Antrik Suraksha Seva Medal for Mizo policemen
Aizawl: Antrik Suraksha Seva Medal would be awarded to 565 Mizo policemen of different ranks, Mizoram Police department spokesman Rex Zarzoliana said o nTuesday. The policemen belonged to the second battalion of India Reserve Police deployed in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district in 2006-07, Zarzoliana said. “They were engaged in counter insurgency operations in one of the most dangerous areas where Maoist rebels were most active,” he said. Known as ‘Mizo Battalion’ while in Chhattisgarh, Mizo policemen performed their duties in an extremely difficult situation and dangerous terrain, he said, adding that they even built camps inside the Naxal’s ‘liberated zone’. The Mizo policemen faced IED attacks a number of times and ten of them were killed and several injured in a mine blast during the operation. (PTI)
Lachit Borphkhan’s statue to be installed by May 2015
Guwahati: The bronze statue of Lachit Borphukan, a commander of the erstwhile Ahom kingdom, will be inaugurated in the middle of the Brahmaputra river here by May 2015, the Assam Assembly was informed on Tuesday. “Rs 5.5 crore have already been spent to build the pedestal by Gammon India… By May next year, we hope everything will be completed and we’ll inaugurate it for the public,” state Industries and Commerce Minister Pradyut Bordoloi said. Famous sculptor Biren Singha is developing the bronze statue at his studio in the city and it is expected to be ready within the next three months. “The rest of the work like transportation and installation of the statue will be over in the next three months…It is going to be a very big and tall structure,” Bordoloi said. Lachit Borphukan was a commander in the Ahom kingdom and known for his leadership in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat that defeated the Mughal forces under Ramsingh I. Borphukan died about a year later due to illness. (PTI)
BJP launches ‘NaMo India’ project
Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh unit of BJP has launched among its party cadres here some local products following the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign for ‘Make in India’. The products were launched yesterday under the party’s ‘Namo India’ project, North East in charge of the project Sanjay Jha said here on Tuesday. “NaMo India will not only encourage the local products but also create opportunities for the unemployed youths with minimum investment and maximum profit,” Jha said. A ‘NaMo store’ would be opened at Itanagar on December 25 next, he said. (PTI)
IIT-G prof accused of rape by office assistant, held
Guwahati: The dean of academic affairs at the IIT here has been arrested for allegedly raping an office assistant, a senior police officer said on Tuesday. “A case was registered against IIT Guwahati Professor Alok Kumar Ghosal at the Panbazar Women police station here… He was brought to the police station for examination last night and now he has been arrested,” Guwahati City Senior Superintendent of Police AP Tiwari told reporters here. “We got some evidence and found that there is a need to arrest him for proper investigation,” added Tiwari. The case against the dean has been registered under Section 376(2)(b) of IPC (public servant taking advantage of his official position and committing rape on a woman). An IIT-G official, speaking on the development, said, “A case was registered by an office assistant against our Dean, Professor Ghosal of the Chemical Engineering Department. The police had come on Monday to the IIT-G campus with a notice but as he was not present, the institute’s authority accepted it and assured it would be handed to him.” “Before the notice could be handed to Prof Ghosal, we learnt that the police had taken him into custody outside the campus. According to the SSP, on Monday Prof Ghosal has been arrested. The assistant made the accusation 11 days after the alleged event,” the official said without mentioning the date when the complaint was made. (PTI)
Assam food technologist awarded by Food Processors’ Association
Kolkata: All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA), New Delhi has awarded Food Technologist from Assam S. Bhattacharjee, former Managing Director of NERAMAC Ltd., with one of the most prestigious Awards of the 70 year old Association in India with the Nagaraja Rao R. Jagdale Memorial Award 2013 for his outstanding contribution in the development of food processing industries in the country & north eastern region. The award carries a gold medal and a citation.
The Award was held recently during the Annual Conference concurrently held along with the 70th Annual General Body Meeting of the association at Hotel Hindustan International, Kolkata. It was conferred by the Chief Guest of the Conference Dr. R. S. Shukla, IAS Principal Secretary, Food Processing Industries & Horticulture, Government of West Bengal.
Bhattacharjee hails from Tinsukia in Assam and has an experience of more than 32 years in the field of food processing & agro-horticultural marketing. He is also the Chairman of Food Processing, Agro, Forest & Rural Industry, Federation of Industry & Commerce of North Eastern Region (FINER).
Bhattacharjee is also a member of the governing body of Indian Institute of Packaging, Mumbai; Member of Board of Governing Council of Agriculture Skill Council of India, New Delhi & a former Scientist with Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) at Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore. Currently, he is the executive director of NERAMAC Ltd at Guwahati.
756 people arrested in arms case in Nagaland
Kohima: A total of 756 people were arrested in 671 cases of arms and ammunition during the last five years in Nagaland, Home Minister Y Patton informed the state Assembly on Tuesday. Out of the 671 cases since 2010, 639 had been prosecuted, while 32 cases were pending, Patton told Congress MLA S Hukavi Zhimomi. (PTI)