Film critic-journalist Utpal Borpujari has been nominated as a member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) jury for the 34th Montreal World Film Festival (MWFF), considered among one of the most prestigious film festivals globally. Borpujari will serve in the jury that will decide the International Critics’ FIPRESCI prize at the festival that will run from August 26 to September 6.
The other members of the jury, chaired by Andrea Dittgen of Germany, are Mario Abbade from Brazil, Diego Cabrera from Peru, Jon Frosch from France, Pascal Grenier from Canada, Anders Larsson from Sweden and Jake Wilson from Australia. Borpujari, who had won the Swarna Kamal for the Best Film Critic at the 50th National Film Awards in 2003, has served in FIPRESCI juries earlier also, in international film festivals like MAMI in Mumbai, Osian’s Cinefan in Delhi and documentary festival MIFF in Mumbai.
Hailing from Guwahati, Borpujari is currently working as a senior journalist with the New Delhi bureau of Bangalore-based English daily Deccan Herald. He is currently also a member of the world film selection committee of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) held annually in Goa.
There is report of escalating tension in Chirang district following recovery of the bodies and there are reports of minority community protesting on the streets against the death of the three men. Additional reinforcements of police and para military forces have been rushed to the affected areas, where forces are already deployed since the outbreak of Bodo-Muslim clashes in July. Night curfew continues in Kokrajhar and Chirang, which are part of Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts, and Dhubri.
After a very brief silence, violence seems to have resurfaced in the BTAD areas. In a yet to string of murder and mayhem, five persons have been killed in Kokrajhar on Sunday. Three bullet riddled bodies were found in Chirang on Sunday. This is apart from two more bodies found in Kokrajhar district. One person is reported missing in the district.
According to Chirang Superintendent of Police, the three - father and his two sons - had left the camp for displaced persons at Kawatika village of Chirang district in the afternoon on Saturday and their bodies were found on Sunday.
The Assam government has set up a group of ministers to oversee and coordinating the relief and rehabilitation measures in the affected districts on his direction.
According to sources, the GoM comprises Revenue Minister Prithibi Majhi as chairperson and comprises Planning and Development Minister Tanka Bahadur Rai, Public Health and Engineering Minister Gautam Roy, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Nazrul Islam, Education and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Environment and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain and Transport Minister Chandan Brahma. Agriculture minister Nilamoni Sen Deka will be the Member Secretary of the GoM.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday said that the government is taking steps to ensure best treatment for all inmates, particularly to children and mothers, residing in camps for displaced persons in the violence-hit BTAD areas and Dhubri district Gogoi directed Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with other senior officers of the health department to be present in the affected areas. Gogoi has also instructed that all medical and para-medical staff and medicine requirement may be refurbished by requisitioning from other districts.
The B Barooah College student who went missing on Saturday has been rescued in . New Jalpaiguri on Sunday.According to information, Saidul Islam approached RPF officials in NJ P alleging that a group of miscreants forcibly took away him by train when he was on the way to Panbazar on Saturday afternoon. The N JP . RPF officials then conveyed it to their Guwahati counterpart on Sunday wee hours which was later passed to his Kokrajhar-based parents. A team of Guwahati police is leaving for NJP to bring him back to the city.
A college student has been remaining traceless in Guwahati from Saturday. Identified as Saidul Islam, first year degree student of the B Barooah College went missing from 3 in the afternoon from Panbazar where he went to buy books. Police operation is going on in the city to trace Saidul who hails from Kokrajhar. Panbazar police station has already registered a case and investigation is going on.
Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that altogether 13 refugees died in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts during the recent violence. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Dr Sarma said that the department was working in 303 relief camps in the affected districts. According to him, so far blood tests of 8102 refugees have been conducted with over hundred of them testing positive for malaria.
A slew of strategies is in place to counter any effort by ULFA to monger trouble the run-up to Independence Day.Talking to reporters in Guwahati on Saturday, Senior Superintendednt of Police of Kamrup Metro Aditya Prakash Tiwari said that surveillance, pickets have been increased to ensure that the militant groups are not able to disrupt peace in Guwahati. According to Tiwari, ULFA cadres are working closely with other militant groups like the Meghalaya-based Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA).
Panic grips thousands of local residents in Tinsukia district after they came to notice high levels of gas emissions in water. The villagers in Hilikhaguri are scared of using the water from the hand pump to douse out the fires they use to cook food in their houses. This gas emissions spread beyond Deohall tea estate. The angry people in Hilikhaguri village blamed it all on Oil India for not paying any attention to the repeated complaints.
The All Bodoland Minority Students' Union on Saturday denied involvement of a newly formed unit was involved in the recent clashes. The organization said that there was no evidence about it. The ABMSU leader said refugee camps were facing shortage of essential items despite assurances by the administration.
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