2 get life imprisonment for raping a teacher in Assam
Guwahati: A local court on Thursday convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment two persons for raping a teacher here. The district and sessions court of Mangaldai also asked the two convicts – Samir Ali and Abdul Ali – to pay a fine of Rs 50,000 each. A 21-year-old lower primary teacher was allegedly raped by the two convicts in broad daylight in a tea garden area, under Dalgaon police station, in Darrang district on October 1 last year. Police, with the help of locals, later arrested the two youths on the basis of an FIR lodged by the victim. Protests had erupted after the incident, demanding death row for the rapists. The teacher was reportedly targeted since she objected to alleged corruption in mid-day meal scheme functioning in her school. (UNI)
Arunachal BJP lauds PM’s border move
Itanagar: The BJP in Arunachal Pradesh today lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ‘bold and people’s friendly’ policy to strengthen the Sino-Indian border by fast tracking the road along the border and establishing 50 new ITBP Posts. Modi had recently proposed infrastructure development along the Sino-Indian border including establishment of radar and telecommunication projects within 100 to 4,000 Km from the frontier. Party spokesman Techi Necha, in a statement, expressed hope that the PM would strengthen the internal and external security of the country. He said the party would launch its second leg of ‘Sarhad Ko Pranam Yatra’ on the border of Myanamar and Bhutan to pay homage to the martyrs of 1962 Chinese aggression. The party last year organized its first leg of the yatra on the Indo-Sino border. Meanwhile, Necha claimed that there was a ‘leadership crisis’ in the Congress party in the state. In an apparent reference to re-nomination of the APCC president as the Congress party candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in the state, Necha stated that ‘the party seems to have been revolving around a single leader only. (PTI)
224 Brus return to Mizoram on 3rd day of repatriation
Aizawl: At least 227 Brus, including 58 children, belonging to 44 families returned to Mizoram from Tripura on the third day of the sixth phase of repatriation on Thursday, state home department officials said. 190 people belonging to 36 families arrived at the Kanhmun facilitation centre while 37 people belonging to eight families arrived at the Zomuantlang facilitation till 4.30pm, Joint Secretary in the Home department Lalbiakzama said. Those people who returned from relief camps in north Tripura district today were resettled in 13 villages of the Mizoram-Tripura-Bangladesh border Mamit district after being identified as bona fide residents of the state, he said. Temporary shelters were erected for the repatriated families for which Rs 2,000 each was utilised for each family so that they would stay under a roof once they arrived at their respective villages, Lalbiakzama said. Officials, quoting the repatriated Brus, said that they returned to Mizoram despite strong opposition as many anti-repatriation elements threatened and physically obstructed those who were willing to return. “Many of them said that they had to hide in the jungle before leaving the relief camps and they could manage to bring bare minimum clothes and other things due to the problem being faced from their fellow inmates of the camps,” officials said. (PTI)
‘No foul play in Rinpoche’s death’
Itanagar: Laying to rest the controversy over the death of Rev T G Rinpoche, the Arunachal Pradesh government on Thursday made it clear that there was no foul play in his death and appealed to the people of Tawang and Bombdila ditricts to cooperate with the district administration in maintaining peace. “As per preliminary investigation report of the Delhi Police and post mortem report of the AIIMS available with the state government, there is no foul play in his death and it is a simple case of hanging,” Chief Secretary Ramesh Negi told media persons here. Rinpoche was found hanging in his room in Delhi on May 16 and his post mortem was conducted the next day at AIIMS. Negi said as per the post mortem report no foul play was found to have been committed and doctors were in no doubt in ascertaining the exact cause of death. “Delhi police is verifying the final details in connection with the incident at this stage and they assured to furnish the final outcome of their investigation as and when it is concluded,” he said. “We appeal to the people of Tawang and Bomdila districts to maintain peace and tranquility and to cooperate with the district administration,” he added. The Chief Secretary said the state government had constituted a committee headed by DGP to obtain the post mortem report and other related documents from Delhi Police to ascertain the cause of death so that misunderstandings were cleared. (PTI)
Voting on for RS seat in Mizoram
Aizawl: Polling for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Mizoram began on the state Assembly premises on Thursday morning. The fate of the two candidates — Ronald Sapa Tlau of the ruling Congress and L Ramkinlova of opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) — would be decided by the 40-member Assembly today. Polling began at 9 A.M. and would conclude at 4 P.M. following which the counting will take place at 5 P.M. Congress has 34 legislators in the state Assembly while MNF has five. MNF’s junior partner, Mizoram People’s Conference, has one legislator. (PTI)
Nagaland SCERT gives away Diploma of ECCE
Kohima: The valedictory programme of third Batch of Diploma in Early Child Care Education (ECCE) 2013-14 was held at ECCE Cell of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) centre at Kohima on Thursday. According to official sources today, the Director of SCERT Vipralhou Kesiezie as the Chief Guest said the Department of Education is the second highest expenditure incurring Department in Nagaland, but one of the poorest in performance. However, he expressed that after hearing the oath-taking of the trainees, the dedicated and committed third Batch can bring a positive change in schools in Nagaland. Kesiezie said a decision was taken to downgrade the ‘nil result’ performing higher secondary schools to middle schools, but till now no action was taken. He added that the recruitment of new batches of SSA and RMSA teachers, a positive change can be brought in our state education sector. (UNI)