Guwahati: On Wednesday, Tarun Gogoi, Assam’s Chief Minister requested to the separatist ULFA and other insurgent outfits to disown hostility and come to the compromise desk.

While speaking at the Independence Day function in the Judges Field, Mr. Gogoi alleged, “Violence does not solve any problem. Only valuable human life and property are lost pushing Assam to a dark era.”

Guwahati: One person was killed and more than 15 injured, when a blast rocked Guwahati’s busy Bamunimaidam region around noon yesterday. Police suspected the blast have been triggered by the criminalized United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).

Morigaon (Assam), Sept. 14: At least 430,000 Assamese in over 4000 villages have been affected by the latest bout of monsoon-related floods.

The hardest hit of the 21 districts in the state includes Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Cahchar and Morigaon.

Several rivers, including the main Brahmaputra, are in spate. The State Government has banned the movement of ferries and boats. Makeshift boats and rafts, however, are being allowed to move through the floodwaters.

Guwahati, Sept. 19 : Prabal Neog, a commander of the rebel United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), has been nabbed by police during an intensive search operation in insurgency-hit Assam’s Tezpur District.

Neog is suspected to have planned the recent killings of a large number of Hindi speaking migrant labourers in Upper Assam. He is believed to be the mastermind behind major bomb blasts in the twin districts of Tinsukia and Dibrugarh.

Neog was produced before a local court in Guwahati on Tuesday amidst heavy security.

Dalbama (Assam), Sept. 25 : Sitting amidst trees and chirping of birds, children in Assam are learning lessons in an open environment. This is a new initiative by the State Government to bring school dropouts back to the classroom.

These kids, belonging to impoverished families in Dalbama village of Kamrup District, are taught their lessons mixed with a healthy dose of fun to keep their interest levels high.

Guwahati, Oct 9 : Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh will hold a two-day Regional Performance Review Committee Meeting here today.

Singh will review the progress of various rural development schemes in the Northeastern region of the country during the meeting.

The Ministers of state Chandra Sekhar Sahu and Suryakanta Patil and Rural Development Ministers from all the Northeastern states will also present.

The achievements and the progress of different rural development schemes so far in the Northeastern region will be discussed in the meeting at length by the Union Minister.

Washington, Oct 27 : Researchers at New Mexico State University have announced the discovery of the world’s hottest chile pepper, Bhut Jolokia, a variety found in Assam, India.

The variety of chile pepper has won Guiness World Records’ recognition by beating the previous champion Red Savina.

In replicated tests of Scoville heat units (SHUs), Bhut Jolokia reached one million SHUs, which is almost twice the SHUs of Red Savina, which measured a mere 577,000.

Guwahati, Nov 24 : Indefinite curfew has been imposed in parts of Guwahati and army has been deployed in some parts of the city after a rally of Adivasi Students Union (ASU) turned violent today.

In a large-scale violence, at least 100 people were injured. According to State Principal Secretary (Home) Subhas Das, 60 of the injured were hospitalised.

There have been no casualties so far, he added.

ASU members demanding the Scheduled Tribe status after holding a rally at Beltola, tried to march towards the State Assembly at Dispur. On being stopped by the police, the students turned violent and attacked and injured a magistrate.

Guwahati, Nov 24 : At least 12 people were killed on Saturday after a rally of Adivasi Students Union (ASU) turned violent here.

Another 100 people have been injured in the incident. According to State Principal Secretary (Home) Subhas Das, 60 of the injured were hospitalised.

Indefinite curfew has been imposed in parts of Guwahati and army has been deployed.

ASU members demanding the Scheduled Tribe status after holding a rally at Beltola, tried to march towards the State Assembly at Dispur. On being stopped by the police, the students turned violent and attacked and injured a magistrate.

Thousands of students, armed with bows and arrows, destroyed private property and set several vehicles on fire.

Guwahati, Nov 25 : A day after a protest march by tribal students turned violent in Guwahati leading to clamping of curfew there, the city is slowly returning to normalcy with no reports of any untoward incident.

An indefinite curfew was imposed on Saturday and the army was called out after mob started rampaging the streets and burnt shops and vehicles.

One person was reportedly killed and around 230 people were injured in the ensuing violence.

Meanwhile, the All Adivasi Students Association (AASA), which had organised the protest march blamed the ruling Congress party for conspiring against it, and has called a 36-hour Assam shutdown from November 26.

Ranchi, Nov 26 : A twelve-hour shutdown called by major political parties brought normal life to a standstill in Ranchi on Monday.

Political parties and pro-tribal organisations are protesting against the killing of tribals in Guwahati on Saturday.

"We are protesting against the violence that took place in Assam and we condemn the way in which the tribals are being treated. This might be the first time in the history of India that such an inhumane and unethical act is being carried out," said Chamra Linda, President, Adivasi (Tribals) Students Association (ASA).

Guwahati, Nov.26 : Believe it or not, three-year-old girl Asthajit Ananda, who is yet to learn all the alphabets of language, has flabbergasted many people here by showcasing her exceptional singing talent. Her first music album was released recently.

Bollywood’s legendary musician and composer Anandji of Kalyanji-Anandji fame appreciated the girl’s talent while releasing her first music album. It consists of songs written and sung by Assamese music legend Bhupen Hazarika.

Asthajit Ananda has been singing the Bhupen Hazarika’s songs since she was just two years old.

Guwahati, Dec 13: At least five persons were dead and four others injured when a bomb exploded in the 2423 A Guwahati-Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam early on Thursday morning.

The explosion took place between Naojan and Chungajan in Assam’s Golaghat District at around 1.00 a. m.

According to initial reports, the bomb was planted inside one of the compartments and not on the train track. There was partial damage to the tracks with just two sleepers affected.

Srirampur (Assam), Dec 23: Tribals in Assam seeking reservation in government jobs have threatened economic blockade if their demands were not met.

Protesters claimed that some states have granted the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to their community.

“This movement has just started at the all India level. It has spread to Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and reached Andaman and Nicobar. The tribals like Khariya and Munda have not been granted reservation in Assam," said All Adivasi (tribesmen) Students' Association of Assam (AASAA) principal advisor Sanjay Marandi.

Marandi said that the AASAA would resort to economic blockade if the Central Government did not recognise its demands.

Kaziranga National Park (Assam), Dec.25: Assam’s Kaziranga National Park  has been a remarkable success story of conservation of the one-horned Indian rhinoceros and the wildlife in north-east India. But the rising instances of poaching of rhinos has left officials baffled.

At least 20 one-horned rhinos have been killed in 2007 till date. It was four to eight each year in number between 1998 and 2006.

Guwahati, Dec 31: Polling for the first phase of panchayat poll in Assam has begun this morning, amidst tight security.

A total of 39.43 lakh voters are expected to decide the fate of more than 26,451 candidates, who are in the fray.

The first phase of the three phase polls is underway in Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Golaghat and Jorhat districts.

The polling is being held to elect panchayat representatives in 132 Zilla Parishads, 54 Anchalik Parishads and 955 Gaon Panchayats.

Guwahati, Jan 3 : The State Election Commission has postponed Panchayat polls in Assam’s Goalpara District which were scheduled for January 4 and January 9.

The second phase of panchayat election was scheduled to be held in six districts of middle and lower Assam, comprising Sonitpur, Kamrup Metro, Kamrup Rural and parts of Barpeta, Morigaon and Nagaon on January 4.

The EC took the decision following Wednesday’s police firing on a violent mob that claimed seven lives, besides wounding 20 in Lakhipur and Bhalukdubi areas of the district.

Guwahati, Jan 4: Polling for the second phase of Panchayat election in Assam has begun this morning, amidst tight security.

The polling is underway in Sonitpur, Kamrup Metro, Kamrup Rural and parts of Barpeta, Morigaon and Nagaon districts of middle and lower Assam.

A total of 35, 26, 000 are expected to decide the fate of around 26,169 candidates, who are in the fray.

Guwahati, Jan 3 : Orange cultivators in Assam’s Kamrup District have harvested a bumper crop of oranges this season.

The bumper crop in Hakomari village has been possible because of the efforts of the ‘Technology Mission’ launched by the Assam Government’s Agriculture Department.

Kamrup District is traditionally an orange growing area. It borders Meghalaya and is dominated by Garo tribals.

In the government’s Technology Mission, the orange and orchard owners were given extensive training in modern scientific methods of nurturing orange trees.

Guwahati, Jan.6: A non government organisation in Assam has given a new hope to the locals here by promoting mushroom cultivation as a new source of income for the people in Kamrup and Sonapur Districts.

Assamese, who are today well aware about distinguishing between the poisonous and non-poisonous mushroom, will soon become the cultivators of mushroom rather than its picker.

Mushroom Foundation or MDF, a non- governmental organization active in Kamrup and Sonapur Districts of the State, is educating people about the economic significance of mushroom in domestic as well as international market, besides teaching about cultivation methods.

Guwahati, Jan 9: Polling for the third phase of Panchayat election in Assam has begun this morning, amidst tight security.

The polling is underway in the districts of Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Nagaon, Cachar, Hailakandi, Karimganj and parts of Morigaon.

Around 43 lakh voters are expected to decide the fate of 9,545 candidates for Zilla Parishads, Anchalik Parishads and Gaon Panchayats. Over 28,000 candidates are in the fray.

Tight security arrangements have been made in all the 7,480 polling centres to ensure free and fair elections.

Guwahati, Jan 12: Assam launched a two-day 'North East India Investment Summit' to woo the diaspora and seek investment in the state.

An exhibition is being held here showcasing products from the mainly tribal entire northeastern region.

"We have more than 70 such participants from all across the globe. More than 10 countries have representatives here. So, they are showing interest in many areas, for example, hill sector, education, upgradation of skills like ITI, hydropower, housing and real estate," said Abhijeet Baruah, Director for Assam, Confederation of Indian Industry.

Guwahati, Jan 14: At least 17 people were injured in a grenade blast that rocked Guwahati last evening.

The injured, included a minor girl, were admitted to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, while four were treated for splinter injuries at a nearby private hospital.

The blast, which took place on the eve of the Assam’s harvest festival Bhogali Bihu near the Guwahati railway station, occurred at around 7.30 p. m.

Guwahati, Jan 14: The first camp of its kind for children on conflict resolution through non-violent means was organised in the insurgency-hit Assam recently.

One-generation of Assam has been affected by militancy, which has affected the development and growth of the State.

Several people have joined hands to create awareness among children about the dangers of violence and to inculcate in them the principles of non-violence.

The objective of the five-day camp was to instill in the children the need for peace in society. Evidently, the camp was a success as students talked highly of non-violent methods.

Guwahati, Jan 22: Re-polling for seventy-five booths in Assam's Karimganj District of Barak Valley began today amidst tight security.

The re-polling is being held following election malpractices during the third phase of Panchayat election on January 9. The polling was held in the districts of Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Nagaon, Cachar, Hailakandi, Karimganj and parts of Morigaon.

The schedule for re-polling in 309 centers in Hailakandi district is yet to be declared.

Golaghat (Assam), Jan. 25: Despite claims of security measures being in place to prevent poaching activities in Kaziranga National Park, the recent incident of gouging out a horn of a female rhino and killing of a calf has served as a wake up call for the wildlife authorities here.

It was presumed that stringent measures under the Wildlife Protection Act and active participation of wildlife enthusiasts and voluntary organization had dealt a severe blow the activities of poachers. But the latest incident proved it a fallacy.

Guwahati, Feb 12: The re-polling for the first phase of Panchayat election’s in Assam is underway.

The re-polling is being held in 166 polling stations of Hailakandi District of the State.

The voting will be held between 8 a. m. till 4 p. m.

Appropriate security arrangements have been made to ensure free and fair polling.

The second phase of re-polling in 205 polling stations will be held on Thursday.

The counting of votes will be held on Friday. (ANI)

Guwahati, Feb 16: A red alert has been sounded across Assam following intelligence reports that ULFA militants might target leaders of a particular political party and Hindi-speaking people.

The banned outfit's plan came to light after the arrest of a number of ULFA cadres in the State.

Police stations in the state have been asked to maintain a vigil in vulnerable areas.

Meanwhile, four ULFA militants were killed in a joint operation by the army and police in Assam’s Sibsagar District early this morning.

Guwahati, Feb. 21 : An alert has been sounded in Assam over a suspected outbreak of Kala Azar or black fever, a vector-borne disease.

Eleven patients who are suspected to have contacted the disease, are undergoing treatment at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital for the last three days. The patients hail from the tribal-dominated Bonda area of Chandrapur block on the outskirts of Guwahati.

Experts from the Guwahati Medical College and the Vector-borne Disease Control Unit of the State Health Services have examined the patients, but yet to confirm symptoms of the disease.

Medical experts from the Regional Medical Research Council in Dibrugarh have been sent to Guwahati to initiate preventive measures.

Sonapur (Assam), Feb 24: At least twelve people were killed and four others injured after a bus fell into a roadside pond early this morning in Sonapur area of Assam.

“This accident took place around 4:30 am. The bus started from Silapathar, and was going to Guwahati. Till now, we have recovered around 12 bodies,” said C. K. Bhuyan, Sub Divisional Officer, Kamrup district.

According to official reports, the bus carrying 19 passengers plunged into a stream of water as the driver lost control of the vehicle while crossing a bridge in Sonapur, 25 kilometres from Guwahati.

Guwahati, Feb 26: Sixty-one poachers have surrendered before wildlife authorities at the Manas National Park in Assam.

They deposited 26 country-made weapons before the Deputy Chief of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Kampa Borgoyari, at the Bansbari range of the park in Baksa District.

This is the second biggest surrender of poachers in the National Park during the last two years. In 2006, over 130 poachers had surrendered before the authorities.

Borgoyari said the reformed poachers would be rehabilitated.

Jorhat (Assam), Feb. 28: The popular 130-year-old equestrian event, known as the Jorhat Races, has been revived here after a gap of three years.

Jorhat Rugby races or, the heritage horse races are described as one of the oldest sporting events of Assam. The races were held to coincide with the Assam Tea Tourism Festival.

Originally started in 1876 at the Gymkhana club by the Britishers, the organisation of the Jorhat Races recently cheered everyone here with local people participating in it with big enthusiasm.

According to the President of the Jorhat Races, this race was originally started by the British planters, who used horses for transport.

Assam, Mar 01 : The Budget Session of Assam Assembly for year 2008-09 will begin on Monday at Dispur.

The State Budget session will have 19 sittings for one month. It will start with a ceremonial opening address by the Governor Lieutenant General (Retired) Ajai Singh.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi will present the Budget as he is also Assam’s Finance Minister.

At least five taxation related Bills are likely to be tabled in the House.

Dispur, Mar 3: The month-long Budget Session of Assam Assembly for year 2008-09 will commence here today.

The session will commence with a ceremonial opening address by Governor Lieutenant General (Retired) Ajai Singh.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi will present the Budget on March 10.

At least five taxation-related Bills are likely to be tabled in the House.

The State Budget session will have 19 sittings for one month.

Agartala, Mar7: The Assam’s Minister for Forest, Rockybul Hussain told the State Assembly today that he had the Border Security Force (BSF) and the State Police to remain alert to the possible entry of Jehadi groups from Bangladesh.

“The Government has definite proof of Jehadi groups setting up their headquarters in Bangladesh and all their activities were being directed from there. The State Government has decided to increase the number of police stations and out-posts in the border belts to counter the threat posed by these Jehadi groups,” Hussain said.

Guwahati, Mar 11: At least one person was killed and six others injured this evening in a bomb explosion suspected to be triggered by the ULFA militants in Tinsukia.

According to sources, the bomb exploded in the Tinsukia market at around 4:15 p. m., and it was placed underneath a rickshaw.

The rickshaw puller was killed and six others were injured. (ANI)

Guwahati, Mar 16 : Suspected militants have killed at least three people in Assam’s Dhemaji District, including a woman, and injured forty eight, in a grenade explosion.

The victims were attending a cultural function in Jonai in connection with the Ali Aye Lrigang Festival of the Mishing Community. The grenade was

hurled around 11.45 p. m. on Saturday night.

According to sources, senior police officials have ordered the cordoning off the area and activated relief and rescue operations immediately. (ANI)

Kamrup (Assam), March 17: The setting up of a food processing plant in Boko area of the State’s Kamrup District of Assam has changed the lives of the people of the area.

By establishing the food processing plant called 'RITTY' in Boko region almost a year back, Pranab Mohanta has been able to provide employment for youngsters of the district.

Dispur, Mar 18: The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) has called for a day-long Assam shutdown today to protest against allegation to kill their association's secretary Bigrai Basumatary.

Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS), the apex literary body of the Bodos, has urged the government to negotiate with the NDFB to end the ongoing fatal clashes in the Bodo-dominated areas of lower Assam.

“BSS is willing to work for a peaceful solution to the problem despite the demand of the NDFB for sovereignty,” said BSS President B K Brahma.

The NDFB is a rebel group fighting for an independent homeland for the Bodo tribe since 1986.

Guwahati, April 1: Believe it or not, Malin Medhi, a marginal farmer
from Balapara Chuba in Assam’s Nalbari District, has the ability to
sing 10 songs on trot that too without opening his lips!

Malin Medhi started singing in this fashion about 19 years ago but regrets failing to gain popularity for his feat despite being touching 28. years of age.

Today, he can sing melodies of famous Assamese singer Bhupen Hazarika to the pop style of Zubin Garg of “Ya Ali” fame. But his wish is to find a place in the Limca as well as Guinness Book of World Records.

Malin Medhi has opted a style that is never preferred by singers.

Guwahati, Apr 5 : For the first time, the National School of Drama (NSD) along with the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Government of Assam, has taken the initiative to organise a 16-day-long theatre festival of the north-east.

The fortnight-long festival 'Poorvottar Natya Samaroah' features
28 plays. It will include plays by eminent theatre directors of the north-east such as Ratan Thiyam, Kanhailal and Dulal Roy alongside works of younger directors and NSD products such as Baharul Islam and Rabijita Gogoi.

Siliguri, Apr 13 : Assam Police on Sunday recovered a time bomb and a packet of explosives from a slum area of Siliguri district of the state.

“Acting on a tip off, police recovered the bomb, fitted with a timer, from a room along with the packet at Gurung Bustee during a raid at around 1:00 am,” said Rajesh Yadav, Additional Superintendent of Police.

“The bomb disposal squad took away the explosives and the packet to a desolate spot but the nature of the explosives inside the pack was not known,” he added.

A man, who was living in the room from where the police recovered the bomb, was arrested while three women tenants, staying in the same room for past three months, could not be traced.

Golpara/Morigaon (Assam), April 16 : Two male Rhinos have been translocated recently to Manas National Park in Assam as part of the government initiative conservation of animals.

The translocation was done under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 programme of the Assam government. It was started in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India and supported by International Rhino Foundation and the U. S Fish and Wild Life Service.

Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary (Assam), April 21: Over a hundred jumbos in Assam were rallied during the 6th annual Elephant festival in Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary last week.

The three-day annual elephant festival attracted many animal lovers concluded yesterday.

Organized by the State tourism department, the three-day festival offered an opportunity for domestic and foreign tourists to sample some of the ecological and cultural diversity of the region.

Guwahati, May 9: People in Assam recently had a novel experience to celebrate theatre art in a big way for a fortnight, as they attended the first ever Drama festival here.

It was a special experience for many, as the Drama festival offered an opportunity to many theatre groups from different and distant tribal areas of the northeast to perform on a bigger platform.

New Delhi - At least nine railway workers were shot dead by tribal separatist rebels in two weekend attacks in India's north-eastern state of Assam, police said Monday.

Heavily armed militants from the banned Dima Halam Daoga (DHD) attacked a railway construction site in Fiding on Sunday and killed eight workers, senior police official Sudhakar Singh said.

Fiding, 350 kilometres south of the state's main city of Guwahati, is located in the North Cachar Hills district where the DHD group had given a deadline to stop work on the railway's broad gauge conversion project by Sunday.

Guwahati, May 15 : Militants of the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Garlossa faction) struck again in Assam on Thursday, killing 10 workers engaged by a cement factory and a railway employee in two separate attacks.

"Four trucks belonging to a cement company operating in the southern North Cachar Hills district were waylaid, and 10 occupants of the vehicles were lined up and shot dead by armed rebels, who also set the trucks ablaze," said Assam Police spokesman.

In a separate incident, the rebels opened indiscriminate fire at a railway engine carrying an inspection team near the village of Kalachand.

Guwahati, May 24: Peace and stability appears to eluding the people of Assam's North Cachar Hills.

The recent killing of twelve railway construction workers in Retzol by the insurgent outfit Dima Halam Doaga (DHD) has not only hampered a mega broad gauge conversion work in the region, but also severely hampered the lives of the common people.

The killings took place in retaliation for the killing of 12 DHD cadres by the Army.

Everything has ground to a standstill. Sixteen private railway construction companies in the region have decided to stop work after the rebel strikes.

With the suspension of trains, activity in stations like Haflong, have been severely affected.

Goalpara , May 26 : Lower Assam’s Goalpara and Krishnai towns are under indefinite curfew since Sunday after irate mobs clashed with police, leaving one person dead and wounding four others.

High tension prevailed in the area after miscreants torched two houses near the Krishnai market following the recovery of a 55-year old man's dead body from a lake on Sunday.

Police have picked on charges of committing acts of arson.

Earlier around 5,000 people, armed with lethal weapons and stones stormed a police station and pelted it. (ANI)

Guwahati, June 9: A 12-hour shutdown began in Assam in the wake of the arrest of sacked Education Minister Ripun Borah by the CBI on murder charge.

The shutdown is called by Asom Gana Parishad and BJP who are demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Borah was arrested by the CBI for allegedly offering a bribe of ten lakh rupees to an agency official.

Borah, who was remanded to judicial custody till June 21, was expelled from the State's ruling Congress party. He is a suspect in murder of his political rival Daniel Toppo in 2000.

The CBI official, probing the murder of the student leader Toppo, filed a complaint on June 2 that the Minister had allegedly offered him a bribe to hush up the case.

Guwahati, June 9: Normal life was disrupted in Assam today due to a 12-hour shutdown called by the opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), BJP and Left parties separately to protest against the hike in fuel prices.

According to official sources, there was no report of any untoward incident from any part of the state.

Shops, educational institutions and offices remained closed, while vehicles, both private and public, remained off the roads. Train services were also affected in some places.

Guwahati, June 13: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address a farmers’ rally at Khanapara here today.
During her visit, Sonia will attend the presentation ceremony of prestigious Srimanta Sankardeva National Award at the Rabindra Bhavan.

UPA chairperson is also scheduled to meet the party workers to discuss the latest political scenario.

On Saturday, Sonia will leave for Mizoram. (ANI)

Guwahati, June 16 : The situation in the worst flood -affected Lakhimpur district of Assam remained grim and has claimed five lives so far.

Over seven lakh people in seven hundred villages of the district have been affected by the sudden floods that occurred due to breach of bunds of Ranganadi Hydel Project in Arunachal Pradesh.

Most parts of the Bihpuria and North Lakhimpur towns have been submerged. Over four thousand marooned people are taking shelter in the relief camps set up by the district authorities.

Guwahati, June 17 : An alert was sounded in coastal Orissa as incessant rains due to deep depression over northwest Bay of Bengal, about 250 km from Balasore coast, claimed one life in Mayurbhanj district.

The Jalaka River is reportedly at a dangerous level. The depression has already made landfall on the Bangladeshi coast, but it is likely to continue raining over the next
24 hours.

Fishermen have been asked not to go out into sea

In Assam, army was called out to rescue marooned people in the flood-hit state, which claimed over ten lives.

The army deployed boats and rafts to transport people taking shelter on roof tops to relief camps set up in highlands, schools and colleges in worst-hit Lakhimpur district.

Baksa (Assam), June 25: As many as twenty six militants of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) have surrendered before the Red Horn Division of the Indian Army in Assam's Baksa District.

According to officials, the ULFA rebels surrendered before Major General Chander Prakash, General Officer Commanding (GOC) at a surrender ceremony organised at Tamulpur on Tuesday.

Militants surrendered their arms and ammunition and got a rose flower in return at the function.

The army has now decided to provide vocational training to the surrendered militants.

Amarpur , June 28 : A 'battalion' of banned outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) declared unilateral ceasefire recently in expectation of reciprocal gesture from the Central government to pave way for restoration of peace in north-east region of India.

Declaring ceasefire, Mrinal Hazarika, the commander of one of the most potent battalions of ULFA, said that the step is towards restoration of peace in the strife torn northeast region of the country.

Guwahati, June 30: Security in Assam has been put on high alert following Sunday's bomb blast at a weekly market in Baksa district, killing five persons and injuring 75.

Additional security forces have been pressed into service in all the markets, railway stations, bus stands and other vital installations to keep an eye on every single activity.

Around 30 seriously injured are undergoing treatment at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital. Most of the injured belonged to the Bodo and Adivasi communities.

Police suspect the blast to be the handiwork of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). The ULFA, however, has not so far claimed the responsibility.

Unity Infraprojects Limited, a leading engineering and construction company with over two decades of experience in diverse areas of infrastructure development, has informed that its joint venture with Brahmaputra Infrastructure and Brahmaputra Consortium has secured an order worth Rs 135.70 crore for construction of Tezpur Medical College in Assam, from the PWD, Government of Assam.

The project is required to be executed within 24 months. The company holds 51% stake in the joint venture.

Imphal, July 5: Even as the ULFA indulges in violence in Assam in desperation, militants in Manipur too are using terror to subdue the general public in state.

The quiet and determined protest by the people against militancy in the state has spread panic among underground groups. Most feel that terror tactics are not working, as the people are coming out openly against the militants.

Last week, some militant groups threw bombs at peaceful protestors in the Ningthoukhong Bazaar in Bishenpur District near Imphal. The injured people were protesting against the extortion demands made on shopkeepers.

Guwahati, July 8 : The flood situation in Assam continues to remain grim today, even as the Central Water Commission has warned of the rising water level in the Brahmaputra in lower Assam.

The second spell of floods has so far affected a population of more than 5,00,000 people.

Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts are the worst hit, with rail and road communication snapped following breach of banks by river Ranganadi.

Vast tracts of habitation and cropland have been inundated by rivers Gai and Jiadhol along with Ranganadi river.

The Brahmaputra has been flowing above the danger level at Dibrugarh, Nematighat in Jorhat and Dhubri as were River Dhansiri at Numaligarh in Golaghat, Jia Bharali at Sonitpur and Beki at Barpeta.

Guwahati, July14 : The five-day Monsoon Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly began in Dispur today.

The entire opposition led by the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) raised an adjournment motion today alleging that the Congress-Bodo People''s Front (BPF) Government has failed to maintain law and order and protect the lives of the common people in the State.

The Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai reserved his ruling on the adjournment motion, following which the opposition members belonging to AGP, Asom United Democratic Front, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India-Marxist came out to the floor of the House and started to shout slogans in front of the Speaker''s Chair.

Guwahati, July 16: The disconnect between the ULFA leadership and its cadres has been an open secret in Assam for quite a few years. This came out into the open last week when two major divisions of the outfit''s mainstay 28th battalion, revolted against the leadership accusing them of working against the interests of the people of Assam.

The people of Assam have welcomed this development. Meanwhile, in desperation ULFA resorted to violence and killing of innocent people.

Dispur, July 20 : Fugitive militant of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Amrit Dutta, was killed in an encounter with the police and the Central Reserve Police Force at Majuli in Assam last evening.

The ULFA leader was killed in the encounter at Katonihati Jurbil under Jengraimukh police station at around 7:00 pm, said police officials.

A joint team of police and the CRPF surrounded a house where Dutta was hiding with other militants.

The militants opened fire on the security personnel who retaliated killing Dutta. Other two managed to escape.

New Delhi, July 26: The banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has arrived at an agreement with the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami (HUJI) to operate jointly in Assam.

According to informed sources, the ULFA leadership, which has taken refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh, has taken this step to keep their local benefactors happy. Sources said it has agreed to provide logistical support to HUJI cadres for it to effectively target civilians and other "manned" installations in Assam.

The Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HUJI-B) was established in 1992, reportedly with assistance from Osama bin Laden's International Islamic Front (IIF).

Guwahati, Aug 4 : It is not just the common people who are supporting the efforts of the former ULFA cadres to bring about peace in Assam. Also, lending their voice for the cause are intellectuals in state.

Recently, scholars and peace activists held a meeting here supporting the ULFA cadres who had returned to the mainstream to bring peace and normalcy to the state.

Assam Public Works, a non-governmental organization, which has been in the forefront advocating peace in Assam, came out in support of the cadres that left ULFA.

Guwahati, Aug 7 : The Central Government''s premier education for all scheme -- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has received a wonderful response in Assam, especially in Chaygon of Kamrup District, where nearly 500 children with special needs have benefiting from it.

Providing basic elementary education to children between the age group of six to 14 years by 2010 is the objective of SSA.

"During the summer vacations, we bring those students who studying in schools to the centers according to the Gaon Panchayat. We give them academic support throughout the whole month," said Hemanta Sharma, a teacher.

Guwahati, Aug 13: Four suspected ULFA militants were shot dead by security forces in Bongaigaon and Nalbari Districts of Assam during two separate encounters early this morning.

Police recovered two pistols and a grenade from the slain militants in the first encounter that took place at Jelkajhar in Bongaigaon District.

While a pistol and a motor cycle were recovered from two other militants, who died on the spot in another encounter that took place at Satemari in Mukalmua area of Nalbari District at around 3: 00 a. m.

In the wake of general strike and call to boycott Independence Day by the banned ULFA and some other militant groups of the North-East from Wednesday mid-night, high alert has been imposed across the state.

Guwahati, Aug 13 : Assam Governor Shiv Charan Mathur has said that there will be no impact of the boycott call given by ULFA on Independence Day celebrations.

Asked about the measures being taken by the government to foil any attempt by insurgents to disrupt Independence Day functions, Mathur said enough security arrangements have been made for peaceful celebrations across the state.

The Centre has already alerted the Assam government to be extra vigilant ahead of Independence Day to avert any violence.

The Home Ministry had advised the state government to intensify security especially around vital installations.

New Delhi, Aug 25: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will begin his two-day visit to Assam from today.

Tight security arrangements have been made in the Jorhat, Nagaon, Kokrajhar and Guwahati areas where the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit.

Today, Dr. Singh is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the state’s fourth medical college in Jorhat, and also attend a power-point presentation programme on Majuli, the world''s largest river island.

Diphu (Karbi Anglong) Assam, Aug. 29 : Karbi Anglong, the most widely spread District in Assam with an area of 10,434 kilometres, is witnessing a high newspaper readership, which is quite unusual for this area existing under the shadow of militancy.

The circulation of dailies in the District has touched a remarkable figure considering various hurdles and drawbacks.

Rangia (Assam), Aug 30: As many as 39 militants of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) have surrendered to the army in Assam's Kamrup District.

ULFA rebels laid down their arms before Major General Chander Prakash of the army's Red Horn Division following a surrender ceremony on Friday.

"Majority is from 709 (battalion, active in Lower Assam). So, days of peace are very closer," Major General Chander Prakash claimed.

"We initially joined for independence of our homeland, but later saw that the government is not accepting to our demands," said Deepak, a surrendered rebel.

Guwahati, Sep 3 : The flood situation in Assam continued to be critical on Wednesday with Brahmaputra river and its tributaries creating havoc in the state, claiming 15 lives and rendering several thousands homeless.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi accompanied by senior officials made an aerial survey of Majuli, Asia''s largest river island, which submerged under the flood waters, official sources said on Wednesday.

Gogoi directed the Jorhat district authorities to ensure adequate relief to the people with food scarcity looming large in the island as supply of essentials was hit by the rising water level.

Guwahati, Sep 4 : The flood situation in as many as 16 districts of Assam remained critical today with the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries creating havoc in the state.

Guwahati, Sep 4 : Animals in Kaziranga National Park and Pabitar wildlife sanctuary have moved to highlands to escape floods in the Brahmaputra river.

Animals fled to higher ground in Kaziranga National Park after the Brahmaputra burst its banks and flooded most of the park, home to more than half of the world''s population of one-horned rhinoceros.

According to reports, at least two rhino calves were drowned and a number of elephants were swept away by floodwaters.

New Delhi, Sep 4 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Thursday forged an alliance in Assam for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections

However, decision on seat sharing was not taken.

Assam BJP president Ramanand Deka on Thursday met the Central Election Committee of the party and held discussions with them about the stand to be adopted by the party during the general elections.

Rangia (Assam), Sept 5 : The United Liberation Front of Asom or ULFA is in trouble. After the declaration of a unilateral ceasefire by its 28th battalion, 39 cadres of its 709 battalion recently surrendered before the Red Horn Division of the Indian Army in Assam’s Kamrup District delivering a major blow to the militant outfit.

The surrender reflects not only the disenchantment among the lower rung cadres with the central committee, but also disillusionment with ULFA ideology.

Majuli (Assam), Sept 7 : The flood situation in Assam continues to remain grim with the river island Majuli being the worst affected.

Life is still at a standstill for people in the state and communications too have been badly hit.

With an estimated 2.1 million people displaced and 24 dead so far, there are also fears of an epidemic breaking out, official sources said.

The worst hit districts are Dhubri, Jorhat, Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Morigaon, where the situation is still critical.

New Delhi  - The flood situation in India's north-eastern Assam state was grave on Sunday with more than 2.1 million people displaced and the death toll touching 24, officials and news reports said.

The Bramhaputra river and its tributaries have flooded farmland, villages, towns and two national park areas. Several sections of railroads and highways were swept away.

"The situation is still grim with 20 of the state's 27 districts affected by the floods," Assam Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Bhumidhar Barman was quoted as saying by IANS news agency.

Guwahati, Sept.11 (ANI): A devastating fire that broke out in Dispur has reduced to ashes a part of the Janata Bhawan on Wednesday evening.

According to information, the fire broke out at around 6 p.m. in the evening from a room and it later spread to other rooms.

Fifty fire tenders were needed to douse the flames out.

According to the RTI Commissioner, Dr. B K Gohain, the Right to Information cell has been completely ravaged and not a single file has been spared.

Sources said that the chambers of Nurjamal Sarkar, Assam Law Minister Pranab Gogoi and Parliament Secretaries Sarat Saikia and Bidya Singh Inglng were also reduced to ashes.

The authorities are yet to ascertain the reasons behind the fire. (ANI)

Majuli Island, Sept 9 : Situation remains grim in Majuli in Assam, where thousands have been displaced by floods.

Water has flooded the entire river island, affecting thousands of people and disrupting communications.

Like every year, this year too the mighty Brahmaputra river breached a vital embankment along Majuli during the monsoon, rendering thousands homeless and destroying crops.

The Central Government, which has preoccupied with the Bihar floods, has now responded to urgent pleas for help by the State, where at least 16 districts have been inundated.

Guwahati, Sept 12: An all party delegation of the Assam Legislative Assembly will visit the flood-ravaged areas of the State in the near future to take stock of the damage besides relief and rehabilitation measures.

State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has requested the Speaker of the Assembly, Tanka Bahadur Rai, to constitute the delegation with immediate effect.

Gogoi asked State Assembly members to contribute a month's salary to the Chief Minister’s Fund for helping the flood-affected people.

Gogoi also requested Members of Parliament (MPs) to contribute 10 lakh rupees each from their Local Area Development Fund to repair the damages caused by the floods.

New Delhi, Sep 12 : The Army today dealt a severe blow to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) by killing self styled Lieutenant Shashankar Baruah, its organising secretary, in upper Assam’s Tinsukia District along the state’s border with Arunachal Pradesh.

Acting on a tip off about Baruah entering Assam from Arunachal Pradesh, soldiers of 19 Kumaon Regiment surrounded Dirak and launched an operation to nab him.

Baruah was killed on the spot, and an AK-47 assault rifle was recovered from the slain militant, sources said.

Kaziranga National Park, Sep. 12 : Floods in River Brahmaputra and its tributaries are an annual feature in Assam. This year the floods have also inundated large areas in the Kaziranga National Park, displacing hundreds of people in the region and forcing wild animals out of their habitats.

And, this year nearly 80 per cent of the national park has been flooded, which has happened first time in a decade.

Guwahati, Sept 14: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will make an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Assam today.

During his visit, Patil will meet state officials at a high-level meeting and will take stock of the flood situation. The government of Assam will also make a detailed presentation on the latest flood damages to the Home Minister.

Guwahati, Sept 15 : Vice President Hamid Ansari will inaugurate the 4th North East Business Summit here today.

The two-day summit is being organised by the Department of North East Region, DoNER in collaboration with the Indian Chamber of Commerce, ICC, Kolkata.

The main objective of the summit is to showcase the potential of the NE States and to promote private sector investments.

Guwahati, Sept 15 : The North East Business Summit Chairman and Minister for Development of North East Region (DoNER) Mani Shankar Aiyar urged the private sector to take greater interest in the region.

At present only 0.5 per cent of the capital formation of private sector was coming to this region.

Business and investments dominated the opening session of the fourth North East Business Summit which started in Guwahati today.

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari inaugurated the summit.

Guwahati, Sept 18 : At least 19 people were injured in a cycle bomb blast in lower Assam’s Chirang District today.

According to official sources, the blast triggerred by suspected ULFA took place at around 11:15 a. m in front of the circle office in Bijni.

Police cordoned off the area soon after the blast.

The condition of some of the injured in the blast is stated to be serious. (ANI)

Jorhat (Assam), Sept 19: Members of the rebel United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) have turned good samaritans by pitching in with relief material for thousands displaced by floods.

Insurgents of ULFA''s 28th Battalion sent 14 truckloads of relief material to Majuli, the largest river island in the world, where 132 villages have been submerged.

"We have brought 14 trucks of relief materials for the people of Majuli seeing their hardship. The relief contains almost 1,000 quintals of rice, pulses, clothes and also medicines," said Jiten Dutta, a member of the rebel group.

New Delhi - At least 15 people were killed and more than a dozen were sickened Saturday after inhaling toxic gas while trying to steal fuel from a freight train in eastern India's Assam state, news reports said.

The incident took place near Diphu railway station in the Karbi Anglong district, about 290 kilometres east of Assam's main city of Guwahati, the IANS news agency reported.

The freight train carrying high-speed diesel and petrol was stopped by a group of people in a isolated jungle area, railway official SS Narayanan was quoted as saying.

Guwahati, Sept 20 : The North East has something to cheer about. If things work out as planned by the Central Government then it might find itself at the hub of South East Asia, where some of the most dynamic economies of the world are situated.

With the aim of bringing the north east to the mainstream of economic development, the Centre has sought the help of Thailand to share its development expertise. It has also decided to set up an exclusive North East Cell in its Board of Investment (BOI) to promote trade and investment between both the countries. The proposal was mooted at the end of the 4th North East Business Summit in Guwahati this week.

Guwahati, Sept 20 : Assam is set to receive a bonanza on the education front, with the center announcing plans to fund the creation of three medical colleges.

In India, it has always been felt that development has to be holistic, as only then the country will achieve a double-digit growth rate.

Keeping this in mind, Prime Minster Manmohan Singh, during his recent visit to the state, proposed a mega developmental package for Assam, which included a rupees 
160 crore medical college for Jorhat.

The hospital will be the first of its kind in Upper Assam.

New Delhi - Scores of Buddhist villagers in India's north-eastern state of Assam performed a unique funeral ritual for more than 800 endangered storks that died after a tree where they were nesting fell, a news report said Monday.

The Asian openbill storks died when the 200-year-old banyan tree that served as their colony crashed last week into a pond inside a Buddhist monastery some 300 kilometres east of state capital Guwahati, the IANS news agency reported.

The villagers, most of them farmers, considered the banyan tree sacred and believed that the storks were their guardian angels.

Guwahati, Sept 26 : Seven suspected militants were killed in an encounter with the Army in the Bashbari area of Dhubri district in Assam today.

According to official sources, the militants exchanged fire with the troops around 3.30 a. m. during an operation conducted by the Army’s Redhorn Division near the railway tracks between Dhubri and Fakiragram.

Four pistols and revolvers were recovered from them. The identity of the militants is yet to be established. (ANI)

New Delhi - Seven suspected militants were killed in a gunbattle with Indian Army soldiers in India's north-eastern Assam state on Friday, an army spokesman said.

The soldiers had laid an ambush after intelligence reports indicated movement of militants in Dhubri district of Assam, about 300 kilometres west of the state's main city Guwahati, defence spokesperson Rajesh Kalia said by telephone from Guwahati.

"When the militants fired, our troopers returned fire and seven of the militants were killed," Kalia said. He said the identity of the terrorists was not yet clear.

Revolvers, explosive RDX, grenades, gelatine sticks and wireless sets were found on the dead militants.

Guwahati, Oct 4 : The Assam Government has issued shoot-at-sight orders today in curfew-bound Udalguri District where at least seven persons were killed and more than 50 injured in clashes between two communities on Friday.

Inspector General of Assam Police (Law and Order) Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta said, "We have asked police, paramilitary and Army soldiers to shoot anybody found indulging in violent activities."

Guwahati, Oct 5 : Over 25 people have been killed in communal clashes in Assam as the situation turned critical between the local tribals and Bangladeshi migrants in Udalguri and Darrang Districts of the state, according to unconfirmed reports.

Today, the violence spread to Rauta village in Udalguri District, about 80 kms east of Guwahati, where a large number of houses have been burnt down.

On Saturday, the Assam Government had issued shoot-at-sight orders in curfew-bound Udalguri District to paramilitary forces and the Army in order to curb the violence.

New Delhi - India's north-eastern state of Assam deployed thousands of additional police to stem clashes between Bodo tribals and Muslim migrants from Bangladesh that have claimed 40 lives and displaced as many as 80,000 villagers, officials said Monday.

The clashes erupted in Udalgiri and Darrang districts about 70 kilometres north of state capital Guwahati on Friday evening.

The violence spread to the Baksa and Sonitpur districts in the region and on Monday clashes between Muslims and the Rabhas tribe were reported from the western district of Goalpara.

Guwahati, Oct 6 : The death toll in Assam’s Udalguri and Darrang districts, dogged by clashes between Bodos and illegal Bangladeshi migrants, rose to 40 on Saturday with the violence spreading to neighbouring Chirang district.

Miscreants killed two people, including a pregnant woman, and injured two others in Chirang district, which led to blockade of the National Highway 31(C) by Bodo protesters, the police said.

Darrang/Udalguri (Assam), Oct 7 : Hundreds of riot victims are thronging relief camps in Assam after at least 40 people were killed and thousands were left homeless by ethnic clashes between Bodo tribals and Bangladeshi settlers.

Women living in the relief camps said they were relieved to be alive.

"Much injustice has been done to our people. At present we are here, coming from far away places and we are facing a lot of difficulties. We somehow managed to escape running through the fields and reached here," said Munu Boro, a riot victim.

Guwahati, Oct 07: The situation in violence-hit areas of Assam remained calm on Tuesday with no overnight incidents reported.

Assam Government spokesman and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the situation is fast returning to normal with security forces able to quell the clashes although curfew and shoot-at-sight orders are continuing.

An estimated 8,000 police, army and paramilitary troops were deployed in Udalguri, Darrang, Baska, and Chirang district of Assam after violence broke out on Friday between tribal Bodos and Muslim migrant settlers.

New Delhi - The death toll in clashes between Bodo tribesmen and Muslim settlers in India's north-eastern state of Assam rose to 49 and more than 100,000 people fled their homes, officials said Tuesday.

"As many as 49 people have died in violence in four districts, most of them in the Udalgiri and Darrang districts north of state capital Guwahati since Friday," Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said by telephone.

Guwahati, Oct 8 : The death toll in Assam’s Udalguri and Darrang Districts, dogged by clashes between Bodos and illegal Bangladeshi migrants has risen to 51 with the recovery of 11 bodies today.

New Delhi, Oct 12 : The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has sought expulsion of Bangladeshi immigrants from Assam, a demand that is significant as most of the top leaders of the outfit are believed to be sheltered in the neighbouring country.

ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, who made it clear that his outfit will not tolerate any kind of intrusion in Assam, also sought ouster of Nepali migrants from the state.

Dhubri (Assam), Oct 14 : At least 23 people were killed and 44 others injured in a bus accident in lower Assam''s Dhubri District in the wee hours on Tuesday.

According to official sources, the accident took place at around 12:55 a. m. when a speeding bus collided with a truck at Bengtoli Chariali under Bilasipara police station of the district.

The bus was on its way from Pagladia to Hajo. 

Fifteen people died on the spot and eight others, including five women, six children, succumbed to their injuries at Bilasipara Hospital.

Dhubri (Assam), Oct 14 : At least 23 people were killed and 44 others injured in a bus accident in lower Assam''s Dhubri District in the wee hours on Tuesday.

According to official sources, the accident took place at around 12:55 a. m. when a speeding bus collided with a truck at Bengtoli Chariali under Bilasipara police station of the district.

The bus was on its way from Pagladia to Hajo.

New Delhi, Oct 18 : President Pratibha Patil will begin her five-day tour to Assam and Meghalaya from tomorrow.

In Guwahati, the President will present the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Award to noted film personality Shabana Azmi and Journalist Shekhar Gupta on Sunday.

On Monday, she is scheduled to give away the Nirmal Gram Awards. Gram panchayats comprising from 13 states of the Eastern and North Eastern part of the country will receive these awards formally.

New Delhi- Three members of a family in India's north- eastern state of Assam were killed Saturday on suspicion of practicing witchcraft, a news report said Saturday.

The incident took place in the Balipara town in the Sonitpur district 230 kilometres north-east of the main city of Guwahati, the IANS news agency reported.

Guwahati, Oct 20 : President Pratibha Patil will give away the Nirmal Gram Awards here today. Gram panchayats comprising from 13 states of the Eastern and North Eastern part of the country will receive these awards formally.

President Patil, who arrived here yesterday, presented the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Award to noted film personality Shabana Azmi and Journalist Shekhar Gupta.

Guwahati, Oct 21 : President Pratibha Patil today said that there is an urgent need for augmenting medical institutions in the country.

Laying the foundation stone of the Tezpur Medical College in Sonitpur district of Assam, Patil said the country has at present 271 medical colleges out of which about 31,000 medical graduates pass out every year.

Guwahati , Oct. 22 : The recent violence in Udalguri and Darrang districts of north Assam has left local residents of the region, devastated. The victims of the communal riot appeal all to restore peace and harmony to let the normal life resume.

Lamenting the ugly turn of the event, Bodos and Muslims, among whom the riot took place, doesn’t deny the hand of local militants behind the communal violence.

State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that state health department has already taken several steps to control population.

He said that the health department has accorded top priority to population control for 2009-10. There has already been a decline in the population growth rate of Assam, and the next survey will make this clear.

He added that that the Janani Suraksha Yojana, which provides financial incentive of Rs 1,400 to a mother in the event of a delivery in a government hospital, would now offer another Rs 1,000 if the family concerned opted for family planning.

New Delhi  - Five separatist rebels were killed in a gun battle with security forces in India's north-eastern Assam state, news reports said Sunday.

The clash took place late Saturday in a forest area of Nalbari district, about 90 kilometres west of Assam's main city Guwahati, IANS news agency reported quoting police officials.

"A joint team of police, paramilitary and Indian Army soldiers raided the forest reserve following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a group of militants," army spokesman R Kalia said.

Guwahati, Oct. 26 : A visit to the Umananda Temple at Peacock Island near Guwahati offers a chance to see the endangered Golden langurs (Trachypithecus Geei), a rare species of primates. They have taken shelter in the compound here.

Built by an Ahom king in 1594, the temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. It is today visited by scores of such tourists who come here particularly for these rare monkeys and enjoy spending time with them.

At this temple, the Hindu gods and goddesses are engraved on the rock walls. These sculptures represent the craftsmanship of the Assamese artisans.

Guwahati, Oct 26: Five suspected United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) members have been killed in a joint raid involving the police, paramilitary and army soldiers in Assam''s Nalbari District, officials said on Sunday.

Army spokesman Colonel R. Kalia said, "A joint team of police, paramilitary and army soldiers raided the reserve forest following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a group of militants."

The gunfight took place late on Saturday at the Mahina reserve forest in Nalbari District.

The firefight began soon after the joint team entered the area, said the official, and added, “The encounter lasted for close to three hours and we managed to gun down five of them."

Guwahati, Oct.26: A visit to the Umananda Temple at Peacock Island near Guwahati offers a chance to see the endangered Golden langurs (Trachypithecus Geei), a rare species of primates. They have taken shelter in the compound here.
 
Built by an Ahom king in 1594, the temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. It is today visited by scores of such tourists who come here particularly for these rare monkeys and enjoy spending time with them.

At this temple, the Hindu gods and goddesses are engraved on the rock walls. These sculptures represent the craftsmanship of the Assamese artisans.

New Delhi - Floods and landslides caused by heavy rains killed seven people and displaced tens of thousands of villagers in India's north-eastern states since the weekend, officials and reports said Wednesday.

The rains inundated hundreds of villages in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya states forcing thousands of people to take shelter on higher ground, embankments, canals and roofs of buildings.

In Assam, an estimated 150,000 people in 100 villages across the four districts of Lakhimpur, Rangiya, Sonitpur and Baksa were affected by the floods.

New Delhi - At least five people were killed and 50 injured in a series of 10 bombings that rocked India's north-eastern state of Assam on Thursday, news reports said.

Several blasts targeted crowded market areas and a court complex in the state's main city of Guwahati, the IANS news agency reported.

There were 10 blasts in all including explosions in Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta areas, the report said.

Several militant outfits with demands ranging from autonomy to secession are active in the north-eastern state.

Guwahati, Oct 30 : Several persons were injured in at least four serial blasts that took place in Ganeshguri, Fancy Bazaar, Dispur Road and Paan Bazaar areas of Guwahati this afternoon.

It is believed that the bombs were placed in cars.

TV channels showed footage of extensive damage, with cars and other vehicles going up in flames.

Nature of explosives is still unknown. Further details are awaited. (ANI)

Guwahati, Oct 30 : At least 11 persons died and 50 injured in at least 11 serial blasts in Guwahati and Upper Assam this afternoon. All the blasts are said to have taken place within a span of 15 minutes.

According to official sources, one of the blasts took place in front of the Kamrup district deputy commissioner''s office in Guwahati. Two other bombs exploded at Ganeshguri and Fancy Bazaar areas. A yet other blast took place in Barpeta district and two explosions occurred in Bongaigaon area.

Guwahati, Oct 30 : The Assam government on Thursday said that the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) may be behind today’s serial blasts in the state, adding that it was too early to reach a conclusion.

Minutes after the explosions, Assam''s Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters, "It is very early to make a conclusion but ULFA has a history of triggering serial blasts."

Sarma said the objective of triggering the blasts in crowded places was to claim maximum lives.

New Delhi - At least 54 people were killed and more than 200 injured Thursday in 11 bomb blasts triggered by suspected separatist militants in India's north-eastern state of Assam, officials and news reports said.

Officials said there were 11 blasts within 20 minutes, the first at 11:20 am (0550 GMT).

Four blasts took place in the state capital, Guwahati; three in Barpeta district; three in Kokrajhar district; and one in Bongaigaon district, all in western Assam, the IANS news agency reported.

New Delhi, Oct 30 : President Pratibha Patil today condemned the series of bomb blasts that took place in Assam in which at least 26 people are feared dead and over 100 injured.

In her message, Patil said, "Such acts are condemnable and there is no place for violence in our society. At this moment all of us should stand united against divisive forces in the country.

At least four blasts were reported from Guwahati and five in Kokrajhar District.

New Delhi, Oct 30 : The Union Home Ministry has sought an immediate report from the Assam Government on serial blasts, in which at least 26 people are feared dead and over 100 injured.

Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta spoke to Assam Chief Secretary P. C. Sharma, saying the situation was being closely monitored.

The Ministry is keeping a constant watch on the situation, Madhukar Gupta said.

New Delhi  - At least 61 people were killed and 275 injured Thursday in nine bomb blasts triggered by suspected separatist and Muslim militants in India's north-eastern state of Assam, officials said.

There were nine blasts within 20 minutes, the first at 11:20 am (0550 GMT).

Three blasts took place in the state capital, Guwahati; three in Kokrajhar district; two in Barpeta district and one in Bongaigaon district, all in western Assam, a top state spokesman said.

Guwahati, Oct 31: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will visit Assam today to take the stock of the situation after Thursday''s serial blasts in the state.

Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, L K Advani, is also scheduled to visit the state later in the day.

Meanwhile, a massive search operation has been launched to arrest those involved in blasts, in which 70 people were killed and over 300 injured.

A seven-member National Security Guard (NSG) team has already reached Guwahati to identify the explosives used in the blasts.

New Delhi - The death toll in serial bomb explosions that struck India's north-eastern state of Assam rose to 74 Friday with several of the injured succumbing to their injuries overnight, police said.

More than 400 people were injured Thursday in 12 blasts that took place in quick succession - six in Assam's main city of Guwahati and six in the three western districts of Barpeta, Kokrajhar, and Bongaigaon.

The bombs were placed in cars, autorickshaws and drains in busy market areas. They were synchronized to explode within minutes of each other.

New Delhi, Oct 31: Condemning the serial blasts in Assam, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs P. R. Kyndiah has said that people of North East should unitedly stand against acts of terrorism.

"The people of Assam in particular and of the North East in general, should stand united against any terrorists or terrorism acts, whose only motive is to spread fear and terror," Kyndiah said.

The Minister further said that the terrorists behind such inhuman and brutal deeds should be traced and caught immediately and given due punishment according to the law.

Guwahati, Oct 31 : An uneasy calm prevailed in Assam, a day after a series of bomb blasts in quick succession ripped through Guwahati and three other towns on Thursday in which 70 people were killed and over 300 injured.

Although normalcy is returning, the shock caused by serial explosions is still on in the minds of the people.

Ganeshguri, one of worst affected area in the blast, the otherwise busy area lay deserted this morning with vegetables strewn around the place.

Guwahati, Oct 31: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil today visited Kokrajhar to to take the stock of the situation after Thursday''s serial blasts in the state in which 70 people were killed and over 300 injured.

The Home Minister visited the blast sites to access the intensity of the blast. He also visited Kokrajhar Rupnath Brahma Civil Hospital and meet some of the blast victims.

Talking to reporters, he said that he would take the matter with the state government and assured all possible help from the Centre.

Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, L K Advani, is also arrived here this morning and visited the blast sites at Panbazar, Kachari Ghat and Ganeshguri and the injured in the hospitals.

Death toll in Assam serial blast has touched 77, with 11 more people succumbing to their injuries.  

Out of them, 8 people died in Guwahati taking the death toll in the city to 41. Three others died at Barpeta. The number of deaths in Barpeta and Kokrajhar was reported to be 15 and 21 respectively.

Assam witnessed the deadliest terror attack in recent years in which serial blasts devastated Guwahati, Kokrajahar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta, killing 66 people and injuring about 470 others.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will visit Assam on Saturday to asses the situation there after the serial blasts. More than 75 people died in the Assam blast.

An unknown organization Islamic Security Force-Indian Mujahideen (ISF-IM) has claimed responsibility for the serial blasts in Assam. The group has warned of more such attacks in the North-Eastern State.

ISF-IM has sent an SMS to a local news channel 'News Live' taking the responsibility.

The message said, "We thank all our holy members and partners" for successfully carrying out the task. The SMS came from a Reliance mobile number 98646-93690.

The full text of the SMS reads like this "We, ISF-IM, take the responsibility of yesterday blast. We warn all of Assam and India for situation like this in future. We thank all our holy members and partners. AAamin.”

 Police is investigating into the matter.

Guwahati, Nov 1: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will visit Assam today to take the stock of the situation after Thursday''s serial blasts in the state in which 70 people were killed and over 300 injured.

Apart from meeting the State Governor Shiv Charan Mathur and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, the Prime Minister will also visit Guwahati Medical College hospital to see the injured in the blasts.

While strongly condemning the blasts, Dr. Singh said the government would take all possible steps to bring the perpetrators of terror attack to justice.

New Delhi  - Police in India's north-eastern state of Assam have arrested three men and are investigating whether separatist militants received support from terrorist groups to carry out multiple bombings that claimed 77 lives, news reports said Saturday.

Among those arrested overnight were a man whose car was used in one of Thursday's bombings in the state's capital city of Guwahati, the IANS news agency reported quoting the state's senior police official Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta.

Another arrested man's motorcycle was used in a bombing in the western Bongaigaon district.

New Delhi - Police in India's north-eastern state of Assam have arrested three men and are investigating whether separatist militants received support from terrorist groups to carry out multiple bombings that claimed 81 lives, news reports said Saturday.

Among those arrested overnight were a man whose car was used in one of Thursday's bombings in the state's capital city of Guwahati, the IANS news agency reported quoting the state's senior police official Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta.

Another arrested man's motorcycle was used in a bombing in the western Bongaigaon district.

Guwahati, Nov 1 : The Centre has assured its full cooperation to the Assam Government on Saturday in finding and punishing the perpetrators of the serial blasts in the state.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who visited the blast sites at Kokrajhar and Barpeta District of the state, said both the Centre and the state government would ensure that such incidents do not recur.

He also visited Barpeta civil hospital to inquire about the well being of the injured in the blasts and spoke to senior police officials as well.

Guwahati, Nov 1 : The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has today called for a 12-hour shutdown in Assam that was rocked by serial blasts on October 30, leaving over 70 people dead.

The VHP, which is protesting against the failure of the government to protect the people from the blasts in the state, is joined by the Bajrang Dal and Assam Chamber of Commerce.

Shops and businesses establishments remained closed and vehicles remained off the roads.

Guwahati, Nov 1 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi visited the victims of Assam blasts at a hospital in Guwahati on Saturday.

Dr. Singh and Sonia arrived in Guwahati this afternoon and drove straight to the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital to meet the injured in the serial blasts of October 30.

There was tight security around the hospital.

They will also visit Guwahati Medical College Hospital to know the well being of the injured admitted there.

New Delhi, Nov 1 : The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) staged a demonstration in New Delhi on Saturday protesting against the serial blasts that rocked Assam on October 30 leaving over 70 people dead.

The VHP activists blamed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government for its failure to contain the militant attacks in the country.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the serial blasts that devastated Assam on Last Thursday.

More than 75 people died in Assam Blast.

"The Secretary General expresses his deep sorrow and sympathy to the Government and people of India for the loss of life and destruction caused by series of bombings in the northeast of the country," a UN statement said.

More than 450 people were seriously injured in the Assam blasts.

Guwahati, Nov 2 : The overall situation remained tense in Assam on Sunday even though a massive hunt is on by the security forces to apprehend the culprits involved in Thursday''s serial blasts at 12 places killing over 70 people and leaving over 300 injured.

People are still scared to move out to crowded places in the blast-hit Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Barpeta Road and Bongaigaon, according to reports.

Markets and other business activities remained almost closed since the incidents took place on Thursday. 

Guwahati, Nov 3 : Without naming any country, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday blamed disruptive forces with foreign backing for the recent blasts in the state.

"Forces inimical to Assam have been existing in Assam for a long time and there is no doubt that they get full backing and shelter in foreign soil,” said Gogoi.

“We have repeatedly made it clear that as long as these forces get shelter in foreign soil, it is very difficult to contain them," Gogoi added.

Guwahati, Nov 3: The Assam Government has decided to constitute a Special Task Force headed by an Inspector General of Police (IGP) rank officer to deal with militancy and combat Jehadi forces in the state.

It will be formed in line with the National Security Guards (NSG).

Two battalions of the STF will be raised at the initial stage. The State Government will also form a Security Advisory Council by involving retired police officers to guide the Government in security and law and order-related matters.

Guwahati, Nov 3 : The All Assam Students'''' Union (AASU) called for an 11-hour shutdown on Monday to protest against the failure of the Assam Government to protect the people from the recent serial blasts.

The union shortened its proposed 24-hour shutdown to 11-hours to reduce inconvenience to the family members of the injured who have to commute to the hospitals.

The shutdown began from 6:00 a. m..

" We cannot tolerate such barbaric acts. It is the handiwork of the fundamentalist groups and the government is aware about these fundamentalist groups,” said Sammujal Bhattacharya, advisor, AASU.

New Delhi - Businesses and schools shut down Monday in India's north-eastern state of Assam as part of a strike called to protest serial bombings there last week, which left 81 people dead and more than 300 injured, news reports said.

The 11-hour dawn-to-dusk strike was called by the influential All Assam Students' Union, which has accused the government of failing to fight terrorism.

The Assam police have arrested two more suspects in connection with the serial blasts that devastated the state.

The two suspected -- Muzamul Haque and Anwarlul Haque--were arrested from Lakhimpur.

With these arrests total number of persons nabbed by the police rose to five. Earlier three persons were arrested on Saturday.

According to police- the two were in car-theft racket. They changed the number of those vehicles which were used in Guwahati and Bongaigaon blasts.

The police have got vital clues. It would soon zero in on the culprits responsible for the blasts, said Official spokesman and principal secretary (Home) Subhas Das.

The Assam Government has decided to constitute a Special Task Force to combat deal with militancy and combat terrorist activities in the state.

It will work on the lines National Security Guards (NSG).

At the initial level two battalions of the STF will be raised. One Inspector General of Police (IGP) rank officer will head STF.

This was announced by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi while talking to reporters. A new police district will be formed exclusively for Guwahati headed by a Commissioner rank officer.

Guwahati , Nov 4 : The Assam Police today released the sketch of a suspect involved in Thursday''s serial blasts that killed over 80 people and left over 300 injured.

According to police, the sketch tallied 77 per cent with the person suspected to be responsible for the explosion at the Deputy Commissioner''s office compound in Kamrup where the Chief Judicial Magistrate''s court is also located.

Guwahati, Nov 4: Terror has resurfaced in Assam with the October 30 serial bomb blasts claiming the lives of more than sixty people and leaving over 200 injured. That figure has since gone up to 80 dead and over 300 injured.

First of its kind in Assam, the eleven serial blasts in the four districts of Assam - Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta – has left the whole nation shocked. Who is behind this bloody attack on humanity is not known but the usual suspect seems to be the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), which has been hobnobbing with Bangladesh based jehadi elements for quite sometime.

Guwahati, Nov. 4 : Monday saw a large number of residents here participating in a candlelight march to pray for people who had lost their lives in last week’s 12 serials blasts.

There is shock and anguish among residents.

People emerged out to express their solidarity with the victims.

Tata Teleservices Ltd (TTSL) announced that it has rolled out CDMA operations in the Assam circle with an initial investment of Rs 100 croreit.

In the early stage of launch, TTSL will offer seamless coverage in 31 towns of Assam and will shortly be introducing services in the North East region.

According to the sources, the company has launched a range of products, which include prepaid and postpaid mobile services, photon-high speed internet access, fixed wireless telephony under the brand name Walky Talky and a host of value-added services.

The Assam police has detained seven more persons from lower Assam's Nalbari district in connection with the serial blast.

They were being brought to Guwahati for interrogation.

Police picked up them on the leads thrown up by the Maurti cars. Maruti cars were used to trigger blasts across Assam. Two of those cars were sold at New Delhi and Itanagar, informed a police official.

Meanwhile investigation revealed that the number plate used on the cars were fake.

Earlier the police had arrested five persons including — two in Nagaon, one in the city and two in Lakhmipur district.

The serial blast that devastated Assam on 30 October, took 81 lives and injured 826 people.

Jorhat (Assam), Nov. 7 : Assam’s Jorhat district is steadily emerging as the education capital of the State.

With a literacy rate of 77.91 percent, which is way above the State average of 64.28 per cent and the national rate of 65.38 per cent, Jorhat is an inspiration for other parts of the State.

Many people are of the opinion that Jorhat also has the highest number of doctrates. It has shown the path to success to the other 26 districts of Assam.

A magisterial enquiry on Friday was ordered by Cachar Deputy Commissioner Goutam Ganguli after a minor kid died and seven others fell ill after being administered vitamin ‘A’ vaccine at Katigora village near Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam’s Cachar region.

According to sources, a 3-year-old child Abdur Samad, who was given the medicine during a special statewide campaign ‘Vitamin A Supplementation Week’ at Gaurigram village, died at the Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) on Thursday night.
 

Guwahati, Nov. 9 : The Government of Assam has decided to recruit 4,000 more police personnel in all ranks to augment the strength of the force to over 65,000 within the year as part of a counter-terrorism plan.

Revealing this here, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said this augmentation of the police force was necessary as in the last eight years; the state had experienced 605 bomb blasts, each of which had caused considerable devastation to life and property. He also added that police and other security personnel had recovered or diffused over

New Delhi, Nov. 10 : With the Government of Assam having already announced plans to enhance its security apparatus to counter terrorism in the state, the investigations into the October 30 serial bombings have taken on a new hue with evidence pointing to the involvement of the rebel National Democratic Front of Bodoland
(NDFB) and the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami.

According to a report in The Hindu, two of the three Maruti 800 cars used as bombs were purchased by the NDFB less than six weeks before the attacks that claimed the lives of seventy-seven people.

Guwahati, Nov 12: Hundreds of students took to streets here on Tuesday to protest against the recent serial blasts in the state that killed over 80 people and left over 300 injured.

The protest was organised under the aegis of the All Assam Students Union (AASU).

The students, holding banners and placards marched down the streets of the city, which was recently rocked by serial blasts.

Blaming the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh for the blasts, the protesters said, they wanted to put pressure to make the government to take action against militants.

Guwahati, Nov. 13 (ANI): People in Assam became aware of many educational and social projects during the visit of President Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

President Patil during her five-day visit inaugurated several infrastructural and developmental projects in the region.

In the first leg of her visit, President Patil was in Assam. She laid foundation stone of the Tezpur Medical College. Just a few months ago Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had inaugurated the Jorhat Medical College.

The political scenario in Assam took a new color when The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) returned to the NDA on Thursday, with a saying “to free Assam from the tyranny of the Congress misrule”.

A BJP-AGP joint statement released shortly after the alliance was confirmed said that “permanent solution of basic issues of Assam like implementation of the Assam Accord, sealing of the India-Bangladesh border, issuing photo identity cards after updating the National Register of Citizens, permanent solution of flood problem, bringing peace in Assam through dialogue with militant outfits and granting ST status to six deserving communities of the state as recommended by the Assam assembly”.

Guwahati, Nov. 17 : With terrorist activities becoming a global reality, a lot of people have started showing curiosity in understanding the details of blasts. Such inquisitive people can now educate themselves by visiting the Forensic Science Laboratory in Guwahati which has instituted India’s first ever museum on explosives.

Forensic Science Laboratory in Guwahati is meant to develop methodologies and facilitate in probing blast explosions in detail and thereby preventing such incidents in future.

New Delhi, Nov 19 : A Central team led by the Secretary (Border Management) in the Ministry of Home Affairs Jarnail Singh visited Assam on November 17-18 .

On November 17th, the team held discussions with the State Government officials on issues relating to the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The team also held a meeting with the State Government officials and representatives of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).

Guwahati, Nov. 19 : Thousands of people from all walks of life recently participated in a rally held here to protest against and demanded action against militancy and fundamentalist forces in Assam.

It was for the first time such a huge congregation was witnessed in the north-east.

Shouting slogans like “We want peace”, over 30,000people took to streets of Guwahati to express their resentment and condemn widespread militancy.

New Delhi, Nov 20 : The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday gave its approval to the implementation of the Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme at Varanasi (UP) and Sibsagar (Assam) as a central sector plan scheme with a budget provision of Rs. 140 crore that is Rs. 70 crore for each cluster during the XI five year plan.

Sibsagar (Assam), Nov. 20 : Police in Sibsagar, Assam, have arrested a top ULFA leader Ram Singh.

Shymal Prasad Saikia, the area''s Superintendent of Police, said that Singh had taken shelter with his wife and four-month-old son at a relative''s house in Bakhor Bengena village, when a joint team of army and police apprehended him on Tuesday night. He and his family, besides a relative Atul Buragohain, are presently being interrogated, he said.

Trained from Kachin in Myanmar, Singh was a terror in upper Assam. He was also a bomb expert. (ANI)

Assam police has arrested 15 persons directly involved in the serial blast that rocked the North-Eastern state on Oct 30.

Master minds behind the blast also have been identified, said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

"The main brains or sources behind the blasts here are suspected to be based in Bangladesh," he said.

"We have been able to identify all those directly involved in the blasts, barring for the explosion at Kokrajhar," the CM added.

Guwahati, Nov 22 : Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogai announced new measures to check illegal immigration from Bangladesh.

Addressing the media here on Friday, Gogai said, "The Centre has approved the setting up of two foreigner detention camps at Mankachar in Dhubri and Mahisasur in Karimganj District. Infiltrators declared as foreigners by the Foreigner Tribunals would be detained in those camps.

"The Centre has sanctioned two more India Reserve Battalions as a second line of defence along the 270 kilometre-long Assam-Bangladesh boundary. Steps are being taken to install floodlights in border areas during the night hours," he added

According to the health authorities, a fresh outbreak of bird flu was discovered in Hajo block of Kamrup district in Assam. Since last Saturday, over 200 birds have died in the area.  

The state authorities have ordered culling thousands of chicken and ducks.

R. C. Jain, a senior state government official said, “We were informed that the samples sent to laboratories in Bhopal and Pune have been tested positive. So we have ordered for culling in the area, which will start today.”

"It is H5N1 stain," added the official.

New Delhi - Three people were killed and over 30 injured in a powerful explosion inside a passenger train in India's north-eastern state of Assam on Tuesday, news reports said.

The blast occurred in a carriage of an inter-city passenger train which was stationary at the Diphu railway station, about 300 kilometres east of Assam's main city of Guwahati, IANS news agency reported.

The train was travelling from Guwahati to Tinsukia in eastern Assam.

Police said at least six people were critically injured.

Guwahati, Dec 2 : At least two people were reportedly killed and 30 injured in a blast on a passenger train in Assam''s Karbi Anglong District early this morning.

The blast took place at the Diphu station on the Lumding-Tinsukhia passenger train at around 7:50 a. m.

The injured are said to be undergoing treatment at Dimphu Civil Hospital.

Further updates are awaited. (ANI)

A train blast in Assam on Tuesday killed three people, leaving more than 30 wounded. According to the reports, one person died on the spot while two succumbed to their injuries at a local hospital.

"The train was parked at the Diphu railway station when a powerful explosion went off inside one of the crowded coaches," revealed a railway official.

"There are a large number of women and children among the casualties. The condition of at least six of them are stated to be critical," the police official said.

The police are yet to ascertain the culprits behind the blast.

According to CNN, United States intelligence agencies had warned India "twice" about a potential maritime attack on Mumbai at least a month before the terror hit the financial capital of India leaving approximately hundred dead and three hundred injured.

"The United States warned the Indian government about a potential maritime attack against Mumbai at least a month before last week's massacre in the country's financial capital," the CNN quoted a US counter-terrorism official as saying.

Assam authorities ordered to kill 40,000 poultry as there is deadly bird flu virus in the region. The poultry targeted includes chickens and ducks.

Deputy Director of the Assam Veterinary department, Manoranjan Choudhury said, “Culling operations are on in the district of Kamrup since Friday and so far about 40,000 chickens and ducks were killed.”  

Bird Flu virus has spread to two more regions including Barpeta and Nalbari in lower Assam.

The fresh outbreak prompted the State Veterinary department to start the culling of thousands of chickens in these regions.

The samples, which were sent to laboratories in Bhopal, have tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza.

The State Government has ordered culling operations and Rapid Response Teams (RRT)s have already begun going from house-to-house asking the habitants to give away their poultry birds to them.

Morigaon (Assam), Dec 7 : Eight members of a banned militant outfit have surrendered in Assam.

They surrendered militants belonged to the "Karbi Longri National Liberation Front."

The militants laid down their arms before Major General Chander Prakash of Indian army''s Redhorn Division at Jagi road in Morigaon district on Saturday.

One of the militants said he was forced to join the outfit against his will.

Kamrup (Assam), Dec 8: At least 100,000 birds have been culled in Assam after bird flu began to spread in an alarming manner.

More than 100,000 chickens and ducks have been be slaughtered over the weekend in around 20 villages, after one of them, just 35 km of Guwahati, was hit by bird flu.

Authorities are worried about a new outbreak after some poultry deaths were reported in Palasbari.

"It is around between two to three lakh. About two lakh more need to be culled," said S L Mewara, the state''s commissioner of veterinary and animal husbandry department.

The virus has now spread to Barpeta and Nalbari districts besides Kamrup district.

Guwahati, Dec. 9 : India is making the same mistakes in handling its internal conflicts as it did in tackling the external attacks on Mumbai.

This is one of the findings of the Asian Council of Human Right''s in its India Human Rights Report 2008.

The report underlines that human rights violations by the State, combined with the failure of State institutions to address these violations, are fuelling internal conflict.

A stimulus package for the crisis-hit tea industry in the country has been prepared by the Commerce Ministry, following a big economic crisis. The basic aim of the package, worth Rs 2,800 crore, which is submitted to the Government for Cabinet approval, is to improve the tea plantations.

It was announced by the Minister of State for Commerce, Jairam Ramesh, while launching the new e-auction and a GI logo for Assam orthodox tea at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre that the tea growing states like Assam would immensely benefit from the new scheme.

The deadly bird flu virus has taken more Assam regions under its jaws although more than 200,000 poultry birds have been culled during the last two weeks.

New bird flu cases have been detected at Khanapara in Guwahati, Dikom region of Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam and Bejera area of Kamrup district.

The districts witnessing the bird flu outbreak include Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup (Rural), Dibrugarh, Nalbari, Barpeta and Chirang.

The Assam Government has declared a high alert following the rapid spread of deadly bird flu outbreak to newer areas in the state.

Thus far, seven Assam districts, which include Nalbari, Barpeta, Baksa, Bongaigaon, Dibrugarh, Kamrup (rural) and Kamrup (city) have been hit hard.

According to officials, mass culling of poultry has begun in these areas, and around 40,000 poultry birds will be culled by the end of this week.

Guwahati, Dec. 16 : Ceasefire-bound militant groups, academics and social activists recently called a convention `In Search of Peace' at the Guwahati University, which called for an end to violence in the State.

Organised by the Peace and Conflict section of the University''s political science department, the conclave had representatives from tribal and student organizations, including the All Assam Students Union (AASU) and the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU).

Guwahati, Dec. 16 : Rugby is gaining enormous popularity among sports enthusiasts of Assam particularly with the youth.

Rugby lovers from different parts of the State recently participated in a State level selection Rugby camp held in Guwahati.

Organised by Rugby Association of Assam, the Rugby camp offered a new hope to the local footballers to create a niche for them in the state.

Guwahati, Dec 17 : The first phase of culling operation has been completed in the bird flu-affected Kamrup, Nalbari, Barpeta and Dibrugarh districts of Assam.

One lakh more poultry birds are to be culled in these areas during mopping operations, which has already been taken up.

Culling operation in Sarpara, Patgaon and Raja Bazar areas of Kamrup district has been completed.

No fresh report of spread of the disease has been received from anywhere in the State.

Guwahati, Dec 19 : The culling process of poultry in the bird flu affected areas in Assam is expected to be completed by this evening.

The disease has been identified in 12 locations in seven districts in the State.

According to State Director of vetenary Dr. Aswani Katoky, except few areas of Kharghuli, Sirang and Bongaigaon districts, culling has been completed in all other locations.

Around 450 thousand poultry birds have culled so far in the state. The affected districts will be kept under surveillance for at least three months to prevent recurrence of the bird flu.

The series of blasts on October 30 at four places in Assam, including Guwahati will now be investigated by the CBI The state government had set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by an inspector general of police (IGP), to investigate the serial explosions, but despite 11 arrests, the SIT was unable to make any headway in the case. The decision to handover the investigation into the serial blasts and the ethnic violence, to the CBI was taken after an all-party meeting convened by the state Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

The Assam government has made it clear that the avian influenza has spread to new areas of the state.

Sources in the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department said that the deadly bird flu virus was confirmed in about 15 more villages. The health authorities have been asked to cull nearly 70,000 birds in these areas.

Speaking on this, a veterinary department official said, “So far about 150 villages in eight Assam districts were hit by bird flu and Rapid Response Teams have already slaughtered about 510,000 chickens and ducks since November 27.”

Jorhat (Assam),Dec. 30 : The Konoklota Mahila urban co-operative bank Ltd. in Jorhat, Assam is ushering in a new era of rural banking.

Facilitating micro-banking, advancing micro credit and providing micro insurance facilities, the all-women set up here bank here is going all out to make rural women become self-reliant.

The bank recently launched customer service centre at Dhekorgorah under North-west Jorhat Development Block.

Guwahati, Jan 1 : Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram will visit Assam today to review the security situation in the State.

During his visit, he will meet Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and the Unified Command to know about the present security scenario.

Issues like the establishment of a National Security Guard (NSG) hub at Guwahati, cross-border terrorism along Bangladesh boundary and strengthening of intelligence network among the North-eastern states are expected to be discussed during the meeting.

New Delhi - At least five people were killed and 51 wounded when suspected separatist rebels carried out three blasts in Guwahati, the main city of India's north-east Assam state Thursday, officials said.

"There were three low-intensity bombings across Guwahati in which five people died. Fifty one people were wounded out of which 15 are in a serious condition," Deba Bora, spokesman of the Assam government told reporters.

New Delhi  - At least three people were killed and 26 injured when three blasts struck busy market places and other areas in Guwahati, the main city of India's north-east Assam state Thursday, police said.

"There were three bombings across Guwahati in which three people died and upto 26 were injured. Four of the injured are in a critical condition," Assam police chief GM Srivastava told reporters.

The first blast took place in Birubari, a residential area at 2.30 pm local time (9 am GMT), injuring two people.

The explosion was followed by another blast in a vegetable market in the Bhutnath area at 5.15 pm, wounding another 20 people.

New Delhi - At least 18 people were wounded when three blasts struck Guwahati, the main city of India's north-east Assam state Thursday, news reports said.

The first blast took place in the Birubari, a residential area at 2:30 pm (0900 GMT), injuring two people, the NDTV network reported.

The explosion was followed by another blast in a vegetable market in the Bhutnath area at 5:15 pm (1145 GMT), wounding another 12 people.

There was a third blast at the upmarket Bhangagarh area outside a shopping mall half an hour later where at least four people were injured, police told the news channel.

The blasts occurred ahead of a visit by Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram to the state.

Guwahati, Jan 2 : Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today said that militancy will be dealt with firmly for restoration of normalcy and development in the North East.

Talking to reporters after reviewing the security scenario of Assam at a Unified Command meeting held under the chairmanship of State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in Dispur, he said, security forces have been asked to be more stern on the militants and no quarter will be given to them to escape.

On Thursday afternoon, Assam's major city Guwahati was rocked by three bomb blasts in which five people were dead and almost 51 others injured just hours before Union Home Minister P Chidambaram reached in the city.

Total of three bomb blasts were of low intensity and are thought to have been carried out by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) using improvised explosive device (IED).

Jorhat (Assam), Jan. 3 : The Sri Sri Dakhimpat Satra a religious institution of India''s North Eastern Assam, recently hosted a five-day long Vedic Sammelan (conference) at Notun Dakhimpat Satra in Sotai with the aim of restoring peace and harmony in the entire country.

The conference was held between December 25 and 29, and was reportedly the first of its kind to be held here.

Guwahati, Jan 4 : The week-long Winter Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly will begin on Monday.

There will be altogether six working days during the Session.

The House is likely to pass as many as nine Government bills including the separation of Judiciary from the executives in the two hill districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar, and setting up of private sector Don Bosco University in the State.

The House is expected to begin with a stormy note in view of two serial bomb blasts in the State on October 30 and January 1.

The issues of security lapses and infiltration of Jehadi elements to the State from Bangladesh may also come up for discussion during the session. (ANI)

Guwahati Jan 5 : Assam Governor Shiv Charan Mathur today said that State Government has decided to set up a specialised body on the lines of the National Security Guards (NSG) to deal with explosive devices.

Addressing the Winter Session of the State Assembly, he said, "In the wake of increasing terror attacks in the state, a specialised body would be formed for dealing with explosive devices."

"A number of decisions have also been taken for improving the functioning of police to counter such incidents in the future," he added.

There will be altogether six working days during the Session.

The Supreme Court observed that legislators cannot be unseated by courts, where as, it is the presiding officer of the house who is the appropriate authority for disqualifying a legislator.

These observations were made by a bench consisting of Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan, Justice Makandey Katju and Justice P. Sathasivam, while hearing a public interest lawsuit by Birendrah Singh, in which he sought disqualification of Congress parliamentarian Moni Kumar Subba from Tezpur in Assam.

Singh argued that Subba belongs to Nepal, from where he fled after committing a crime and is not an Indian citizen.

Guwahati, Jan. 22: The recently held 39th All India Police Science Congress at Guwahati in Assam has given a call to provide better training and motivation to police personnel to fight terrorism in urban cities of the country.

The three-day police science congress recommended separation of investigation from maintenance of law and order. It also suggested an increase in the police-population ratio across India.

Senior police officials called for advance planning to fight urban terrorism efficiently.

Guwahati, Jan. 22: The 39th All India Police Science Congress at Guwahati in India''s northeast Assam has called for better training and motivation of police personnel to fight urban terrorism.

The three-day Police Congress recommended separation of investigation from maintenance of law and order. It also suggested an increase in the police-population ratio across India.

Senior police officials called for advance planning to fight urban terrorism efficiently.

Srinagar, Jan. 26 : Despite a boycott call given by the extremists, Republic Day was celebrated with great patriotism and fervour on Monday here.

The main programme was held at the Bakshi Stadium where the state's Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammed Sagar unfurled the national flag and took the salute.

Defying the boycott call, people came out in large numbers to witness the flag hoisting ceremony followed by a colourful cultural programme.

Guwahati, Jan. 28 : The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has begun a two-day Community Radio Awareness workshop from Wednesday.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi inaugurated the workshop.

The Sixth Regional Consultation will focus mainly on educational institutions and civil society organizations based in the north east.

With 37 stations accredited to educational institutions, community radio has achieved the desired result in empowering society through its knowledge-based programmes.

Official sources said more such community radio stations are in the pipeline. (ANI)

Guwahati, Feb. 3 : Various members belonging to intelligentsia, peace workers, academicians and social activist groups from different states of the northeast India recently participated in a seminar on issues related to peace and development.

The two-day workshop-cum-seminar had a theme ''Peace Alone Leads to Development and Prosperity''. It was held to provide various representatives from northeastern states, a platform to interact and share views on the futility of violence and discuss how to bring peace in the region.

Jorhat, Feb. 4 : Women across the country can take inspiration from the united efforts of Assamese women who are transforming their lives without depending on the government for their welfare.

In Assam's Jorhat district, self-help groups have benefited a lot of people, especially the women.

One of such groups is Ramdhenu Atmohohaiyo Goot, a women''s self-help group which has helped create avenues of self-employment in the rural areas.

Started by a group of 15 women in 2005, with a bank loan of Rs. 30,000, Ramdhenu Atmohohaiyo Goot is making a difference to several lives here.

Guwahati, Feb. 4 : The militants while unleashing violence forget to realize how the victims of their acts would suffer long after people would forget the incident. It affects so many lives and gravely destroys hopes and dreams of victims' families.

Forty four-year-old Dhiren Kakati died in last month's bomb blast in Guwahati city. He worked with the Indian railways in Guwahati. His untimely death has left a vacuum in the lives of the family members.

Guwahati (Assam), Feb. 8 : The second All India (7-a-side) Rugby Championship has begun in Guwahati. Twelve teams are participating in the event.

Teams representing Manipur, West Bengal, Orissa, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Assam are taking part.

, Feb. 10 : Computerization is in full swing in the north-eastern states with most establishments using advanced systems of accounting.

The latest trend has created a huge demand for the trained manpower.

In Assam''s Jorhat, the Institute of Computer Accountants (ICA) is all geared up to meet this requirement.

People with good knowledge and aptitude, practical experience and good flair for business communication and ethics are in high demand in today''s job market here. And, the Institute of Computer Accountants (ICA) is enabling several fresh graduates in the field of Taxes and Business accounting.

Kaziranga (Assam), Feb 13 : Due to the increasing inflow of tourists at the Kaziranga National Park located in Assam, the state forest department has engaged private elephant owners for elephant safaris in the park.

Because of increasing tourist arrivals, the park authorities are engaging private elephant owners to cater to the tourist rush.

Dhubri (Assam), Feb 17 : Prevention of cattle smuggling from India''s northeastern states to Bangladesh has posed a serious challenge to the Border Security Force
(BSF).

Although the BSF manning the porous India-Bangladesh border have made several arrests over the years, but that has not deterred the cattle smugglers from pursuing illegal activities.

The Indian Government has ordered fencing around eight kilometers of the India-Bangladesh border in the Dhubri region to curb infiltration and also check smuggling.

Guwahati, Feb. 18 : Despite being rich in wildlife and having several national parks, Assam could not become a major tourist centre due to militant activities for many years. But now it is trying to bring about a change. Efforts are being made to develop new tourist places such as Bogamati hill area.

Endowed with fascinating natural scenery, Bogamati hill area in particular is nature lovers'' paradise.

Guwahati, Feb. 18 : Though the United Liberation Front of Assom (ULFA)''s influence in Assam is waning, people here fear that the organization has established close links with the Bangladesh-based terrorist outfit HUJI (Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami) and it is suspected to be involved in creating trouble in country's northeastern states.

The Government of India is taking steps to smash the ULFA-HUJI terror link for ensuring peace and normalcy to the area through regional co-operation.

Bangladesh had become a safe haven for ULFA''s top leadership.

Guwahati, Feb 21 : A splinter faction of Assam's main rebel group, the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), which prefers to have talks with the Central Government for a negotiated settlement to the separatist issue, said the parent group, which opposed such a move, could sabotage the forthcoming general elections.

The `pro-talks' group, which walked out of the ULFA, declared a unilateral ceasefire last year expecting a reciprocal gesture from the Central Government to restore peace in the region.

Kaziranga National Park (Assam), Feb. 23 : Assam''s popular Kaziranga National Park, which is home to the endangered one-horned rhinoceros, continues to be a major draw for tourists, both domestic and foreign, despite travel advisories issued by several countries against visiting Assam following blast incidents in the recent past.

While domestic tourists have increased from a million to over 3.4 million, the number of foreign tourists'' has risen from 7,000 in 2001 to 13,000 at present.

The national park is listed as a world heritage site.

IB says ATC miscommunication caused the aircraft collision threat

The blame-game over the February 11 near-miss involving Air India and Aviation Research Centre (ARC) aircraft over Jorhat in Upper Assam continues, with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) blaming the incident on "miscommunication" by air traffic control (ATC).

In a missive to the civil aviation ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last week, an IB officer of the deputy director rank squarely put the blame on ATC. Sources said the IB claim is based on findings of an internal probe that checked all relevant records.

The Union Cabinet today approved the request of the Assam Government for conversion of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati into an autonomous grants-in-aid institute of the Government of India, under the Department of Science and Technology.

This would meet the hopes and aspirations of people of Assam and North Eastern Region.

IASST would endeavor to spot local scientific talent and inspire them to attain national and global level of competence.

This would lead to enrichment of the culture of scientific research and would have significant impact on the development of resources of the Assam and the Region as a whole. (ANI)

Guwahati, Mar 6 : Forty-five cadres of various militant groups from northeast recently laid down their arms in Assam''s Kamrup District.

They included 32 cadres of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) along with 13 other cadres from the Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), the Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA) and the Peoples Revolutionary Front of Meghalaya laid down their arms before the Army.

The surrendered militants have expressed a desire to live a peaceful life and end destructive activities.

Baksa (Assam), Mar 7 : People of Barpeta district have expressed hope that the national highway connecting Pathsala town in Assam to Bhutan border would be a road to their prosperity.

The National highway 151 will connect Pathsala town of Barpeta district to Bhutan Border passing through Baksa district.

The locals are eagerly waiting for completion of the road. They believe it would change their fortunes.

Guwahati, Mar 7 : Unfavorable weather conditions for tea plantations coupled with global slowdown have badly affected tea exports of Assam.

Statistics say that India, the second-largest tea producer in the world experienced a slump by 25 per cent in January 2009.

Indranil Sharma, a tea garden owner in Guwahati said that apart from the slowdown in exports, even the weather is playing havoc this season.

Owing to scanty rainfall the soil has literally dried up. Though dry spells are common in Assam but this year the spell is there for a longer period.

Guwahati, Mar. 9 : In a bid to gather support against violence in the state, militancy affected families gathered in Guwahati have launched a program called, `Sankalp'.

So far, more than 10,000 people have died and 6000 families have been seriously affected by militancy and violence in Assam.

`Sankalp' was held is association of a project called `Aashwas', which was initiated by the Assam police to help children affected by militancy.

An art exhibition was also held where those affected shared their thoughts about militancy.

Jorhat (Assam), Mar 15 : Theatre artists have staged two plays at Jorhat in Assam to spread the message of peace.

The plays, one in Assamese and the other in Hindi, are based on insurgency and other problems posing obstacles to the state''s progress.

The plays focus on how the state is at a loss because of the absence of investment in a climate of insecurity and lawlessness.

"It was really touching because the play was based on violence caused by militants. The play gave the message of peace and harmony," said B. Arup, a resident.

Baksa (Assam), Mar 16 : Authorities in Assam construct all weather roads in rural areas under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) which provides employment for locals and also ensures better infrastructure in the region.

The developmental projects executed under the PMGSY have been much appreciated by the people of Batbari in Tukrakuchi region of Baksa district of Assam. This area bordering Bhutan in the northwest, falls under the Bodoland Territorial Council of Assam.

Dispur, Mar 19: A powerful bomb exploded on the railway track between the Diphu and Daldoli Railway Stations in Assam''s Karbi Anglong District at around 1 a. m. on Thursday.

Passengers miraculously escaped unharmed.

The explosion took place five kilometers from Diphu Railway Station, damaging a significant portion of the railway track.

A track inspector from the Lumding Railway Division rushed to the spot and found another bomb planted there.

The bomb squad was summoned to defuse the bomb.

Power equipment manufacturer KEC International announced that it has bagged orders worth Rs 291 crore from Power Grid of India for setting up transmission lines in Madhya Pradesh and Assam.

The company said that the first order is for the supply and creation of 765 kv Satna-Bina line and another 400 kv line at Bina associated with ATS for the Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project in Madhya Pradesh.

The other project consists of two 400 kv and one 132 kv transmission lines between Balipara-Biswanath and Depota-Gohpur in Assam.

Aizwal, Mar. 20 : In a bid to resolve the border dispute between Mizoram''s Kolasib district and Assam's Hailakandi district, talks would be held in the border village of Phaisen on Friday.

The Additional Superintendent of Police of Kolasib Lalthafamkima, said that a joint verification of the disputed site would be done by the Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) of Vairengte and his Hailakandi counterpart.

Nalbari (Assam), Mar 24 : Surrendered rebels of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) express their desire to participate in upcoming general elections.

A splinter faction of Assam''s main rebel group, the ULFA, which prefers to have talks with the Central Government for a negotiated settlement to the separatist issue, said they want to cast their vote in the elections, which will be between April 16 and May 13.

Guwahati, Mar 25: Seven unidentified men shot dead Anil Mazumdar, the Editor-in-Chief of a Guwahati-based Assamese daily ''Aji'' on Tuesday night.

According to the police, Mazumdar was attacked while returning back from his office to his home at Rajgarh road at around 10.30 p. m.

He was accosted by the criminal group while opening the gate of his residence and repeatedly shot at five times from a very close range.

The vehicle that the gunmen arrived in has been captured by the police.

A search operation has been launched for assailants.

Guwahati, March 27 : Following various problems being faced by journalists fraternity in Assam, especially during conflicts, recently a meet was organised here to highlight such issues, and discuss scribes' role in bringing peace in the State.

The second state-level convention of the Journalists Federation of Assam was held in Guwahati recently.

One of the key issues that the convention pondered was the violence unleashed by United Liberation Front of Asom (or ULFA) that has disrupted normal life in the state.

Guwahati, March 27 : The recent killing of a veteran journalist of a Assamese daily by unidentified gunmen here have sent shock waves across the media fraternity here.

Anil Majumdar, a journalist and Executive Editor of Aji, an Assamese daily, was shot on point blank range in front of his house in Guwahati, the main city of Assam state. Doctors declared him dead on arrival at the International Hospital in Christian Basti.

Guwahati, Mar 28 : Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday said he had not received any notice from the Election Commission (EC) for his reported statement concerning mobilisation of resources from the industry.

"The EC has not given me any notice till now. I don't know if it will come later", Gogoi told reporters here.

It was reported that Gogoi had said that he had gone to the tea gardens to collect money from the tea industry for the upcoming general elections.

Guwahati, Mar 31 : A total of 53 militants surrendered before the Army in Assam''s Tinsukia district on Tuesday.

These 53 militants included 44 members of the banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), three from Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) and six of the Adivasi National Liberation Army (ANLA).

The militants deposited a large number of arms including 44 pistols, five guns, one machine gun and other assorted ammunitions.

Guwahati, Mar 31 : At least one person was killed and four others were injured after a bomb blast occurred at about 6.00 to 6.15 p. m. at Jyoti Kuchi area in western Guwahati.

The incident has occurred ahead of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's scheduled visit. (ANI)

Guwahati, Mar 31 : Political parties in Guwahati are raising the issue of Bangladeshi migrants to garner support of the voters ahead of the general elections.

For this purpose, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the upcoming parliament elections.

Talking to reporters here, Apurva Bhattacharjee, Spokesperson of AGP said, "The BJP is also committed to deport the border nationals from the country and seal the borders."

Guwahati, Mar 31 : At least one person was killed and 15 others were feared to be injured in a bomb blast that occurred at about 6.00 to 6.15 p. m. at Jyoti Kuchi area in western Guwahati.

The incident occurred during the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit in Assam.

Mukherjee was addressing media at a city hotel in Pan Bazar, about three kilometres from the blast site in Lal Ganesh area, when the bomb blast occurred.

Guwahati, Apr 4 : The Assam Tea Tribes Students Association (ATTSA) has appealed to tea garden workers not to vote for the Congress party in the general elections.

"We have appealed our people to boycott the Congress party," ATTSA President Prahlad Goala said on Friday.

The association said that Tarun Gogoi-led Congress Government in the State had been negligent towards their problems.

New Delhi  - At least 14 people including two women were killed after drinking illegally brewed poisonous alcohol in India's north-eastern state of Assam, a news report said Sunday.

The deaths occurred in the Saboti area in the Lakhimpur district, some 400 kilometres east of state capital Guwahati, Saturday night, the PTI news agency reported quoting official sources.

Thirteen villagers who were seriously ill after consuming the alcohol were admitted to different state-run hospitals in the area. Doctors said the death toll could rise.

Guwahati, Apr 6 : Four people were killed and 15 injured in a powerful car bomb blast in the Maligaon area of Guwahati on Monday.

According to police officials, the hand of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is suspected.

Several cars were also reportedly damaged by the powerful explosion.

The blast took place ahead of the ULFA's `Flag Raising Day'.

The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital.

Police have cordoned off the area. (ANI)

New Delhi - At least four people were killed by a car-bomb in India's north-eastern state of Assam Monday, news reports said.

More than 20 people were wounded in the explosion that occurred in the crowded market area in the Maligaon suburb of state capital Guwahati, the NDTV network reported.

Several cars and shops caught fire following the bombing and fire tenders were rushed to the area to douse the blaze, the report said.

Authorities said they suspected Assam's biggest separatist outfit, United Liberation Front of Asom.

Guwahati, Apr 6 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to attend an election rally at Dibrugarh on Tuesday.

An Assam Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman informed that Singh will arrive in the town at 11.30 a. m. to campaign for the party candidate, former Union Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar.

The constituency is going to polls in the second phase of election on April 23.

Guwahati, Apr 6 : Six people were feared injured in a second bomb blast in the Dhekiajuli area of Sonitpur District this afternoon.

The incident occurred soon after a bomb blast had claimed six lives in Guwahati's Maligaon area.

The blasts came a day before the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh's, visit to Assam.

According to police, the rebel United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is under suspicion for the incidents.

These blasts took place ahead of the ULFA's 30th `Flag Raising Day'.

New Delhi, Apr 7: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram today said that the Government has strong reasons to believe that the perpetrators of the Assam blasts belong to the ULFA.

Addressing a press conference here, Chidambaram said: "The Government condemns these acts of violence, even while it regrets that it was not possible for the security forces to pre-empt and prevent these incidents."

Guwahati, Apr. 7 : The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has cancelled plans to address an election rally in Dibrugarh, Assam, due to inclement weather in the area.

The cancellation of the rally came even as death toll in Monday's serial blasts in Assam went up to ten.

A woman succumbed to shrapnel and burn injuries at the Gauhati Medical College this morning. Sahida Khatun Khatun was wounded in the Maligaon blast.

The blasts rocked Guwahati, Dhekiajuli, Mankachar and Bokajan areas.

Maibong (Assam), Apr 10 : At least one person was killed and 10 others injured when a grenade was thrown at a passenger train in North Cachar Hills District on Friday.

According to reports, Dima Halam Daogah- Jewel (DHD-J) rebels targeted the Barak Valley Express as it arrived at Wadringdisa station in the hills district.

The injured have been admitted to a hospital, in which the condition of two is said to be serious. (ANI)

Maibong (Assam), Apr 10 : At least one person was killed and 10 others injured when a grenade was thrown at a passenger train in North Cachar Hills District on Friday.

According to reports, Dima Halam Daogah- Jewel (DHD-J) rebels targeted the Barak Valley Express as it arrived at Wadringdisa station in the hills district.

The injured have been admitted to a hospital, in which the condition of two is said to be serious. (ANI)