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Eventful 2008

Shameful arrest: Assam education minister Ripun Bora was arrested by CBI in Delhi on June 3 while he was trying to bribe one of its officials who was probing into the sensational Danial Topno murder case.

The Second Coming: The breakaway group of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) along with PLP united to bolster the regional politics. Both the AGP factions reunited on October 4 at the regional party’s general convention at Golaghat.

Farewell to arms: The cadres of A and C companies of ULFA’s crack unit ie 28th battalion announced an unilateral ceasefire on June 24 citing their aim at ensuring talk between ULFA and government.

String of clash: At least 55 people were killed more than two lakh people rendered homeless at the height of a communal riot that rocked Udalguri and Darrang districts of lower Assam during the first week of October.

First time first chance: Kalpana Chaudhury of Assam wowed the Asian countries striking gold at the first ever Asian Women Boxing Championship in Guwahati kickstarted on September 24.

Shocking blast: At least 84 people were killed more than 200 have been injured when a series of blast rocked Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Barpeta Road and Kokrajhar.

Violence atop the hills: At least 35 people were killed by DHD(J) outfit in a string of attack in North Cachar hills district in the first week of June.

Pride of Assam: Sahitya Akedemy Award to Dr Rita Chaudhury and Vidyasagar Narzary in the third week of December.

Acknowledgment: Dada saheb phalke awardee Dr Bhupen Hazarika awarded the firs ever Assam Ratna award by the Assam government.

End of an era: Noted singer and cultural icon Dilip Sarma passed away in the first week of October.

Courtesy: Azad Gogoi, Freelance Journalist.
Photographs: UB Photos

Comments

Dhruba Das's picture

Happy, Healthy, Safe New Year to all!
Chinmay Chakravarty's picture

Wish all of you in Assam Times a Happy Peaceful and Safe New Year 2009. Let us all join hands for a terror free New Year 2009. From Mumbai
swapan sinha's picture

Assam Times keep up the good work going, excel as high as beyond the sky...........
dubai's picture

wish you a happy new year to all asomia in the world
upasana khound's picture

this is a very good initiative to circulate the news around the world and it is beneficial particularly for those who are living outside the state, keep up the good work and have a great year ahead!!

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One person was killed and two others were injured on Saturday in an accident in Rangia on Saturday.According to police, the incident took place in Rangia in Kamrup (Rural) district when Rajat Ali died on the spot after his motorcycle rammed into an electric post after hitting a pedestrian Mustafijur Rahman at Karara on Indo-Bhutan international road. Rajat Ali and his father Jalaluddin Ahmed were travelling on the motorcycle. Jalaluddinand Mistafijur were injured and were admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.
The overall flood situation improves further on Saturday. The water level of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries are receding gradually 100 hours after cessation of the rains. A section of the trapped people are preparing to leave the make shift camps. According to information, over 35 lakh people in 19 districts have been reeling under the floodwaves where the toll stands at 19.Over 3000 villages have been hit in latest wave of flood. The affected districts Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Goalpara, Jorhat, Kamrup rural and metro, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sibsagar, Sonitpur, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Baksa and Udalguri.
Sivasagar police have achieved a major breakthrough in the recent of powerful blast that left a businessman killed and ten others injured. Police have arrested six youths in this connection and the initial confessional statements have suggested it a handiwork of ULFA. All the six have been arrested during a special operation led by additional SP in Sivasagar and Dibrugarh districts. They have been identified as Naba Gogoi, Narayan Gogoi, Papu Chetia, Nabajyoti Baruah and Upen Dihingia. According to inputs available with police, ULFA leader Bhaskar Nath alias Amlan Baruah planted the bomb near the Laxmi Talkies on Monday which exploded at 9 in the evening leaving Nirud Das dead.
A three-member central team has arrived in Kaziranga on Saturday to probe into the sudden rise in rhino poaching in the national park. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that that the CBI inquiry recommended by his government into rhino killings would be able to curb these incidents.
One more rhinoceros was found dead at the Kaziranga National Park on Saturday. The carcass of the mature female rhino was found floating in the flood waters at Gorakati under Bagori Range of the park on Saturday. But the its horn was found intact. The horn from the body of the rhino was handed over to the forest department.
CPM polit bureau member Brinda Karat came down heavily on Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for coming out in support of FDI in multi-brand retail.Talking to reporters on Friday in Guwahati, Karat said that the Assam government can’t help the farmers when they are affected by flood. “But how FDI in retail would help the farmers. What can be more bankrupt than such an understanding?", she said.
CPM on Friday on Friday said that Assam flood is a fit case of national disaster.Talking to reporters in Guwahati on Friday CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat said that at a time when lakhs of people are reeling under flood, displaced people are living without food, without clothes, the cente should declare it as national disaster.She alleged that the Centre and state have not done enough to mitigate the misery of the people in third wave of floods to hit the state. He has asked her party cadres to mobilise resources for helping the flood affected people.
The repeated incidents of rhino poaching seem to have triggered an acrimonious blamegame between ruling Congress and opposition parties. A stunned forest minister Rockybul Hussain lashed out at AGP and BJP for blaming it all on him. Hussain has already alleged a smear campaign against him. AGP also blamed it all on the government’s failure. But Chief minister Tarun Gogoi flayed AGP and BJP alleging that more rhinos were killed in Kaziranga during the AGP and NDA regimes.
International animal body smugglers are involved in the Kaziranga rhino poaching. Four rhinos were shot dead in Karbi Anglong bordering Nagaland. The needle of suspicion points at KLNLF, KPLT and NSCN.According to initial inputs, rhino horns are routed through Dimapur to south-east Asian countries where a rhino horn is sold at Rs50 lakh to Rs1crore in the international market.
Army would counter rhino poachers in Kaziranga. Dispur has asked police to work jointly with army and para paramilitary forces to stop the repeated incidents of rhino poaching. An anti-poaching squad would be set up in a day or two with focus on the 860 sq km Kaziranga National Park. The move comes following the shooting of four rhinos within 48 hours. Two rhinos were hacked off. Forces would be allowed to take appropriate action against anyone involved in poaching.