Two militants nabbed in Assam
Goalpara: Two insurgents of ethnic Rabha Viper Army were caught by security forces and arms seized from them in Assam’s Goalpara district on Monday. The two militants were arrested for a hideout at Bardamal under Agiah police station on a tip off by a combined team of army, CRPF and police on a tip off, official sources said. A 12 mm revolver with ammunition and a pistol, three mobile sets with SIM cards and a motor-cycle without a numberplate were seized from the militants, the sources said. Supposedly formed in 2008 with the support of the ULFA, the little-known local armed group with influence in Goalpara district has been involved in arms smuggling, kidnapping and extortion. (PTI)
Malaria kills 29 in Mizoram this year
Aizawl: Malaria has claimed at least 29 lives in Mizoram between January and September this year as against 31 malarial deaths in the state last year, state health department officials said here on Monday. The officials attributed the deaths to ignorance among the people which resulted in delayed treatment of the patients. Southern Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district, with ten deaths, recorded the maximum malarial deaths this year, the officials said. (PTI)
Three AR jawans injured in blast
Imphal: Three Assam Rifles jawans were injured in a bomb blast at Ukhrul district on Monday. Police said suspected militants planted a powerful bomb near Sangkhai where a convoy of 23 Assam Rifles was moving on the road towards Imphal. When the IED exploded three jawans sustained injuries. All the three were rushed to Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Imphal for treatment. All were out of danger. Additional forces were rushed in and a search operation was carried out in the area. It is not known yet who were responsible for the blast. (UNI)
Pharmacies down shutters in Assam
Guwahati: Medical stores in five eastern Assam districts remained closed for several hours on Monday in protest against sealing of eight pharmacies in Sibsagar district last week. Drug dealers associations’ in Jorhat, Sibsagar, Golaghat, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts kept closed pharmacies since Monday morning. While in most of the districts the medical stores have remained closed for most part of the day, those in Tinsukia district remained closed for two hours. The medical stores in Tinsukia opened after the token strike in the wake of the difficulties the people were facing due to non-availability of medicines. In other districts, at least two pharmacies were kept open at important locations and medicine counters were also opened to ensure that the general public face the least trouble. However, attendants of patients had a difficult time in getting medicines on time and people were not supportive of the agitation. The drug dealers’ association had announced the agitation in protest against sealing of eight pharmacies in the Sibsagar civil hospital premise last week. These pharmacies were reportedly opened flouting norms and hence were sealed by the administration. (UNI)