The families of nine police-firing victims in Assam were paid monetary relief recently following the direction of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The Assam government has paid altogether rupees 45 lakh as relief to the next of kin of the victims, said a statement issued by the NHRC from New Delhi.
The NHRC also pointed out that in all these cases, the State government could not convince the Commission in its response that the encounters were genuine and the police had to open fire in self-defence.
“Out of these, four cases were registered by the Commission in the year 2010 under case numbers 230/3/16/2010-ED, 223/3/3/2010-ED, 79/3/20/2010-ED and 127/3/24/09-10-ED. Two other cases were registered in the year 2011 under case numbers 241/3/15/2011-ED and 26/3/11/2011-ED,” added the NHRC statement.
According to Assam police, all these encounters were of the suspected insurgent/extremists and were carried out by the police personnel alone or in joint operations with security forces in different districts of Assam. The Commission closed these cases in September this year after recording the response from Assam government. Javed Muchahari and Silvestine Borgayari died after police firing in Sonitpur district on 18 September 2010, where the next of kin of both the victims were paid rupees five lakh each. Similarly the incident of police encounter resulting in the death of Robertson Bidar and Daful Sangma took place in Udalguri district on 10 January 2010, where too the close family members of both the victims were paid rupees five lakh each.
The death of Babul Gogoi in police firing was reported from Tinmileghat Poba reserve forest of Dhemaji district on 13 June 2009. Here too the next of kin of the victim was paid rupees five lakh. Four other victim families were also paid rupees five lakh each after the Commission’s prompt intervention.
Among the victims Rajib Basumatary died in police firing in Guwahati on 30 October 2009 and Arup Boruah & Jintu Changmai died in police firing in Sibasagar district on 7 May 2009. Another victim was Nikudin Rabha, whose next of kin was also paid monetary relief of rupees five lakh.
North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), a grassroots civil society organisation based in Jorhat, Assam, participated in the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD), convened by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) from 24–27 February, 2026, at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok.
Tirtha Prasad Saikia, Director of NEADS, represented the organisation at the Forum. He also participated in his capacity as the Constituency Focal Point for People Affected by Conflicts and Disasters and as a Regional Coordinating Committee Member of the Asia Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism (APRCEM).
During...
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Wednesday submitted a detailed “Chargesheet 2026” against the BJP-led Assam government, symbolically placing it before what it termed the “People’s Court of Assam.” The chargesheet targets the government headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, covering the period from May 10, 2021 to February 18, 2026.
In a press briefing in Guwahati, APCC leaders alleged large-scale corruption, economic mismanagement, constitutional violations, and failure to protect the rights of indigenous communities. The document lists 20 major charges, including the alleged operation of a “syndicate raj,” accumulation of illegal wealth, rising public debt, and...
Shillong, February 16, 2026: The death toll in the devastating explosion at an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills has risen to 33, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma confirmed on Monday during a suo-motu statement in the State Assembly.
The tragedy occurred on the morning of February 5 in the remote Mynsngat-Thangsko area, where an illegal “rat-hole” coal mine reportedly exploded, allegedly due to the unauthorized use of explosives inside narrow underground tunnels. The incident has triggered widespread outrage and prompted the state government to constitute a high-level Judicial Commission of Inquiry.
Initial rescue operations carried out by the NDRF, SDRF and...
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president and MP Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday launched a sharp counter-offensive against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, calling the much-hyped SIT report a “super flop” and accusing the CM of staging six months of political drama to divert attention from land and corruption allegations.
Addressing a packed press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, Gogoi said the Chief Minister had kept the SIT report for six months, only to unveil it through a “manufactured spectacle” involving national media, which ultimately failed to produce a single piece of evidence against him. “He swung a mace in the air, but there was nothing in his hands,” Gogoi said.
Flanked by MPs...
A multi-crore dairy project at Sanbasa in Nazira has collapsed amid serious allegations of financial irregularities and internal mismanagement, dealing a severe blow to rural livelihoods in the area.
The Sundarpukhuri Dairy Cooperative Society, formed by local farmers under the initiative of Dr. Jagadish Barman, once served as a crucial source of income for over 245 Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The cooperative reportedly contributed nearly ₹1 crore annually to the local rural economy.
As part of its expansion, the cooperative launched its own marketing network under the brand name “Kareng” and set up a milk pasteurization plant at Sanbasa village. However, internal disputes...
Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over a recent press conference, dismissing it as “worse than a C-grade cinema” and accusing the Chief Minister of making baseless and sensational claims.
The Chief Minister, however, maintained that the allegations involving Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh and Elizabeth Gogoi—wife of Gaurav Gogoi—were serious in nature and should not be treated lightly.
Addressing the media, CM Sarma said the matter assumed greater significance as it involved a sitting Member of Parliament. “These are grave allegations. When a sitting MP, who...
Handique Girls’ College will confer the 3rd Rajabala Das National Award on noted author and senior journalist Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, President of the Press Club of India, in recognition of her significant contributions to society and journalism. The award will be presented on March 8, 2026, at a special function to be held on the college campus.
On the occasion, the Rajabala Das Memorial Annual Lecture will be delivered by eminent journalist and thinker Prasanta Rajguru, Editor-in-Chief of Prag News.
Instituted in 2024, the Rajabala Das National Award is conferred annually on a personality of national stature who has made outstanding contributions to society. The award includes a...
Guwahati, 4 February: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday held a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, during which party leaders made a series of allegations against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and launched an online platform to collect information related to their claims.
The press conference was attended by former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress election observer Bhupesh Baghel, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in charge of Assam Jitendra Singh, APCC President Gaurav Gogoi, and other senior party leaders. During the event, a video titled “Who Is Himanta Biswa Sarma?” was released, followed by the launch of a QR-code-enabled template...
Guwahati, January 24: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Friday mounted a blistering attack on the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government, branding it a regime of “vote thieves, land thieves, cattle thieves and water thieves,” while addressing a massive public rally at Hatikholia Ground, Moranjana, near Rangia.
Addressing nearly 20,000 supporters, Gogoi raised what he termed the central political question before the people of Assam—“Who is Himanta Biswa Sarma?”—and said the Congress must now directly reach out to the masses. He called for the immediate formation of small outreach teams comprising youth and women to go door-to-door and explain the...
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee on Friday launched the nationwide “Save MGNREGA Movement” in the state, opposing the Modi-led NDA government’s move to amend the MGNREGA Act and introduce a new law under the name “VB-G RAM G”.
As part of the first phase of the agitation, press conferences were held simultaneously at district headquarters across Assam, including Kamrup Metropolitan, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideu, Hailakandi, Darrang and Baksa. District Congress Committee presidents and senior party leaders addressed the media.
In Guwahati, senior Pradesh Congress spokespersons Kushal Sharma, Rupak Das and Anita Devi addressed the press at the...
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