Skip to content Skip to navigation

Reign of violence: 3 killed

By AT News |

Three villagers died and twenty others have been injured when security forces sprang upon a group of people who prevented the PowerGrid authority from erecting a wall in Biswanath chariali on Tuesday. The incident took place at Baghmari at 5.30 in the morning when local people came out to the street opposing the wall erected secretly on Monday. Security forces opened fire at the protesters where one died on the spot and two others died on the way to the hospital. Angry mob later burnt down 4 police vehicles. Top ranked police and civil officials have arrived in the spot to contain the situation.

Comments

Bankim Phonglo's picture

Submitted by Bankim Phonglo on Thu, 02/05/2013 - 15:46
According to the villagers of Harangajao in Dima Hasao District, Assam, the Company (JKM Infra Ltd.) responsible for construction of the East-West Highway  corridor stretch at Harangajao village have callously jeopardised the natural irrigation of the adjacent paddy fields by blocking the natural streams(which remain small during winter, but widen many more times during the rainy season, which the construction company could not anticipate) and diverting the water flow, thereby not only depriving water to the paddy fields, but also creating an impending situation of flood in the villages.In the coming monsoon season, the torrential rainfall would be diverted to the villages flooding the village lands, since the highway construction company has already blocked many small natural streams, which used to naturally minimise the heavy flow of water during heavy rainfall.The Dima Hasao district authorities (the Council and the Deputy Commissioner’s Office) must wake up to the impending ecological disaster and force the Construction company to review their ongoing construction planning & execution, which is currently jeopardising the local terrain due to blockage of natural streams.Only this can avert the impending flood and normalise the natural flow of water in the area.Once damage is done to the ecology, it is irreplaceable and economy of the area is destroyed!JKM Infra Ltd. is playing with the lives and livelihood of poor people in Harangajao…even the roads built by them are unlikely to remain intact, due to lack of proper soling (that is firming the foundation layer of the roads)!

Pages

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

1875, Not 1933: Mizoram Reasserts Border Claim

Mizoram has reaffirmed its stand on the 1875 notification as the only legitimate boundary with Assam, rejecting the 1933 Survey of India map cited by Assam. Home Minister K. Sapdanga told the Assembly that the colonial-era demarcation, drawn after consultation with local chiefs, remains binding. Talks between the two states have stretched across decades, with the last round held in Guwahati in April. The next meeting is to take place in Aizawl, though no date has been fixed. Mizoram has set up a study team to compile archival records to back its claim. On the ground, tensions persist. In mid-August, Mizoram villagers accused Assam officials of damaging nearly 300 rubber plants in...

Assam, Arunachal Officials Meet to Strengthen Border Management

In a bid to ease tensions along the Assam–Arunachal boundary, senior officials from both states held a joint meeting at Narayanpur in Assam’s Lakhimpur district on Thursday, adopting a series of measures to improve coordination and maintain peace. The meeting was attended by officials from Assam’s Lakhimpur and Biswanath districts and Arunachal’s Papum Pare district. Both sides agreed to stop all new construction and encroachment until the final demarcation of the interstate boundary is completed. To ensure smoother communication, the states will appoint nodal officers as official points of contact, while a dedicated WhatsApp group will be created to allow quick information-sharing among...

Assam Among Bottom Five States in Health, Education and Economy

Assam has been ranked among the bottom five states of the country in crucial development indicators including health, education and economic growth, according to a fresh NITI Aayog assessment. The report placed Assam 26th in health and well-being, 25th in education, and 23rd in economic development. On gender equality and zero hunger, the state was positioned at 25th and 22nd respectively. The poor performance has raised concern over the state’s planning and budgetary priorities, despite official claims of inclusive growth. Experts have pointed out that school enrolment, institutional health services and poverty reduction continue to remain below the national average. NITI Aayog’s...

Rotary Club of Guwahati and NERAMAC Distribute Saplings, Launch Tree Plantation Drive

Guwahati, August 23: The Rotary Club of Guwahati, in collaboration with the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd. (NERAMAC), organized a major plantation and sapling distribution initiative this week. On Tuesday, August 21, a total of 3,000 medicinal and fruit-bearing saplings were distributed among local villagers of Bijoynagar and adjoining areas at the premises of 28 Nahira Primary School and Kongdang Primary School. The program witnessed enthusiastic participation from villagers, teachers, Rotarians, and NERAMAC officials. Continuing the green initiative, a tree plantation drive was also conducted on Friday, August 22, at the NERAMAC office premises...

PEC Condemns Misuse of PRESS Emblem and Ongoing Journalist Killings

The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a global media safety and rights organization, has strongly condemned the misuse of the “PRESS” symbol by armed combatants in conflict zones such as Syria and Gaza. The PEC expressed deep concern over incidents where individuals posing as journalists have used the emblem as a shield for violent activities. In southern Syria, Islamist fighters were seen wearing jackets marked “PRESS” while vandalizing a Druze household in Suwayda, as shown in a widely circulated video on social media. While PEC cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video, it emphasizes that under no circumstances should the press emblem be used as cover for armed combatants...

Dramatic rise in the number of journalists killed in six months

The number of journalists killed worldwide has surged dramatically in the first half of 2025, according to the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC). Since January, 86 media workers have been killed across 26 countries, marking a 16% increase compared to the same period last year. Gaza: Epicenter of the Crisis The ongoing conflict in Gaza is the primary driver behind this spike. At least 31 Palestinian journalists were killed in six months by the Israeli army, accounting for more than a third of the global toll. “The Israeli government is directly responsible for this tragedy, which targets civilians reporting on the situation in Gaza. The Israeli soldiers involved in these war crimes must...

Capacity-Building Workshop Empowers Assam and Meghalaya Communities for Sustainable Development

Guwahati: – A transformative capacity-building workshop, “Learning from the Land: Participatory Knowledge Harvest from Assam and Meghalaya,” was held at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati Off-Campus, on Friday, June 27, 2025. Organized by TISS in collaboration with UNDP-SGP, the event brought together over 50 NGOs from Assam and Meghalaya to exchange grassroots knowledge and strategies for sustainable land use, agroecological practices, and environmental conservation. The workshop aimed to empower local communities by enhancing skills in biodiversity conservation, land restoration, rural development, sustainability, and climate change adaptation. Prof. Jagannath Ambagudia...

Assam's Tea Workers’ Health Crisis, with Average Body Weight Below 50 kg

Guwahati: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has accused the BJP-led state government under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of driving tea garden workers into a severe health crisis, with the average worker’s body weight dropping below 50 kg due to malnutrition and anemia. In a press conference on Wednesday at Rajiv Bhawan, APCC Working President Roselina Tirkey, joined by tea tribe leaders Raju Sahu, Etowa Munda, and Pranjal Ghatowar, condemned the government for neglecting workers’ welfare and plotting to dismantle Assam’s tea industry. Raju Sahu emphasized the alarming health decline, stating that malnutrition and anemia have rendered many tea workers unfit to donate blood...

Stolen Lands, Broken Lives: How Assam’s Khilonjiya Pay the Price for Corporate Development

In Assam, the land of the Brahmaputra, tea gardens, and vibrant indigenous cultures, a troubling pattern has emerged. The state’s push for development—solar plants, thermal power stations, cement factories, and urban restoration—has come at a devastating cost to its original inhabitants, the Khilonjiya. These indigenous communities, including Karbi, Bodo, Dimasa, and Adivasi, are being displaced from their ancestral lands to make way for wealthy industrialists and corporate giants like Adani. While rich outsiders are welcomed with open arms, the Khilonjiya bear the burden of uprooted lives, lost livelihoods, and erased heritage. This blog chronicles few recent land disputes, exposing the...

AAEA demands accountability for mishaps in 'abandoned' oil/gas wells

Guwahati: Expressing concern over the Sivasagar crude-oil well gas leakage in the last few days, a northeast India based forum of graduate engineers have urged both Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) to come clear about the so-called ‘abandoned’ wells, which have the potential to harm human life, property and environment, as the concerned private parties operating such wells often do not come forward to take responsibility.  All Assam Engineers Association (AAEA), in a statement, also appealed to the Union government in New Delhi to hold the concerned ONGC/OIL  officials accountable for any disaster at an oil or gas well after having declared it '...