Mizoram NGOs for deleting Brus from Mizoram voters’ list
Aizawl: Mizoram’s NGO Coordination Committee, comprising five major civil societies on Thursday urged the Election Commission to take steps to ensure that those Brus who refused to return to Mizoram from their camps in Tripura are disfranchised in Mizoram voters lists. A statement by the Committee said the people of Mizoram had repeatedly pleaded with the Brus, who were bona fide residents of the state, to return and the government had also made a plethora of arrangements for their repatriation. However, the Brus were not willing to return to Mizoram and wished to remain in Tripura, the statement said and demanded that their names be deleted immediately from voters’ lists of Mizoram. The EC recently decided to conduct hearing in the six Bru relief camps in Tripura for special revision of electoral rolls. The NGO Coordination Committee consists of Young Mizo Association, Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl or Mizo women association, Mizoram Upa Pawl or elders association, Mizo Zirlai Pawl or Mizo students federation and Mizo Students Union. (PTI)
Unhappy over delay in scrapping of AFSPA: Irom Sharmila
Imphal: Rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila, who has been fasting for over 15 years demanding repeal of Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction over the Centre’s delay in scrapping the law. “I am not happy with the Centre’s delay,” Sharmila, who appeared before the court of chief judicial magistrate of Imphal East this morning, told the media waiting outside. The activist, who is being nose fed, said though she has been on a hunger strike for more than one and half decades against imposition of AFSPA, her democratic agitation was not honoured. She said the government has kept her in judicial custody for all these years instead of repealing AFSPA which was against the right to live. Sharmila said she would continue her movement till the fulfilment of her demand and appealed to the people to work together till the act was scrapped. (PTI)
Party drug seized in Aizawl
Aizawl: Party drug Methamphetamine tablets worth about Rs 30 lakh have been seized by Supply Reduction Service (SRS), the anti drug squad of the central committee of the Young Mizo Association (YMA,) from the state capital. Vanlalruata, general secretary of the central committee of YMA told PTI that 12,000 tablets was seized from a house in Ngaizel locality in southern Aizawl yesterday. Rochhingpuia (36), hailing from Mizoram-Myanmar border Champhai town was arrested in this connection, Vanlalruata said. Methamphetamine, a speed pill, also known as Crystal meth or ecstasia or party drug, was smuggled from Myanmar via Champhai district. (PTI)
