Infant dead, another critical after pulse polio dose
Diphu (Assam): An infant died and his twin brother fell seriously ill after allegedly being administered a dose of polio vaccine in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district. An inquiry has been ordered into the death by the district administration, officials said here on Tuesday. The father of the one-and-a-half-month old twins said that the children were administered pulse polio drops yesterday and they fell ill Monday evening. One has died and another is battling for life at Diphu Civil Hospital, he said. Karbi Anglong Deputy Commissioner Mukul Gogoi said that he has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the death of the infant. (PTI)
Rally to protest Centre’s move to stop subsidised ration
Tezpur : A rally was taken out Tuesday by the Tea cell of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee here to protest against the Centre’s proposed move to stop providing ration at subsidised rate to tea garden workers of the state. The rally, led by the former Congress minister Ripun Bora and President Tea Cell Gohpur Legislative Assembly branch Louis Barla and General Secretary Pankaj Mahanand, marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s office here shouting slogans against the BJP-led central government. The protestors also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through Sonitpur Deputy Commissioner Lalit Gogoi. Former Congress Minister Ripun Bora said that in Assam there are 19,28,829 families of tea workers who were getting subsidized rice but from January first, this will be stopped by the Centre which will adversely affect the families. He urged the Centre to reconsider this “anti-people, anti-poor and anti-labour policy and allow the present system of providing ration to the tea workers at subsidized rate to continue.” (PTI)
Court awards life imprisonment for rape-murder of minor
Rangiya (Assam): A local court today sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a minor girl in Rangiya district over nine years back. Sessions Judge B K Chetry sentenced Dandeswar Barman for raping and murdering the 12-year old class six student in July 2005. Barman, a resident of Gasbari area of Goreswar town of the district, was found guilty of raping and killing the class six student of Gasbari High School. The 50-year old married man and neighbour of the girl entered her house when her parents were away and committed the crime. He was arrested immediately after the incident. (PTI)