TURA: Two Garo jawans of the Border Security Force who died while fighting militants in the restive Kashmir region over 26 years ago were honoured in a special commemoration on Friday in their respective villages in West Garo Hills district.
Naik Kabindra Marak and Constable Mukesh B. Marak laid down their lives in the line of duty in 1990 and 1992, respectively.
The 20th battalion of the BSF observed this year’s Martyrs’ Day commemoration service with a special programme at two schools in Rajabala — Rajabala Higher Secondary School and Singwilgre Lower Primary School, where the two men had their education before joining the force.
The BSF dispatched a special delegation led by Assistant Commandants Pradeep Raipure and Pradeep Kumar Singh to hold the commemoration event at Rajabala.
The programmes were attended by students, village elders and BSF personnel. The BSF jawans narrated the story of that fateful night when the duo fought valiantly against militants. The story of their sacrifice was etched on special plaques which were unveiled at the respective schools.
The BSF also presented shawls to the next of kin of both martyrs as a mark of respect and donated sports equipment to the schools.
Headmen of Singwilgre and Koikuri villages, school staff, students and general public took part in the commemoration functions. Village elder and political leader Somorendro A. Sangma spoke on behalf of the citizens and recounted the days before the two men joined the force.
On the night of September 19, 1990, Naik Kabindra Marak and his team who were deployed for counter-insurgency operations at Sopore Bandipur in Jammu and Kashmir received information about the presence of two hideouts belonging to militant commander Mohd Shafi, a separatist rebel who had the backing of neighbouring Pakistan.
The team launched a search operation but failed to locate the hideout. While returning the militants laid an ambush on them in a congested locality of the town leading to a gun battle.
During the exchange of fire the militants lobbed a grenade that exploded and critically injured Kabindra who later succumbed to his injuries.
Two years later, on August 1, 1992, Constable Mukesh B Marak was manning a security bunker near the Zaina Kadal tomb when militants lobbed a grenade and started firing indiscriminately.
During the gun fight a bullet ricocheted off a telephone post and hit Constable Mukesh in the stomach leading to profuse bleeding that led to his death.
“Their supreme sacrifice in the line of duty will always be remembered by the nation,” mentions the last line in the inscription on the BSF monument.

SHILLONG/ TURA: On the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, BSF Meghalaya Frontier paid homage to 473 martyrs of all Central Armed Police Forces and State Police Organizations who have made supreme sacrifices for the nation.
54 brave BSF personnel including four Meghalaya State Police personnel, laid down their lives while performing the duties in different parts of the country.
During the commemoration day parade, the names of all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the last year were read over by P K Dubey, Inspector General, Meghalaya Frontier and two minutes of silence was observed to pay homage to them.
Meanwhile in Tura, a joint function was organised at the sector headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) at Dobasipara in Tura in remembrance of the martyrs from police departments across the country.  The occasion was also observed in South West Garo Hills with a solemn but large gathering at Ampati Police Station as well as in North Garo Hills at Resubelpara.
Police Commemoration Day is observed on October 21 every year in remembrance of the 10 CRPF personnel who were killed on that date in 1959 at Hot Spring Post on the Indo-China border in Ladakh.

Body found
On October 21 around 7 pm, the dead body of one Biswajit Chanda (35) was found hanging in his residence at Nanditilla Compound, Lower Mawprem, Shillong. Necessary formalities were observed and the matter is under enquiry.
Theft
On the night of October 20, unknown miscreants broke into the shop of Marshanbor Wahlang at Laitumkhrah Bazar, Shillong and stole mobile recharge vouchers valued around Rs. 45,000/-.
Rape
On October 19 around 2.30 pm, one Malius Syngkli of Zero Point (RB) raped one thirteen-year-old girl at Lum Myrni, Myrdon Nongbah under RI Bhoi district.
Assault
The Joint Secretary, Executive Committee, JHADC, lodged a complaint that on October 19 around 4 pm, a group of persons led by Justice Paul Lyngdoh, GS and Nangai Sutnga,  Finance Secretary, KSU Jaintia Hills Unit, entered the chamber of CEM, JHADC forcefully and threatened him and other MDCs present in chamber with dire consequences.

SHILLONG: An alleged rapist is yet to be arrested even after repeated offence on a minor since 2014.
Sources said on Saturday that an FIR was lodged against the 30-year-old Lawrence Lamin(Akhri) from Dawki, who is alleged to have raped a16-year-old minor.
The victim has been staying in Lamin’s house from 2013 and the rape occurred since 2014 with the latest harassment reported on October 15.
The FIR was filed on October 17 at Dawki police station when relatives came to know about the incident.
However, the investigation officer is yet to collect the victim’s clothes for examination.
Sources added that ironically, when the matter was reported to the higher ups, the investigation officer was given the charge of Jowai Women’s  Police Cell.

TURA: Two NGOs from Dalu, the Garo Students’ Union (GSU) and the A’chik Youth Welfare Organization (AYWO) have sought the re-scheduling of the load shedding being done in the area from 9 AM to 10 AM to 11 PM to 1 AM.
Stating that students from the area are facing immense difficulties on account of the current load shedding timing, the NGOs have urged the concerned authorities to kindly consider their appeal.

Nongpoh: The Village Employment Council of Nongpoh, in a press release issued reiterated that the allegations of Hubert Marwein with regards to forging of his signature and that of his relatives as appeared in a section of newspaper, cannot be accepted by the VEC of Nongpoh Proper.
Members of VEC Nongpoh Proper, Bull Lyngdoh, S. Mynsong and Madhuri Sweetly while clarifying to the allegations of Hubert Marwein, informed that based on the RTI, the office of the Block Development Officer, had conducted a hearing attended by all job card holders of Nongpoh Proper, Members of VEC including the RTI activist, Hubert Marwein.
The VEC Members of Nongpoh Proper further informed that a hearing was also conducted by the Block Development Office Ombudsman, where Hubert Marwein, his relatives as mentioned in the RTI along with all job card holders and VEC members were present, adding that there is no issue of embezzlement of job card holders’ wages as stated by Hubert Marwein. They also clarified that as per the record of VEC Nongpoh Proper, the amount of wages had already been paid to the Job Card holders which is why the VEC of Nongpoh Proper in its reply to the BDO, said that the amount could not be returned as the same had been already disbursed to the card holders.

A driver of a truck, on Wednesday, sustained injuries when the vehicle drove off the road and overturned. The incident happened on the Shillong by-pass road at Diengpasoh under Mawryngkneng Block, East Khasi Hills District at 2:30pm. The 108 Emergency Service ambulance based in Bhoirymbong helped in shifting Anand Hajong, 28, to NEIGRIHMS.
On the same day, a motorist along with a pillion rider sustained injuries when their scooty proceeding towards Demthring hit the footpath railing near St. Edmund’s College on the Shillong Jowai Road at 10am. The 108 Emergency Service ambulance based in Shillong helped in shifting Sushil Chakma, 22, and KS Chakma, 30, to Shillong Civil Hospital.

TURA: A four day training and workshop on DNA finger-printing for species identification concluded on Friday evening at NEHU campus in Tura.
Organized by the department of horticulture, NEHU, the programme was led by Dr. Arindam Barman, Assistant Professor and his three member team.
The scope of the workshop was aimed at enabling researchers to build the knowhow and provide exposure to DNA extraction, PCR amplification and sequencing techniques and its bio-informatic analysis to identify a plant species.
As many as twenty-four participants from different parts of the country took part in the workshop and the techniques covered quantification of DNA, gene amplification using PCR, gel electrophoresis of DNA among others.
The methodology used for the training included lectures, demos and hands-on session.
The focus of the workshop was aimed at students, research scholars, government officials, mid-career scientists, university and college teachers who seek to extend their teaching and research skills in the field of Molecular Biology.
Some of the experts in the horticulture sector including Dr. Jebline Sangma, Joint director of Agriculture department, Meghalaya, Crosspillar K Marak, district agriculture and horticulature officer and the pro-vice chancellor in charge of NEHU, Tura campus Prof. J U Ahmed and head of horticulture department  Prof. C P Suresh also took part in the workshop.

SHILLONG: The second edition of Music Malt Online Fest 2016 winners was announced on October 18 from among a plethora of talents from across the globe.
The judges informed that they had a tough time deciding on the winner after going through hundreds of videos. After much debate and fighting over the short-listed bands, three winners with original songs were finally announced by the panelists who decided that their video created the perfect alchemy between music and visuals.
Nagaland based folk-fusion band, Abiogenesis bagged the Song of Substance Award for their album Voices In Kisama directed by Pritish Chakravorty. They are the only band from India to receive this prestigious award.
Besides them, the Creative Genius Award went to Strobe and Noise directed by Peter Varsics (Hungary) and Dream Weaver Award to Witch In Me by Cicilia G, directed by Jacopo Miceli (UK).
Voices In Kisama was premiered in VH1 India Rules in 2015. It is an instrumental piece with the two new Indian bamboo musical instruments, Bamhum & Tikzik, being played in the video.