Tag: Assams

Controversy over ‘religious symbols’ at laser show in Assam’s Rang Ghar

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Guwahati: Controversy erupted in Assam after “religious symbols” were seen in laser show projections at the Ahom era amphitheatre Rang Ghar in Sivasagar district.
The district administration, however, claimed it was a “misunderstanding” caused over some clips during a trial run and the final cut was approved after consultation with different stakeholders.
The Rang Ghar is among 13 iconic monuments across the country where the Ministry of Culture has planned state-of-the-art projection mapping shows to mark the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme on Sunday.

The shows will showcase the historic, architectural importance and the distinctiveness of the region, highlighting the diversity of India as a country, on the lines of diverse topics and themes addressed by the PM in his broadcast, a government official had said.
As the laser show planned at Rang Ghar was tested on Friday night, the use of some purported religious symbols drew sharp reactions from different political parties and organisations.
Leader of Opposition in state assembly, Debabrata Saikia, said the amphitheatre is a pride of the Assamese community and has been a performance arena showcasing the state’s culture.
“No party should be allowed to use it for political benefit or display its own symbols,” the Congress leader added.
Sivasagar MLA and Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi said he has written to the chief minister, top ASI officials and the deputy commissioner (DC) regarding the matter.

He claimed a meeting was held at the DC’s intervention with the ASI officials, and the controversial parts have been cut off from the final show.
“The Rang Ghar can be used for portraying the rich history of our state, without any communal colour,” Gogoi asserted.
Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi also objected to the use of “religious symbols” and said, “Rang Ghar has its own colour, it symbolises Assam and its unity. We will not tolerate the use of any religious symbols for it.”.
The Raijor Dal, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad staged protests in front of the historic monument, demanding deletion of the controversial parts.
A top district official maintained that the controversy arose from a “misunderstanding” and all matters have been sorted out.
“The private party that will run the show had done a dry run of the proposed laser show last night. Later, some parties and organisations objected to certain clips. Those have been removed from the final show that has been approved,” he said.
“Light and sound shows are organised at the Rang Ghar on different occasions and there has never been an issue,” the official maintained.
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#Controversy #religious #symbols #laser #show #Assams #Rang #Ghar
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 29, 2023
Amritpal case: SGPC lawyers meet 8 people in Assam’s jail

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Amritsar: Lawyers of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on Monday met the eight people detained in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail under the stringent National Security Act after they were nabbed following a crackdown by Punjab Police against radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his aides.
The SGPC is pursuing cases of the eight people who have been detained under the NSA.
SGPC member and senior advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka led the delegation, including advocates Mandeep Singh Sidhu and Rohit Sharma, to Assam.

SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said following the order of the Jathedar of Akal Takht, the cases of youths imprisoned under the NSA at Dibrugarh are being pursued.
He said SGPC’s legal experts have started their work after visiting the ground.
He informed that legal aid is being provided to the eight people detained at Dibrugarh.
He further said the legal team has prepared a further course of action after meeting the arrested youths and officials of the Dibrugarh jail administration.
Sialka said the District Legal Services Authority and Dibrugarh Bar Association along with local lawyers have supported the SGPC legal team in submitting an application to the Dibrugarh jail administration to meet the eight detained youths.

Advocate Mandeep Singh said the detention orders of the youths and other necessary documents have been provided to the SGPC legal team by jail administration, following which further legal proceedings will be continued.
The Punjab Police had sent eight persons, including Daljeet Kalsi and Basant Singh, to the Dibrugarh jail after charging them under the NSA following a crackdown against preacher Amritpal and his aides.
The Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, had recently asked the state government to revoke the detention of some persons under the NSA and demanded that those who have been sent to Dibrugarh jail in Assam should be brought back to Punjab so that law can take its own course.
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#Amritpal #case #SGPC #lawyers #meet #people #Assams #jail
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
Amit Shah to address BJP workers in Assam’s Dibrugarh on April 11

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Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address a rally of BJP workers in Assam’s Dibrugarh town on Tuesday. He will also inaugurate a new regional office of the saffron party there.
“The Union Home Minister has given us some time from his scheduled visit to Arunachal Pradesh. He will inaugurate the newly built party office at Dibrugarh and will address a rally,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.
Shah’s public meeting will be held in Mancotta sports ground in Dibrugarh. CM Sarma along with Assam unit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Bhabesh Kalita inspected the preparedness of the programme.

Shah landed in Dibrugarh on Monday while he was enroute to Arunachal Pradesh to attend a few government programmes. He was received at the airport by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP MLA Taranga Gogoi and other dignitaries.
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#Amit #Shah #address #BJP #workers #Assams #Dibrugarh #April
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 10, 2023
Assam’s militant outfit extends unilateral ceasefire by 6 months

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Guwahati: Assams militant outfit Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) on Saturday announced extension of unilateral ceasefire.
Juhthai, the chairman of the outfit, wrote to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informing DNLA’s decision to extend the ceasefire by another six months.
The letter said, “We hereby inform you that the Dimasa National Liberation Army has resolved to extend the ceasefire period by another six months, from April 2023 to September 30, 2023 for better peaceful environment, developmental talks and co-relation among us.”

On September 2021, the DNLA in response to Assam Chief Minister’s demand for peace had declared a unilateral ceasefire for a period of six months.
The declaration came precisely two weeks after the DNLA was accused of opening fire on a convoy of seven trucks on August 26 in the Dima Hasao district, killing five people and injuring one.
The DNLA was established in April 2019 to pursue Dimasa people’s sovereignty through an armed campaign. The Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts, as well as some areas of the neighbouring Nagaland, are thought to be active DNLA hotspots.
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#Assams #militant #outfit #extends #unilateral #ceasefire #months
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 1, 2023
Assam’s publicity blitzkrieg in Delhi to take Bihu to world stage

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New Delhi: The BJP government in Assam has launched a publicity blitzkrieg in the national capital to celebrate the upcoming Rongali Bihu to make it the largest congregation of 11,000 Bihu dancers on April 14.
Assam government officials said that the state government is leaving no stone unturned to make the upcoming Bihu event in Guwahati the greatest show in terms of congregation of around 11,000 Bihu dancers and to make an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The mega event to be held at Sarusajai Indoor Stadium in Guwahati and it would be graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The state government is inviting many Governors, Chief Ministers, Union Ministers, diplomats of G20 and ASEAN countries and many other dignitaries for the immense event.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is closely monitoring the preparations for the upcoming event and to make it a roaring success so that Bihu, the lifeline of Assamese culture, is known to the whole world, an official privy to the event said.
Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister said: “Preparations are in full swing for April 14, when over 11,000 Bihu dancers will create history by performing together at Sarusajai Stadium in August presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Master trainers have been trained to impart the subtle nuances of the Bihu dance form to the scores of dancers roped in from different districts across the state.
The Chief Minister himself was present when training of master trainers was underway at Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati, the venue for the biggest Bihu event.

Hoardings have come up in the waiting sheds of bus stops in prominent places of the national capital welcoming everyone to join in the biggest Bihu festival and to create history together.
Even in the yellow and blue lines of Delhi Metro, all the coaches have been wrapped up in Bihu hoardings.
Hoardings can be seen on the major roads leading to the Indira Gandhi International Airport. This upcoming event comes close on the heels of the concluding function of the year-long 400th birth anniversary celebrations of Ahom General Lachit Barphukan in the national capital in November last year.
Not only in Delhi-NCR, the state government has also launched publicity in a big way in Mumbai and Kolkata metropolises, even in metro trains.
Observed on April 14-15 every year, Rongali or Bohag Bihu which heralds the Assamese New Year is widely celebrated across Assam.
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#Assams #publicity #blitzkrieg #Delhi #Bihu #world #stage
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023
Amritpal Singh’s four aides brought to Assam’s Dibrugarh

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Guwahati: Four aides of absconding Sikh radical preacher Amritpal Singh have been brought to Assam’s Dibrugarh district on Sunday, according to police sources.
A top police source said, “Four detained associates of Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh were recently flown to Dibrugarh by a Special Air Force aircraft. They will probably be kept in the Dibrugarh Central Jail.
“They are being accompanied by a 27-member Punjab Police team, including the IG Jail,” the source added.
They were received at Mohanbari Airport by the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Dibrugarh under tight security.
The reason behind Amritpal Singh’s aides’ transit to Assam is still unknown. The police are not willing to divulge any details as of now.
When IANS contacted Prasanata Kumar Bhuyan, Inspector General of Police (IGP) and spokesperson of Assam Police, he claimed that he was unaware of any such developments.
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#Amritpal #Singhs #aides #brought #Assams #Dibrugarh
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 19, 2023
Assam’s child marriage conviction rate: 494 out of 8,773 charge-sheeted

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Guwahati: A mere 494 persons out of 8,773 people who were charge-sheeted for child marriage and POCSO cases in Assam have been convicted since 2017, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.
Replying to a query by Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal in Assam Assembly, Sarma said a total of 8,773 people have been chargesheeted under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) between 2017 and February 2023.
“A total of 494 persons were convicted and a total of 6,174 persons released on bail,” he added. This represents a a conviction rate of just 5.63 per cent.
Sarma informed the House that 4,049 persons were arrested under the PCMA and 8,908 people have been nabbed under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) across Assam from 2017 to February this year.
During the period, 134 boys under the age of 21 years, and 2,975 girls below 18-years of age married (the permissible age of marriage for males and females respectively), he added.
Reacting to the data and on the recent crackdown against child marriage accused, Mandal alleged that the Assam government is “terrorising” people using the two acts.
On this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika said: “How is it terrorising people. You (Congress government) did not frame the rule. Because of vote bank politics, you did not take any initiative.”
This led to a noisy scene in the House with both treasury and opposition benches trading charges.

In a separate query by Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi, the Chief Minister stated that 4,111 incidents of child marriage took place in the state from April 2021 to February 2023.
“A total of 4,670 cases have been registered naming 7,142 accused. Already 3,483 persons have been arrested, of which 1,182 are in jail, 2,253 have got bail and notices have been issued to 48 others,” he added.
Sarma also informed the legislators that the government has not taken any step to take responsibility for the children born out of child marriages, but said steps will be initiated if any child requires care and security.
During the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the Governor’s address, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia said slapping of POCSO and rape cases on child marriage accused have created disturbances in the society with many old people getting arrested.
AIUDF’s Aminul Islam climed the government hatched a conspiracy and accordingly slapped POCSO and rape charges on the people, who had married 7-8 years.
Congress MLA Bharat Chandra Narah refuted the government claim on Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and said child marriage is one of the reasons for high MMR in Assam, but not the only cause.
CPI(M)’s Manoranjan Talukdar said: “The government said the PCMA was not implemented. If so, who is responsible for that? The BJP was in power in Assam for over six years now.”
He also said that no awareness against child marriage has been created in the state and Assam should follow Kerala model as there is hardly any case of child marriage in the Southern state.
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#Assams #child #marriage #conviction #rate #chargesheeted
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 13, 2023
Despite HC strictures, Himanta makes bulldozers a part of Assam’s landscape

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Guwahati: Assam was not habituated to seeing bulldozing of houses, large-scale evictions, and razing multi-storey buildings to the ground within hours. However, for the last two years, the scenario has changed dramatically soon after Himanta Biswa Sarma took charge as the Chief Minister.
Now-a-days, bulldozing is an everyday phenomenon in Assam. Either here or there, the eviction news has taken a regular spot in the media.
Though a lot of controversy has already erupted over ‘bulldozer-trend’, the state government is in no mood to give up, even after the High Court was extremely critical of these steps.
Sarma has repeated a number of times that his machinery would not stop till every occupied area was cleared of ‘illegal encroachment’.
Some private madrassas were demolished by district authorities in lower Assam over alleged links with Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Bangladesh-based terror outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).
The state government spared no time to raze these madrasas.
Badruddin Ajmal, Lok Sabha MP and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) leader, once said, reacting to a demolition drive against madrassas: “The madrasas are public properties that cannot be bulldozed without any legal notice. Even the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has stopped using bulldozers.”
The madrassas had to be dismantled because they were constructed in violation of the norms of building construction in the state, the authorities said.

In September, 2021, a violent outbreak between the police authorities of the Darrang district and the locals of Gorukhuti in Sipajhar Revenue Circle occurred during an eviction drive in the Dholpur area that resulted in police firing.
At least two protesters were killed and twelve others were injured in the incident.
Authorities in Assam’s Nagaon district destroyed the homes of numerous families in May last year after they were accused of setting fire to the Batadrava Police Station.
The police and administration took this step after a mob, in response to an alleged case of a local fish seller dying while being held in custody, set fire to a portion of the Batadrava Police Station in the district.
Later, the Gauhati High Court came down heavily on the Assam government after taking suo motu cognizance of the case involving the use of bulldozers on the houses of the accused in the Batadrava police station arson case.
The state government was questioned by the court over the legal basis for the use of bulldozers.
The court then told the government’s counsel: “You (the state government) show us any criminal law under which the police can uproot a person with a bulldozer without any order while investigating a crime.”
The two judges on the bench also observed, “Nobody is safe in the country if this kind of action is permitted.”
The government had to assure the court that proper action would be taken against those officers involved in the bulldozing of the accused’s houses.
However, all these could not stop the Assam government machinery from continuing with the bulldozing.
In the previous week too, in Cachar district, a good number of houses were dismantled by the administration, although the residents claimed that they had ‘proper’ documents for the buildings, the houses were razed without verifying the papers.
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#strictures #Himanta #bulldozers #part #Assams #landscape
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 12, 2023
2,278 arrested in three days in Assam’s child marriage crackdown

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Guwahati: The Assam Police continued with its crackdown on child marriage in the state for the third day in a row, with the number of arrests touching 2,278 on Sunday.
A police statement said the arrests were made based on 4,074 FIRs across the state.
At least 139 people have been apprehended in Biswanath, followed by 130 in Barpeta and 126 in Dhubri, the statement said.
Other districts where over 100 arrests have been made are Baksa (123) and Bongaigaon and Hojai (117 each), it maintained.
Dhubri registered the highest number of FIRs against child marriages at 374 cases, followed by Hojai at 255 and Morigaon at 224.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had on Saturday asserted that the drive against child marriage will continue till the next assembly elections in 2026.
He had said parents involved in underage marriages are currently being let off with a notice.
The CM added that men marrying girls below 14 years of age will be facing non-bailable charges, while those marrying girls between 14 to 16 years of age will be charged under bailable sections.

The state cabinet had recently approved a proposal to book men who have married girls below 14 years of age under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 will be registered against those who have married girls in the 14-18 years’ age group, the cabinet decided.
The offenders will be arrested and the marriages declared illegal.
If the groom is below 14 years of age, he will be sent to a reform house.
Assam has a high rate of maternal and infant mortality, with child marriage being the primary cause, according to reports by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS.
An average of 31 per cent of marriages registered in the state are in the prohibited age group, the NFHS had noted.
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#arrested #days #Assams #child #marriage #crackdown
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 5, 2023
‘There was a knock on the door at 2 am’: Assam’s child bride recounts crackdown

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Morigaon: Nimee’s eyes do not sparkle with the joy of new motherhood, instead, they reflect the fear, insecurity and sense of foreboding that stalks her village in Assam’s Morigaon district.
Rezina Khatun stares vacuously into the distance — trying to make sense of the sudden apocalypse, which has struck her till-now happy world.
While Nimee is among the thousands of child brides whose husbands were arrested in a state-wide crackdown against child marriage by the Assam Police over the last two days, Rezina is a mother whose son’s romantic escapade, which had ended with marriage, has landed him in jail now.
In the drive against child marriage, police had till Saturday arrested 2,258 people, including Hindu and Muslim priests who conducted such weddings. Police said there is a list of a total 8,000 accused.
The police had registered 4,074 cases of child marriage in less than a fortnight after the state Cabinet decided on January 23 to arrest offenders, besides launching an extensive awareness campaign against the menace.
“There was a knock on the door around 2 am on Thursday. We opened the door and found policemen outside. They took away my husband,” Nimee told PTI in a feeble voice, as her one-and-half-month-old son cried in her arms just as he had when his father was being arrested.
The 17-year-old had eloped and tied the knot with Gopal Biswas, who is in his twenties, more than a year back, and were starting off their family with the husband providing for them by selling pakoras and other savouries.
The names of those affected were changed to protect their identities.

“We barely earn enough to feed our own families. Who will look after Nimee and her son? She has been inconsolable, barely eating anything. The child is also getting sick now,” said Yudishter, Gopal’s elder brother, who lives in the same house along with their aged parents.
Rezina’s son Rajibul Hussain was picked up from their home around 6 pm on Thursday, barely a few minutes after he had reached home with his father after returning from a trip to Kerala, where they had gone to bring back his injured uncle.
“My daughter-in-law is not underage but there was some error in her Aadhaar card due to which my son is now behind bars. She has gone to our native place, some distance away, to get her birth records,” Rezina claimed, trying to convince whoever cared to listen.
A neighbour of the family claimed that many like Rajibul’s wife were not minors at the time of the marriage but their dates of birth were wrongly entered while enrolling for Aadhaar cards.
“Data on the age was taken by the police from local health workers, who have the information based on the Aadhaar. Now, we are helping these women to get their original birth records so that their husbands can get bail,” he claimed.
While some are getting help and support from their families, many like Riya Devi are left to the mercy of the authorities after the arrest of their husbands.
“We don’t have any other family as we had eloped and got married. Where am I to go with my one-year-old daughter now from here?” questioned 16-year-old Riya, who is staying temporarily at a government-run shelter home.
Another inmate Rupa Das, also 16 years old and nine months pregnant, shared the same uncertainty. “Set my husband free. We had married with consent. What will I do now if he is not around,” she pleaded.
Parimita Deka, a gender specialist at the state’s Social Welfare Department, is working with the likes of Riya and Rupa. “The drive against child marriage is very welcome. But we also have a responsibility towards these women now,” she said.
“Most are children themselves. We have to handle them sensitively and secure their future,” Deka added between counselling sessions to pacify the distraught women.
While child marriage is rampant in the state, the people were not altogether ignorant of the laws prohibiting it.
“We knew there was some kind of law but it was never implemented. Government should have warned us that there is such strict action for any lapse and we would have been careful,” Yudishter maintained.
Another local businessman, Umar Ali, said organisations used to create some awareness regarding it, but it was not enough at most times.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the drive against child marriage will continue till the next assembly elections in 2026.
Assam has a high rate of maternal and infant mortality, with child marriage being the primary cause as an average of 31 per cent of marriages registered in the state are in the prohibited age group, according to the National Family Health Survey.
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#knock #door #Assams #child #bride #recounts #crackdown
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 5, 2023