UPLF ‘Chairman’ killed in encounter
Diphu:Underground group United People’s Liberation Force’s (UPLF) ‘Chairman’ Dhananjay Dalogopu was killed in an encounter with police in central Assam’s Karbi Anglong district on Monday, said a senior police official. Police launched an operation on Monday based on intelligence provided by the Army about the presence of a five-member gang of the UPLF in the Borlangpha area, district Superintendent of Police Mukdhya Jyoti Mahanta said. In the encounter within the deep forests, about 8 km from Borlangpha police station, the UPLF chief was injured and a pistol with an empty cartridge and three rounds of ammunition were recovered from him, Mahanta said. Dalogopu alias Ratan Dalogopu alias Kala on being taken to Diphu Civil Hospital was declared brought dead by the doctors there, Mahanta said. The UPLF chief, a former insurgent of the Dima Hasao Daogah (DHD) that had laid down arms in 2003, was involved in many extortion cases after he had joined the outfit about a year and a half ago and took over its reins following the arrest of its ‘Chairman’ Gajao eight months ago, he said. (PTI)
Bear killed due to infighting in Kaziranga
Kaziranga:The body of a bear, suspected to have been killed in a fight with another bear, was recovered on Sunday from the Kaziranga National Park. Patrolling forest guards on getting a foul smell traced the carcass near the Kathpora forest camp in the Park’s Bagori Range, a Park official said.The body of the male adult bear bore several scratches and other injury marks which led to the suspicion that it could have died due to infighting during mating. According to the last bear census in the Park in 1993, there were only – two male and a female bear but its population was expected to have risen to eight by now though a fresh census was expected to be held soon. (PTI)
Arunachal govt has recruited 92 persons under sports quota:Min
Itanagar:Arunachal Pradesh home minister Tanga Byaling on Monday said the state government has conducted recruitment for 92 posts of various ranks in state police under sports quota from the troubled Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts during 2013-14. “The government has decided to fill up the remaining vacancies by recruiting local youths from these districts in absence of suitable candidates under the sports quota and the state cabinet has approved the decision,” Byaling said, responding to BJP member Tesam Pongte’s question as to why the state government was not recruiting youths from the districts in case of non-availability of qualified sports persons. Indicating to float advertisement for the 82 posts during this year, Byaling assured to fill up the posts with candidates from the three eastern districts. When another BJP member Laisam Simai brought up the issue that those recruited should be deployed in the three troubled districts to tackle insurgency, Byaling said posting was only done on need based. Adequate civil police personnel were already available in those districts, while para military forces were deployed for tackling insurgency problems, added Byaling. (PTI)
‘Brokered peace deal between Myanmar govt, ethnic rebels’
Aizawl: Former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga on Monday claimed that his bid to broker a peace deal between the Myanmar government and ethnic rebels in that country has made some headway. The former underground leader, who was instru-mental in the signing of the historic Mizo Accord in 1986, after returning from Bangkok and Naypyidaw, said an important official from the Prime Minister’s Office accompanied him in his mission. The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) is an umbrella organisation of 17 ethnic Myanmarese underground groups, including Shan, Wa, Chin, Arakan, Kachin and Karen, formed to facilitate united peace talks with the Myan-mar government, he said, adding he also met Myan-mar Minister for Peace Talks General Aung Min and other ministers in Naypyi-daw after meeting the ethnic underground groups in Bangkok for four days. The UNFC leaders expressed their desire to have an on-the- spot study of the Mizo Accord if the government of India was willing to bear the expenses, which was agreed by the PMO official, Zoramthanga claimed. The opposition Mizo National Front chief said that both the sides were ready to find an amicable solution while the main problem was lack of mutual trust due to long years of hostilities and violence. (PTI)