Guwahati: December 6: Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS) condemns the brutal and senseless murder of innocent Naga wage earners and their protesting allies by the Indian armed forces. Even as our region prepares for the season of peace and festivities, special forces of the Indian army ambushed and killed young Naga men returning home to their village from working on the coal mines in the Mon district. News reports say that they were in a pick-up truck and singing songs, as they were happy to return home for the weekend on 4 December 2021. The army ambushed them between Lower Tiru, where they had gone to work in the mines, and Oking, where they lived. As per reports in the local media, six innocent Naga men died instantly, and two more succumbed to their injuries. Subsequently, the Indian armed forces opened fire on villagers from Oking and its neighbouring areas, who were searching for their murdered kin. The death toll now stands at 16 (sixteen), as per media reports.
This event is a reminder of the generational trauma that people of the Northeast, including the Nagas, continue to be subjected to. The Naga people were supposed to be safer following a ceasefire agreed upon by Naga armed opposition groups and the government of India in 1997. Instead, they have continued to suffer under threats made against them by the Indian security forces, who hide behind the grotesque law called Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958. The tragic loss of lives on 4 December 2021in Mon district, Nagaland, was a prime example of impunity that comes with AFSPA. Special forces units were emboldened by decades of immunity offered to them by this draconian law, so they saw no need to inform civilian authorities or even their paramilitary counterparts of the ambush of the innocent villagers.
In the meantime, this heinous action has elicited condemnation from every quarter, including India’s Home Minister, the Chief Minister, and Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland. The government of Nagaland has constituted a 5-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the massacre of innocent miners and their protesting kin. We welcome the elected representatives' effort and wish to sound a cautionary note about the fate of other investigations and commissions of inquiry following excesses committed by the armed forces against civilians in Northeast India. The Justice KN Saikia Committee report on extrajudicial executions in Assam and the Justice Upendra Singh Committee report on the killing of Thangjam Manorama has not been acted upon and have yet been acted upon to see the light of day. We cannot allow that to happen now.
MASS, therefore, makes the following demands as we stand in solidarity with our grieving Naga comrades:
The Government of India must repeal AFSPA immediately and without any prevarication.
There should be an impartial inquiry conducted by a sitting judge.
The guilty army personnel must be tried for premeditated murder in a court of law. Their names and designations should be made public, and the Indian armed forces should dismiss them from service to face the law as common citizens.
Families of the dead and injured must receive maximum compensation.
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The consultation brought together humanitarian practitioners, climate workers, community leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups and women’s collectives to deliberate on...
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The event commenced with the traditional lighting of the lamp, followed by an introductory address by Prof. Dinesh Bhatia, SPOC of the Regional Meet. Prof. G. Bez, Chairperson of the Meet, delivered the welcome speech, while Prof. I. Hussain, Dean of the School of Technology, NEHU, offered brief remarks....
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NEADS works at the intersection of humanitarian response, resilience building, climate action and environmental sustainability, adopting a nexus approach to address the human dimensions of environmental crises arising from both natural and human-induced disasters. The organization emphasizes community well-being...
Guwahati: The Pragjyotishpur Literature Festival (PLF) 2025 concluded this evening at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, wrapping up three days of rich literary discussions, cultural insights, and powerful storytelling. Organized by the Sankardeva Education and Research Foundation, the festival began on 14 November with acclaimed author Shefali Baidya delivering the keynote address.
On the final day, the organizers announced the recipients of this year’s prestigious PLF awards. Eminent researcher and author Moneswar Deori was named the recipient of the PLF 2025 Award, while promising young writer Srotashwini Tamuli, a researcher at Birangana Sati Sadhani State University, was declared the...
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Representing NEADS as an Observer of the Start Network, Tirtha Prasad Saikia, the organisation’s Director, said the participation marks a crucial moment for the North-East, one of India’s most climate-sensitive regions.
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Das, who had known Zubeen for more than two decades, recalled his early memories vividly. “He was just a simple, soft-spoken boy when I first met him — full of restless energy, always humming tunes. He could pick up any instrument, any rhythm, and turn it into something magical. But what stood out most was his humility. Despite his fame, Zubeen never carried an ego. He could be sitting on the ground with villagers one day and on stage...
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As the sun set, households across Nazira lit earthen lamps (chakis) before Tulsi plants and in the paddy fields, symbolizing hope and reverence for nature’s bounty. The flickering lights illuminated the night, reflecting the community’s collective faith in a good harvest season.
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This year’s 18th edition, themed “Incredible Insects”, explored the fascinating world of insects – from butterflies and moths to bees, grasshoppers, mantises, and dragonflies. The challenge, designed for students in grades 6 to 9, combined interactive learning through webinars, informative resources, and a new BioBlitz initiative, encouraging children to connect with nature and understand their role in conserving biodiversity.
Over 400,000...
October 14, 2025 - Students from Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti School emerged victorious in the Assam State finale of the Wild Wisdom Global Challenge, defeating competitors from 109 other schools in what organizers called one of the most competitive rounds in the program's 18-year history.
The competition, held at Miles Bronson Residential School in Guwahati, saw participation from 220 students representing schools from across the state. Ashwin Anand of Class 9 and Anubhadipta Boruah of Class 8 from the winning school will advance to represent Assam in the zonal round of India's largest wildlife quiz competition.
STATEWIDE PARTICIPATION REACHES RECORD LEVELS
This year's competition...
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