Later she succumbed to her
   injuries.  The helpless son could who could not stop the  villagers
   from  assaulting his mother, finally mustered courage to report the
   matter to the police.
   
   The police exhumed the body  for  post-mortem  examination  in  the
   presence of  a  magistrate.   Four persons, namely Sangma Boro, the
   village headman, Bijen Basumatary,  Mana  Musahari  and  Kamaleswar
   Basumatary were arrested in connection with the incident.

______________________________[Mozz-RG]_________________________________
Compiled from newspaper and agency reports for private circulation only.
      [S=Sentinel, AT=Assam Tribune, Agencies = UNI, PTI, PIB]
           Comments and Feedback to: mozz@cyberspace.org
________________________________________________________________________