Assam

Guwahati, Feb 20 (PTI) JNU student Sharjeel Imam, who was arrested on charges of sedition, was brought to Assam on Thursday evening for interrogation.

Imam was brought to the city from New Delhi by train and then taken to a hospital for medical checkup, Guwahati Police Commissioner Munna Prasad Gupta told PTI.

After his checkup, Imam was produced before the chief judicial magistrate's court which sent him to four day's police remand, he said.

Kolkata, Feb 16 (PTI) Assam is one of the most investor-friendly states in the country with diversity of culture being its hallmark, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Sunday.

There is a spirit of brotherhood among people of different communities and religions living in the state, Sonowal said, before inaugurating an additional Assam Bhavan building here.

Guwahati, Feb 12 (PTI) Opposition Congress on Wednesday announced it would start its second phase of 'Padyatra' (march) against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act across the north bank of Brahmaputra from Thursday.

The 'padyatra' will begin from Behali in Sonitpur and conclude in Nalbari on February 20.

Guwahati, Feb 10 (PTI) Assam is likely to conduct an exercise to identify the state's indigenous Muslim population and segregate them from illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, even as doubts over the accuracy of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are yet to be addressed.

As per the plans, the survey will be conducted to identify people of four communities -- Goria, Moria, Desi and Jolah of the tea tribes, considered as indigenous.

Jorhat (Assam), Jan 31 (PTI) A 76-year-old tourist from the UK died aboard a cruise boat in Assam on Friday, police said.

Alastair Neil Macdonald was found dead on the 'Charaideo' when it was returning from a week-long tour of areas in Upper Assam. It is owned by the Assam-Bengal Navigation Company, they said.

Macdonald was a part of a 60-member British tourist group visiting the northeastern state.

Guwahati, Jan 28 (PTI) A day after the Bodo Peace Accord was signed, senior Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday extended an olive branch to the anti-talk ULFA (Independent) faction, appealing to its leader Paresh Barua to come to the negotiating table for the sake of "permanent peace in the Northeast".

Sarma, also the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor, told reporters here that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had clearly said on Monday that if the ULFA(I) faction is ready for negotiations, then "the Centre is more than willing to hold talks with them."

Guwahati/Dibrugarh/Charaideo, Jan 26 (PTI) Four powerful explosions - three in Dibrugarh and one in Charaideo districts - rocked Upper Assam on Sunday morning, as the country celebrated its 71st Republic Day.

All four blasts occured in a span of 10 minutes - between 8.15 and 8.25 am, a police officer said.

There has been no report of any casualty, as Republic Day being a holiday, people were mostly indoors, he said.

Sivakasi, Jan 24 (PTI) A 20-year-old man from Assam, working as a casual labourer in a cloth bag company, has been arrested for allegedly raping andmurdering an eight- year-old girl here, police said on Thursday.

Five others, also belonging to Assam, have also been involved in the crime and were absconding, the police said.

Guwahati, Jan 23 (PTI) A total of 644 militants of eight banned insurgent outfits surrendered in Assam on Thursday along with 177 arms, police said.

The members of the insurgent groups -- ULFA (I), NDFB, RNLF, KLO, CPI (Maoist), NSLA, ADF and NLFB -- surrendered in presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a programme here.

Imphal, Jan 21 (PTI) A woman IPS officer has alleged that a rifleman of Assam Rifles physically assaulted and molested her at a check post near Moreh town in Manipur's Tengnoupal district, police said on Tuesday.

Based on a written complaint of the IPS officer, an FIR has been registered against rifleman P K Pandey and a summons has been issued to him to appear before the police station concerned, the police said.

Manipur DGP L M Khaute told reporters on Monday, "We have contacted the Assam Rifles authorities. A complaint has been lodged by the officer."