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RN-1127/57 TECH/GH – 103/2021-2023, VOL. 86, NO. 82 www.assamtribune.com /THEASSAMTRIBUNE /ASSAMTRIBUNEOFF /THEASSAMTRIBUNE_OFFICIAL GUWAHATI, MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024

p3 Hunger strike for Ladakh’s p6 Bought-leaf tea factories threaten p9 CM reviews poll preparations
statehood begins in Kargil to cease manufacturing in Bongaigaon, Chirang

Russia launches barrage

Holi greetings
GUWAHATI, March 24:
Governor Gulab Chand
Kataria has extended his
heartiest greetings and
warm wishes to the
people of Assam on the
auspicious occasion of
Holi. – Staff Reporter
Chatra Divas
GUWAHATI, March 24:
The State Government
has asked all higher
educational institutions to
celebrate Chatra Divas to
mark the birth anniversary
of Bodofa Upendra Nath
Brahma on March 31 –
Staff Reporter
Bharat Narah
GUWAHATI, March 24:
Congress leader Bharat
Chandra Narah on Sunday
resigned from the post of
chairman of the media
department of Assam
Pradesh Congress
Committee, a day after the
of missiles on Ukraine
KYIV, March 24: Poland
on Sunday demanded an
explanation from Russia
after one of its missiles
strayed briefly into Polish
airspace during a massive
missile attack on Ukraine,
prompting the NATO
member to activate F-16
fighter jets.
The incident came as Rus-
sia launched its third massive
missile attack on Ukraine in
the past four days, and the
second to target the capital
of Kyiv.
The head of Kyiv’s military
administration, Serhiy Pop-
ko, said Russia used cruise
missiles launched from Tu-
95MS strategic bombers. An
air alert in the capital lasted
Roadside vendors selling powdered colours wait for customers on the eve of Holi, in Guwahati on Sunday. – UB Photos
Poland seeks
explanation
as missile
enters
airspace
for more than two hours as
rockets entered Kyiv in
groups from the north. He
said the attacks were
launched from the Engels dis-
trict in the Saratov region of
Russia. According to prelim-
inary data, there were no cas-
ualties or damage in the cap-
ital, he said.
Armed Forces Operation-
al Command of Poland, a
member of NATO, said in a
statement that there was a
violation of Polish airspace at
4:23 am by one of the cruise
missiles launched by Russia
against towns in western
Ukraine.
The object entered near
Oserdow, a village in an agri-
cultural region near the bor-
der with Ukraine, and stayed
there for 39 seconds, the
statement said.
Poland’s Defence Minister
Wladyslaw Kosiniak-
Kamysz later told reporters
in a televised news confer-
ence that the Russian missile
would have been shot down
had there been any indication
that it was heading towards a
target in Poland.
SEE PAGE 2

10-day police custody for IITG student No excuse for terrorism because
AICC picked Uday
Shankar Hazarika as its
candidate from Lakhimpur
from where Narah’s wife
Ranee Narah was also a
contender. – Staff Reporter Another student under radar of security agencies: CM of other explanations: Jaishankar
STAFF REPORTER Okhla in New Delhi, was final year biotechnology stu- Chief Minister Himanta SINGAPORE, March 24: bers in Singapore. “It’s also natural that there
arrested by Assam Police dent mentioned about his dis- Biswa Sarma on Sunday External Affairs Minister S Responding to a question will be different viewpoints.
NOTICE GUWAHATI, March 24: A at Hajo on Saturday. Later, association “completely said that one more student Jaishankar said on Sunday on how Indian officials ap- And what diplomacy is about
court here on Sunday re- the Special Task Force from the Indian-Construct of IIT Guwahati is under the that “a terrorist is a terror- proach sensitive and linguis- is to find a way of reconciling
Today (Monday) being
manded Tauseef Ali Fa- took him into custody. Dur- that includes the Indian Con- radar of security agencies. ist” in any language and one tically different topics with it and coming to some kind
a holiday in the offices of
rooqui, an IIT Guwahati stu- ing the time of his arrest, stitution, its institutions and “Both of them are com- should not allow terrorism their global counterparts, of agreement,” he said.
The Assam Tribune on
dent who was arrested after he was holding an Islamic so on”. He had claimed that pletely radicalized. We have to be excused or defended the Minister said that in di- Jaishankar, however, said
the occasion of Dol Jatra,
he posted an open letter sup- State-like flag. Central he was on his way to “Islam- informed their parents and because of a different expla- plomacy, different countries that there are some issues
there will be no issue of
porting the Islamic State ter- agencies are also likely to ic State from Panbazar”. have also alerted Central nation of it. bring their own cultures, when there is clarity and no
this newspaper on
rorist outfit, to 10-day police interrogate Farooqui dur- He also sent a mail to the agencies,” said Sarma, who Jaishankar’s remarks came traditions and sometimes confusion.
Tuesday.
custody. ing his custody. IGP (Central Western also holds the Home during his interaction with their language or concepts
Farooqui, who hails from In a post on Linkedin, the Range). portfolio. the Indian community mem- to debate. SEE PAGE 2

INDIA bloc
March 25, 2024

● Holi, a syncretic
Least questions from
celebration
Dr Dhurjjati Sarma
● Intricacies of human
three State MPs in
nature
Shashanka Das
17th Lok Sabha
● Tales of Hanuman RITURAJ BORTHAKUR
Prantik Deka
● Enduring love, GUWAHATI, March 24:
irreparable loss AIUDF MP Badruddin Aj-
B Choudhury mal’s attendance in the 17th
● Fighting the war in Lok Sabha has been just 50
our minds per cent, while BJP MPs
RB Nikunj ji
Topon Gogoi, Horen Sing
● A spiritual sojourn
Bey and Pradan Barua asked
Baishali Gautam
just 9, 6 and 15 questions,
respectively, during the 274
sittings in the last five years.
JOCOSERIOUS On average, MPs (exclud-
ing ministers) had 79 per cent
attendance during the 17th
Lok Sabha, and only 10 per
cent of the members had less
than 60 per cent attendance,
according to data compiled by
PRS Legislative Research.
On average, MPs from
Maharashtra asked the most
questions (370 per MP), fol-
lowed by Andhra Pradesh
(275), and Rajasthan (273).
MPs from the Northeastern
I don’t worry as I am stain States asked 152 questions
proof. on average.
BJP’s Dilip Saikia asked the
highest number of questions
among the Assam MPs at
354, while Abdul Khaleque
of the Congress had the high-
est attendance of 91 per cent.
Topon Gogoi, who had 9
questions to his name, par-
ticipated in just 11 debates.
Horen Sing Bey participated
in just 3 debates, while
Pradan Baruah participated in
none. Baruah is among nine
Lok Sabha MPs who did not
participate in any debate.
Overall, women MPs par-
ticipated in 39 debates on
average, and male MPs in 46.
Only 4 of the 14 MPs from
Assam brought private
members’ bills – Abdul Kha-
leque (8), Dilip Saikia (3),
Gaurav Gogoi (5) and Prady-
ut Bordoloi (3).
The data was compiled
from the bulletins, proceed-
ings of the Parliament and
published Questions Lists.
rally on
March 31
NEW DELHI, March 24:
The Opposition INDIA bloc
will hold a ‘maha rally’ at Del-
hi’s Ramlila Maidan on March
31 to safeguard the country’s
interests and democracy,
AAP leader Gopal Rai said on
Sunday.
The announcement comes
after Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal was arrest-
ed by the Enforcement Di-
rectorate in connection with
an excise policy-linked mon-
ey-laundering case. A court
on Friday sent the AAP na-
tional convenor to the Cen-
tral agency’s custody till
March 28.
Addressing a press meet,
INDIA bloc allies AAP and
Congress announced the ral-
ly. “We will hold a ‘maha ral-
ly’ at Ramlila Maidan on
March 31 against what is hap-
pening in the country. The
top leadership of the INDIA
bloc will participate in the
event,” the AAP’s Delhi con-
venor, Rai said.
SEE PAGE 2

Race for Jorhat Lok Sabha seat hots up

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
JORHAT, March 24: As the weather
looked up on Sunday after four days of
intermittent showers, the election cam-
paign for the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat
gained momentum, with the two rival
candidates from the Congress and BJP
– Gaurav Gogoi and Topon Kumar Go-
goi – holding meetings and interacting
with the people in Mariani and Majuli,
respectively.
Gaurav Gogoi addressed several meet-
ings in Mariani. The constituency which
has many tea gardens saw the Koliabor
MP visiting some of the tea estates and
interacting with the workers.
He urged the voters to give him an
opportunity to serve the people of Jorhat
constituency. Gaurav Gogoi spoke about
the activities he undertook as a repre-
sentative of the Koliabor seat for two
consecutive terms. He said that he not
only took up their causes with the Gov-
ernment, but also raised many impor-
tant issues in the Parliament.
He mentioned his father, late Tarun
Gogoi, who led the Congress govern-
ment in Assam for 15 years, saying that
he was inspired and guided by his fa-
ther’s works on serve the people.
Many youths and women rushed to
Topon Kumar Gogoi Gaurav Gogoi
take selfies with the Congress candidate.
Earlier, Gaurav Gogoi offered prayers
at the Pukhuria Bornaamghar in Mari-
ani, where a seven-day Bhagawat Paath
is going on. He also visited the Gan-
gapur Naamghar and offered prayers.
He also prayed at the St Anthony’s
Church and visited St Anthony’s School.
Meanwhile, Jorhat’s sitting MP Topon
Kumar Gogoi, who has been again field-
ed by the ruling party from the same
constituency, campaigned in the Brah-
maputra island of Majuli on Sunday. He
was accompanied by State Minister Pi-
jush Hazarika and Majuli MLA Bhuban
Gam.
Topon Gogoi, addressing a huge rally
at Cherpai, spoke about the vast devel-
opment and progress that the country
has witnessed under Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in the last 10 years. Stat-
ing that Assam was moving ahead in the
journey of transformation under the BJP,
he said that Majuli was now not left be-
hind, as the river island was undergoing
tremendous development with a slew
of projects under way for allround de-
velopment.
He said that under the leadership of
Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Brahmapu-
tra island, which is also a cultural hotspot
that possesses a rich flora and fauna, was
moving fast to become a known name
across the globe.
SEE PAGE 2 Janasanyog/DF/3128/23/25-Mar-24
 2 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI
1st Death Anniversary
Smt. Jyotsna Baruah
(25-03-2023)
Dear Jyotsna / Maa,
A year has passed without
you and we miss you dearly
every single day. You will
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and emulate.
In life we loved you dearly,
in death we love you still.
In our hearts, you hold a
place no one can ever fill.
In loving memory
Dr. Rabin Ch. Baruah
(Husband)
Dr. Hrishikesh Baruah (Son)
Nandita Baruah (Daughter)
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ED takes cognisance of Kejriwal’s
directions to Delhi govt from custody
NEW DELHI, March 24:
The Enforcement Directo-
rate has taken cognisance of
CD/Achieve/.../1
Lost my 6th Semester Marksheet
(Name Mrinmoy Sonowal,
Roll No. 200610003056,
Registration No. 117506120,
Session 2020-21) provided by
Assam Engineering College,
Jalukbari under ASTU.
Lost/P/PP004107/1
Lost my 4th Semester Marksheet
(Name Anurag Bhuyan, Roll No.
200610003011, Registration
No. 112606120, Session - 2020-
21) provided by Assam
Engineering College, Jalukbari
under ASTU.
Lost/P/PP004106/1
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PN/P/PP004080/1
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Delhi minister Atishi’s state-
ment that Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal sent her di-
rections from the agency’s
custody to initiate public wel-
fare works related to water
and sewerage, official sourc-
es said on Sunday.
The federal agency will con-
duct an investigation to ascer-
tain if these directions from the
arrested Chief Minister were
in line with the special Pre-
vention of Money Laundering
Act (PMLA) court’s order is-
sued to the ED and Kejriwal
during his custody period, the
sources said.
While remanding Kejriw-
al in ED custody till March
Rajnath Singh celebrates
Holi with soldiers in Leh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh celebrating Holi with Army personnel, in Leh on Sunday. – PTI
LEH, March 24: Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh on
Sunday celebrated Holi with
Army jawans in Leh and laud-
ed them for protecting the
country from enemies while
braving extreme weather
conditions.
Singh was earlier supposed
to celebrate Holi with soldiers
in Siachen, the world’s high-
est battlefield, but his visit was
cancelled due to inclement
weather. The minister was
accompanied by Chief of
Army Staff General Manoj
Pande and General Officer
Commanding, Fire and Fury
Corps, Lt Gen Rashim Bali.
The Defence Minister ap-
plied tilak with gulal on sol-
diers’ foreheads. He also laid
a wreath at the War Memo-
rial here to pay tribute to
soldiers who laid down their
lives in the line of duty.
Addressing the soldiers
after celebrating the festival
of colours, Singh said Ladakh
BJP slams INDIA bloc
over DMK minister’s
remarks against PM
NEW DELHI/CHENNAI,
March 24: Accusing Tamil
Nadu minister Anitha Rad-
hakrishnan of making derog-
atory remarks against Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, the
BJP lashed out at the INDIA
bloc on Sunday, saying the
conscience of those in the
Opposition alliance “is dead”.
K Annamalai, the BJP’s
Tamil Nadu unit president, al-
leged that DMK leaders have
reached a new low in their
“uncouth behaviour” and
said his party would take up
the matter with the Election
Commission and the Direc-
tor General of Police, seek-
ing the “strictest and imme-
diate action” against Rad-
hakrishnan.
Posting on X a purported
video clip of the DMK lead-
er’s remarks, the BJP’s Tamil
Nadu unit alleged that Rad-
hakrishnan “spoke disgusting-
ly” about Modi in the pres-
ence of DMK MP K Kani-
mozhi and others who wit-
nessed the “nauseating act”,
and alleged that it reflected
the “vulgar political culture”
of the ruling party in the State.
Addressing a press confer-
ence in the national capital,
BJP leader and Union minis-
ter Anurag Thakur strongly
condemned Radhakrishnan’s
remarks against the Prime
Minister and said there is no
place for such language in
28, the court had allowed his
wife Sunita Kejriwal and per-
sonal assistant Bibhav Kumar
to meet him every day for
half an hour between 6 and 7
pm, apart from his lawyers
for another half an hour.
Earlier on Sunday, Water
Minister Atishi said at a press
conference that Kejriwal sent
her a document from ED
custody on Saturday with “his
directions” to resolve public
issues related to water and
sewerage.
She said the Chief Minis-
ter directed that a sufficient
number of water tankers be
deployed in areas facing a
water shortage to strength-
is the national capital of cour-
age and bravery.
“Like we have the national
capital in Delhi, the economic
capital in Mumbai, and the
technological capital in Ben-
galuru, Ladakh is India’s capi-
tal of courage and bravery.
“When everyone wants to
hide in their homes due to ex-
treme weather conditions, you
stand up to protect the coun-
try from its enemies with un-
wavering will power,” he said.
The country will always be
indebted to the soldiers for
their devotion and service.
The commitment of the sol-
diers posted on high altitudes
is much stronger than the
sub-zero temperatures, the
minister said. “You are doing
divine work. You are ready to
fire at the enemy and take a
bullet to your chest and it is
due to this that the people of
the country can celebrate Holi
peacefully,” he said.
“I feel that all of you, while
democracy.
“When destruction befalls
man, it is the conscience
which dies first. The con-
science of those in INDIA al-
liance is dead,” Thakur told
reporters at the BJP head-
quarters.
He said this clearly showed
the “hatred” of the INDIA
bloc against Modi.
“One of their ministers
yesterday hurled dirty abuse
at Prime Minister Modi and
made derogatory comments
against the Prime Minister
using objectionable words, in
the presence of a woman MP
of the party,” Thakur said.
“With Radhakrishnan’s re-
marks, the total number of
abuses hurled at Prime Min-
ister Modi by the Opposition
leaders has reached 120,” the
BJP leader said.
“Every time they abused
Modiji, people of India show-
ered that much more love on
him,” he said.
“They kept abusing Modi-
ji and Modiji kept raising the
stature of India. They hurl
abuse one after another at
Modiji. But there is only love
for Modiji in the hearts of
people,” he added.
Thakur also questioned the
silence of the Congress over
the Tamil Nadu minister’s
remarks against Modi and de-
manded an apology from the
INDIA bloc. – PTI
en supply ahead of the sum-
mer months.
Kejriwal also directed her to
issue instructions to the Chief
Secretary and other officers in
this regard, she added.
Kejriwal (55) was arrest-
ed by the ED on March 21
following raids at his official
residence in connection with
the Delhi excise policy-linked
money laundering case.
The ED, the sources said,
will investigate if due proc-
esses were followed during
these meetings. If any aber-
rations are found, the desig-
nated special court will be
duly informed, they said.
The meeting area where
protecting us from the ene-
mies, are no less than pro-
tector gods for us,” he told
the soldiers.
Singh reiterated the
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi-led Central govern-
ment’s commitment to the
welfare of the armed forces
and their families.
“It is our duty to take care
of you, your children and par-
ents. Our government is al-
ways working for the forces
of the country with the same
zeal with which you are work-
ing for this country,” he said.
When he took over as the
Defence Minister five years
ago, Singh said, he visited Si-
achen first.
“Today, it was not possible
to go to Siachen due to bad
weather. Therefore, I wish a
happy Holi to all soldiers de-
ployed there,” he said, add-
ing that playing Holi with ja-
wans is one of the happiest
moments for him. – PTI
INDIA bloc ...
(Contd from page 1)
“Democracy and the coun-
try are in danger. All INDIA
bloc parties will take part in
this maha rally to safeguard
the country’s interests and
democracy,” he added.
Rai claimed that Kejriw-
al’s arrest has angered peo-
ple who respect the Con-
stitution.
“It is not only about Arvind
Kejriwal. The entire Oppo-
sition is being threatened.
Either they use money to buy
people or scare them by us-
ing the ED and the CBI. If
someone refuses to bow,
they get them arrested un-
der false cases,” Rai alleged.
The Delhi minister cited
the arrest of former
Jharkhand Chief Minister
Hemant Soren and alleged
that West Bengal Chief Min-
ister Mamata Banerjee and
RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav are
also being targeted.
Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti
Morcha, the Banerjee-led
Trinamool Congress, and the
RJD are all members of the
Opposition INDIA bloc.
“All INDIA bloc leaders
are being framed in false
cases. They turned Delhi
into a fortress. Elected
MLAs and ministers were
detained when they were
protesting. Kejriwal’s fami-
ly was placed under house
arrest. They sealed our par-
ty office. Yesterday (Satur-
day), at Shaheedi Park, they
treated us as if we were
criminals,” Rai further al-
leged. – PTI
MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024
the arrestee meets his law- The ED is also investigat-
yers and family members at ing if mobile phones handled
the ED headquarters on the by the Chief Minister’s aides
APJ Abdul Kalam Road in and staff were formatted or
central Delhi is monitored reported missing soon after
via a CCTV video link, ac- the policy was scrapped and
cording to the sources. the agency and the CBI reg-
Kejriwal, who is also the istered separate criminal
national convener of the Aam cases to investigate the al-
Aadmi Party (AAP), is under- leged irregularities.
stood to have been ques- While the ED has alleged
tioned over the last few days that Kejriwal is the “king-
about the formulation of the pin and key conspirator” of
now-scrapped Delhi Excise the Delhi excise policy
Policy 2021-22, his meetings “scam”, the Chief Minister
with various government of- and his party have termed
ficials and private stakehold- the agency’s action against
ers and the statements made him “political vendetta” by
by other accused and wit- the BJP-led Central govern-
nesses in the case till now. ment. – PTI
Haryana boiler blast
toll climbs to 14
CHANDIGARH, March
24: Four workers, who were
Sunday, Inspector Jagdish
Chand, SHO of Dharuhera
injured in a boiler blast at a (Rewari) Police Station, said.
spare parts manufacturing The blast took place at the
facility in Haryana’s Rewari, manufacturing facility in the
have died, taking the death Dharuhera industrial area on
toll in the incident to 14, the March 16, leaving 40 workers
police said on Sunday. injured. An FIR was registered
While three of them died on the basis of a complaint filed
at the PGIMS, Rohtak, on by Raj Kumar, a worker from
Saturday, one passed away on Uttar Pradesh. – PTI
Russia launches ...
(Contd from page 1)
He said that Polish authorities monitored the attack on
Ukraine and was in contact with Ukrainian counterparts. Polish
and NATO F-16s were activated as part of the strategic re-
sponse. He said the missile penetrated Polish airspace about a
kilometre or two as Russia was targeting the region around
Lviv in western Ukraine.
“As last night’s rocket attack on Ukraine was one of the
most intense since the beginning of the Russian aggression,
all the strategic procedures were launched on time and the
object was monitored until it left the Polish airspace,” he said.
On the diplomatic front, the Polish foreign ministry said it
would “demand explanations from the Russian Federation in
connection with another violation of the country’s airspace”.
“Above all, we call on the Russian Federation to stop the
terrorist air attacks on the inhabitants and territory of Ukraine,
end the war, and address the country’s internal problems,”
the statement read.
Andrzej Szejna, a deputy foreign minister, told the TVN24
broadcaster that the foreign ministry intended to summon the
Russian ambassador to Poland and hand him a protest note.
Henryk Zdyb, the head of the village of Oserdow, said in an
interview with the daily, Gazeta Wyborcza, that he saw the
missile, saying it produced a whistling sound.
“I saw a rapidly moving object in the sky. It was illuminated and
flying quite low over the border with Ukraine,” he told the paper.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, there have been a number of intru-
sions into Polish airspace, triggering worry in the European Union
member state and reminding people of how close the war is.
In 2022, two Poles were killed in a missile blast. Western offi-
cials blamed those deaths on a Ukrainian air defence missile that
went astray but also accused Russia of culpability because it started
the war, with the Ukrainian missiles launched in self-defence. – AP
No excuse for ...
(Contd from page 1)
Giving the example of terrorism, he said: “You can take it in
any language, but a terrorist is a terrorist in any language.”
“Never allow something like terrorism to be excused or
defended because they are using a different language or a
different explanation,” he said, without referring to any coun-
try. He stated there can be issues where two nations genuine-
ly can have different viewpoints and there “will be issues
when they are used as a cover as an excuse as a justification”.
He said one should be able to spot the difference and figure
out a way how to deal with it.
In his address, Jaishankar recapped India-Singapore rela-
tions dating back to the Independence struggling days when
Subhas Chandra Bose established the Indian National Army
and made the ‘Delhi Chalo’ call. “He (Netaji) remains a visible
inspiration for our entire nation,” Jaishankar said as he joined
some 1,500 Indian diaspora members at the screening of the
Singapore-made short film on Netaji.
As India has globalized, the two countries’ relations that
began as the Look East Policy and then on Act East Policy, has
now gone on to India being in the Indo-Pacific, and the story in
many ways began in Singapore, Jaishankar shared with the
business-focused Indian community here.
The more India globalizes, every aspect of that will be re-
flected in the intensity and quality of relationships with Singa-
pore, Jaishankar underscored.
“Singapore has been our partner in the globalization of India
and that role and companionship is something that we value,”
said Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit to the Asian financial
hub. Jaishankar also updated the Singapore-based Indian com-
munity on the accelerated pace of infrastructure development
in India and highlighted “Bharat being a global friend”. – PTI
Race for Jorhat ...
(Contd from page 1)
Topon Gogoi said that the construction works of the much-
talked-about Jorhat-Majuli bridge were in progress, and that
the bridge is expected to be completed by 2026.
The Jorhat MP, after returning from Delhi in the first week
of March to his hometown Sonari following medical treat-
ment, has been touring the Parliamentary constituency spread
over 10 Assembly segments in four districts on a wheelchair.
He had a fracture on his right leg due to an injury sustained on
February 21 while attending a foundation stone laying cere-
mony of a project at Dikhowmukh in Sivasagar district.
It may be mentioned here that after delimitation of constit-
uencies by the Election Commission of India, the Majuli LAC,
which was earlier a part of the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat, has
been included in the Jorhat Parliamentary constituency.
 MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024
NATIONAL THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 3

ASI continues
Hunger strike for Ladakh’s Bhojshala
complex survey
statehood begins in Kargil
KARGIL, March 24: A three-day hun-
ger strike by Kargil Democratic Alli-
ance (KDA) in support of their four-point
demands, including statehood and Lada-
kh’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of
the Constitution, commenced here on
Sunday with people from different walks
of life joining the symbolic protest
against the Central government.
Separately, the hunger strike led by
climate activist Sonam Wangchuk in Leh
entered 19th day as he expressed his
displeasure over “breach of trust” from
the Union Home Ministry amid dead-
lock over the talks between represent-
atives of Leh-based Apex Body and the
government.
KDA and Leh-based Apex Body, both
separate groupings of various political,
social and religious organisations repre-
senting the two districts, are jointly spear-
heading the agitation in support of their
demands which also included job reser-
vation for local youth and one Rajya Sab-
ha seat. The agitation was launched short-
ly after Ladakh was granted UT status
without Assembly in August 2019.
The entire leadership of KDA along
with over 200 volunteers assembled at
Nausena Bhawan symbol of
Hussaini park on Sunday morning and
started the three-day hunger strike in
solidarity with Wangchuk who has been
on ‘climate fast’ in Leh since March 6 in
support of the demands.
Amid chanting of slogans like “hollow
UT, bureaucracy not acceptable and re-
store democracy in Ladakh”, people
from different walks of life including chief
executive councillor of Ladakh Autono-
mous Hill Development Council (LAH-
DC), Kargil, Jaffar Akhoon attended the
hunger strike.
“The hunger strike is part of the on-
going joint agitation by KDA and Apex
body to press for our four-point de-
mands. Unfortunately after five rounds
of talks with the home ministry, the
home minister (Amit Shah) on March 4
told us that we will be given some con-
stitutional safeguards but not the state-
hood and Sixth Schedule of the Consti-
tution,” chairman of KDA Asgar Ali
Karbalai.
He said the KDA and the Apex Body
unanimously decided to intensify the ag-
itation with the start of a hunger strike
by Wangchuk in Leh.
The hunger strikes in Leh and Kargil
will end on March 26 evening and the
people are requested to assemble in the
district towns, where the concerned
leadership will announce the future
course of action, Karbalai said.
Prominent KDA leader Sajjad Kargi-
li said the people of Ladakh will contin-
ue their struggle in a “democratic and
peaceful manner”.
“We request the government to open
its heart and understand the concerns
of the people of Ladakh,” he said.
In Leh, Wangchuk said 5,000 people
joined him in sub-zero temperatures on
the start of the 19th day of his ‘climate fast’.
“I’m feeling (a) bit better today. But
deeply disturbed at the breach of trust
that Ladakh witnessed from the Home
Ministry. This disrespect for written
manifestos will set the worst prece-
dence in the nation,” he wrote on X.
He said India already ranks at a dismal
93rd position in honesty and interesting-
ly the countries that are at the top of the
transparency ranking are also at the top
of the per capita income ranking.
“... What does this imply! Where are
our politicians leading us to?” he ques-
tioned. – PTI
Mosque welfare
body submits
objections
DHAR, March 24: The Ar-
chaeological Survey of India
(ASI) continued the survey
of the controversial Bhojsha-
la/Kamal Maula Mosque
complex in Madhya Pradesh’s
Dhar district for the third day
on Sunday.
The Kamal Maula Mosque
Welfare Society president
Abdul Samad, one of the par-
ties in the court, told report-
ers that he has submitted
some of his objections to the
ASI via e-mail on Saturday.
“Our objection is that the
ASI should not include in
the survey the objects put
up inside Bhojshala after
2003. I have sent my objec-
tions through e-mail,” he
said. Samad said three ASI
teams were working inside
the complex.
On Sunday, ASI officials,
accompanied by senior po-
lice and local administration
officials, conducted survey in
the disputed complex. – PTI
Ex-IAF chief Bhadauria joins BJP
NEW DELHI, March 24:
Former Indian Air Force chief
RKS Bhadauria joined the
BJP on Sunday and praised
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s leadership and the
steps taken by his govern-
ment to modernise and
strengthen the armed forces.
Varaprasad Rao, a former
MP and a YSR Congress
leader from Tirupati in And-
hra Pradesh, also joined the
BJP in the presence of Un-
ion Minister Anurag Thakur
and party general secretary
Vinod Tawde. BJP president JP Nadda welcomes former IAF chief RKS
Bhadauria into party fold, in New Delhi on Sunday. – PTI
Bhadauria – who hails from
Uttar Pradesh, where the partments will help the coun- demand for ‘One Rank, One
BJP is yet to name its candi- try emerge stronger. Pension’ of armed forces vet-
dates for many Lok Sabha Rao, a former IAS officer, erans, scrapped Article 370
seats – said his new innings said Modi is the most dynam- and boosted the country’s
gives him a chance to con- ic politician he has seen and internal security.
tribute to nation-building. lauded his government’s de- Tawde lauded Bhadauria’s
Having retired in 2021, he velopment initiatives. long service in the Indian Air
termed the last eight to 10 Thakur noted that two Force (IAF) and expressed
years of his service as a people with a long track confidence that he will now
“golden period”, praising the record in government serv- contribute actively in the po-
steps taken by the Modi gov- ice chose the BJP to contrib- litical field after playing an
ernment to boost self-reli- ute to the nation, asserting active role in the defence
ance and modernise the that the Prime Minister has forces.
armed forces. been working for the coun- The BJP leader said Bhadau-
He also praised its measures try’s security, prosperity and ria spent nearly 40 years in the
for national security and laud- development. IAF and contributed to the Aat-
ed Modi’s foresight, saying the He noted that it was this manirbhar Bharat programme
steps taken across various de- government that fulfilled the of Modi. – PTI

Naya Bharat: Navy chief

NEW DELHI, March 24:
‘Nausena Bhawan’ – the new
state-of-the-art headquarters
of the Indian Navy – is not
just a building but a symbol
of ‘Naya Bharat’ and ‘Nayi
Nausena’, Navy chief Admi-
ral R Hari Kumar has said.
Located in Delhi Canton-
ment, the sprawling complex
is equipped with modern fa-
cilities and cutting-edge tech-
nologies.
On Saturday, Admiral Ku-
mar held a press meet at the
new ‘Nausena Bhawan’, the
first media interaction at the
complex since its inaugura-
tion last week by Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh.
“This building is not just a
building, but a symbol of
‘Naya Bharat’ (new India) and
‘Nayi Nausena’ (new Navy)
and the progress of both our
nation and the Navy. Inspired
from maritime heritage of
Bharat and modern history
of Indian Navy, it indeed rep-
resents aspirations of a ris-
ing Bharat as well as the ris-
ing maritime consciousness
of our country,” he said.
In his address, the Navy
chief said the modern land-
mark also represents “our
resurgence as a maritime
power”.
“I would say, this building
is actually a representative of
‘Naye Bharat ki Nayi Nause-
na aur Nayi Nausena ki nayi
soch ka pratik’ (new navy of
new India, and new thinking
of new navy). That is what it
symbolises,” he said.
The multi-storey building
has three wings, and the
press interaction was held at
the Seafarers Hall located in
the Central Wing.
The foyers has a round
cross-section, with a com-
pass depicted in at its centre.
The logo of the India Nay
with its motto ‘Shan No Var-
unah’ has been prominently
displayed on the facade and
in the foyer area.
The press interaction
largely centred around the
100 days of “sustained opera-
tions” by the Navy at seas in
executing anti-piracy, anti-
drone and anti-missile opera-
tions under ‘Op Sankalp’ in the
Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and
north Arabian Sea and sea off
the east coast of Somalia.
“This is a testament to a
new and confident Indian
Navy, and we are trying to
wear the new identity of
Bharat,” he said.
Defence Minister Singh on
March 15 had inaugurated the
‘Nausena Bhawan’. It marked
a significant milestone for the
Navy as it has established its
“first independent headquar-
ters in Delhi”.
Previously, the Navy oper-
ated from 13 different locations,
necessitating a consolidated and
purpose-built facility such as the
‘Nausena Bhawan’, the Defence
Ministry said in a statement
earlier. – PTI
 4 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024

The project of civilisation

MESSAGE FOR TODAY
Brotherhood is an ideal better understood by
example than precept.
– PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA anything at anyone. For the first we felt. One would like to believe these also give the sense that men- course? Yes, mental health issues are
group of people, read and listen to that the entire project of civilisation is tal health issues are rifer than we definitely rifer than we think. Or, is
their ‘speeches’ in the various aimed at elevating the human being thought. Imagine most in power talk, it a case of bhejal manuh, bhejal
forms of media; a lot of them ap- from the lowest to the highest forms act and behave as if political power maal? I am told that there is a say-

W
hat separates human pear to think and believe that polit- of self-expression through language, has elevated his/her to a state of di- ing in Assamese, which loosely
beings from other liv- ical power extends to violating all arts, literature, music, science and vinity higher than the Divine Him- translates as ‘you can sell sour man-

Moscow attack ing beings is our abil-

The scourge of terror has become a threat to humanity.
It has cast its net wide and has left behind a trail of vio-
lence, killings and destruction. And sadly, instead of be-
ing finished forever the force of terror has flourished,
spreading its tentacles far and wide. Moscow became the
latest city to bear the brunt of a terror attack. In the dead-
liest terror attack on Moscow in decades, on Friday as-
sailants burst into a large concert hall with guns and in-
cendiary devices and went on a shooting rampage killing
at least 143 people and injuring over 100. The attack,
which left the concert hall in flames with a collapsing roof,
was the deadliest in Russia in years and came as the
country’s war with Ukraine dragged into the third year.
Four attackers, camouflaged and armed with assault ri-
fles, arrived at the Crocus City Hall and began shooting
civilians at point-blank range. They shot people through
the glass doors near the entrance turnstiles to the venue
and then moved on towards the concert hall. The way the
four heavily armed assailants indiscriminately shot the
unarmed civilians who were watching a rock concert, bears
an uncanny similarity the way Pakistan-backed terrorists
created mayhem in Mumbai in 2008. The terror that the
gunmen had unleashed can be gauged from the fact that
around 28 bodies were found in a single toilet, where
people had sought shelter from the shooting.
A swift crackdown by the Russian security forces helped
in apprehending all four individuals believed to be the
perpetrators of the carnage. Along with the four terror-
ists, seven others believed to be involved in the deadly
attack were nabbed following a ‘car chase’ in Russia’s
Bryansk region bordering Ukraine. Russian security agen-
cies have claimed that the attackers had contacts in
Ukraine and were driving to the border. The Russians
believe that the terrorists planned to cross the Russian-
Ukrainian border after committing the terror attack. They
are currently undergoing interrogation in Moscow. Ukrain-
ian officials said their war-ravaged country was not be-
hind the attack. The terrorist group ISIS has claimed re-
sponsibility for the dastardly attack. To buttress the claim
the ISIS has released a video on the social media purport-
edly shot by the gunmen who carried out the attack. The
assault came two weeks after the US Embassy in Mos-
ity to speak. So we
believe that we are superior to oth-
er living beings. But what places
other living beings much above us
and renders us inferior is what we
say and how we say it. The project
of civilisation, one believes, is so
much more than the scientific, tech-
nological, economic, political and
social revolutions for growth, de-
velopment, prosperity ad progress.
And, at the core of this project of
civilisation, one also believes, is hu-
man beings’ verbal communication.
Due to the astonishing tools and
means of communication in our
hands, today we are no longer far
away from anyone, everyone and
anywhere. But the quality of com-
munication in our public sphere is
abysmal. The quality of our commu-
nication has descended to such depths
that it has rendered the project of
civilisation impotent and extraneous.
While the quality of mastering
languages has improved tremen-
dously, the quality of using languag-
es to communicate our thoughts and
feelings has deteriorated. This not
only creates stresses and tension in
public life but also exposes the char-
acter, calibre and civilisational quo-
tient of people, who believe that
theirs is the right to exercise the
right to free speech ‘unfiltered’ and
consequences be damned. Two
groups of people come to mind –
political parties and politicians in
power and those who feel ‘empow-
ered’ by technology to rave and rant
Police: Men of action as men of letters
Dr Bedika Bhattacharjee
norms of human and social decency,
decorum and dignity and absolves
technology, etc., as well as through
numerous other cultural expressions.
self and that too in a vociferously
declared “mother of democracy”!
goes in the market only once’. But
what if buyers want to buy only sour
them from the responsibility of the Ah, but these too have been mone- And, never mind the tripe that is mangoes? What does that say about
project of civilisation. We will see tised and commercialised and so to- spewed, as if it is the gospel truth. A us? That we don’t know quality? Is
more of this as the dates for the day we live in a world that values scary world, indeed, especially if one that why we take so much nonsense
Lok Sabha elections draw nearer. ‘likes’ and incomes. Pointless to ask considers how and where the coun- and pass it off as free will and our
As for the second group of peo- whether technology has made us this try is being blindfolded and taken. right to speech and expression?
ple, while the question of upbring- way or it is human nature to corrupt Indubitably then we must talk of India was one of the foremost civ-
ing always lurks in the the values in our home ilisations in history and the legacy
backdrop, it appears that and school environ- and heritage of wisdom are still pal-
there is some kind of India was one of the foremost ments, quality of educa- pable in numerous aspects of our
emptiness inside them civilisations in history and the legacy tion, etc., seeing that we lives, however dimly. This legacy
probably, due to which seem to be unable to dis- and heritage of wisdom were not
and heritage of wisdom are still
the insatiable need to at- tinguish right from built on lies, distortions and plain de-
tract attention, therefore palpable in numerous aspects of our wrong, light from dark- basement of others, especially op-
the incurable angst – so lives, however dimly. This legacy and ness, lies from truths, ponents. This legacy and heritage of
the need to live in the full facts from opinions, the wisdom must be revived because
frontal view of the world. heritage of wisdom were not built on enduring from the tran- we are fast descending into a chaos
Ergo, the raving and lies, distortions and plain debasement sient. I think the project that would make us forget the word
ranting of drivel made out of others, especially opponents. This of civilisation has been ‘civilisation’. Civilisation is also not
to appear as important abandoned and we re- the sole prerogative of any indi-
and relevant. It takes all legacy and heritage of wisdom must main silent spectators to vidual or group(s) of individuals.
sorts to make the world, be revived because we are fast this abandonment. Is it It is the collective project of the
I suppose. But don’t such now too late to reclaim people for whom sagacity is more
low levels of human com-
descending into a chaos that would this project? Or, have we imperative than political power.
munication speak vol- make us forget the word ‘civilisation’. lost interest in the quest Postscript: Influencers are said
umes about the project for civilisation? Perhaps to be big these days and that be-
of civilisation? Or, is this project everything around us because there human beings are more comforta- sides the showbiz, music, fashions,
no longer valid in our world today? will always be diverse opinions – un- ble with Maggie noodles than with sports, cosmetic and accessories
So, what actually are our projects fortunately, little or no solution. Cordon Bleu; so we make gods of corporate, tourism, etc., sectors,
today? What actually are we hop- In the final analysis, who and what those who provide the mass appeal? even political parties are wooing
ing and aspiring for and dreaming we have turned ourselves into must It is then not surprising that bad- them with the most attractive pack-
about? Attend coaching classes, get certainly draw our attention. Look mouthing, insults and humiliations ages. Now, why are influencers do-
a job, earn good money, buy a at political parties and politicians, who attract more attention than polite ing so well? Because there are peo-
smartphone and rave and rant talk and act as if they are flawless, and civilised presentations ergo, the ple who can’t decide and need vali-
against the world and the wife? can never be wrong and hunt their regressing quality of our communi- dation on what to eat, wear, dress,
Belittling opponents and those we opponents relentlessly – all to up- cation to get across a point. So, why which music to listen to, movie to
don’t like is human nature but so are hold their ‘whiteness’ against the do we feel the need to insult, humil- see, sports to play, place to go, even
several other characteristics that we ‘blackness’ of their opponents. All iate and stomp on those we don’t who to vote? Yes gods, what has
tame because human society wouldn’t these create the sense of going back like, which have become the hall- happened to parenting, our educa-
exist if we gave in to every emotion in time – before the rule of law. All mark of this country’s public dis- tion system and media?
pertise but also bring to light cer- showcasing possibilities of its as- sight seems to loom large in their
tain issues and matters inexplicably sociation with almost every stra- works which goes beyond law and

cow issued a notice urging Americans to avoid crowded
places in view of “imminent” plans by extremists to tar-
get large Moscow gatherings, including concerts. Sever-
al other western embassies repeated the warning. A com-
prehensive investigation will help unearth the forces
behind the killings which have once again brought to
the fore the danger the terror outfits pose to the civi-
lised world. All nations should join hands to eliminate
the forces of terror.
Major success
In a path-breaking exercise, the Indian Navy on Satur-
day brought 35 Somali pirates to Mumbai aboard the war-
ship INS Kolkata, days after they were captured by Indi-
an forces. The decisive action by the Navy men freed a
hijacked bulk carrier and rescued several hostages. The
operation was part of Operation Sankalp, wherein Indian
Navy ships are deployed in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf
of Aden for the safety of seafarers and mercantile trade
passing through the region. The pirates who had been
terrorising the high seas will face further legal action in
accordance with Indian laws, specifically the Maritime
Anti Piracy Act 2022. The operation was clinical and last-
ed two days, with no casualties reported. The rescue
involved marine commandos being para-dropped from a
C-17 aircraft and exchanges of gunfire to rescue the hi-
jacked merchant vessel MV Ruen and its 17-member
crew in a major operation in the high seas. The operation
has been hailed as a major success not only for India but
for the entire global maritime community in its fight against
acts of terror in the high seas. India’s decisive action
has also enhanced the Navy’s credibility as a powerful
watchdog in the Indian Ocean region.
The waterways off Somalia include some of the world’s
busiest shipping lanes, with about 20,000 vessels, carry-
ing everything from furniture and apparel to grains and
fuel, passing through the Gulf of Aden on way to and from
the Red Sea and Suez Canal, the shortest maritime route
between Europe and Asia. Security of commercial ship-
ping over this vast area came under threat in recent
months following an uptick in maritime assaults by pi-
rates and rebels. Pirate attacks off the Somali coast had
peaked in 2011 with gunmen launching attacks as far as
3,655 km from the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean –
before falling off sharply in recent years. However, De-
cember 2023 witnessed a spurt in armed seaborne at-
tacks around the Horn of Africa not seen in years. While
analysts dismiss the Somali piracy threat as minuscule
compared to the threat it had posed in 2011, yet, the
recent upswing has definitely raised concerns about ma-
rine security and shipping. Over 20 hijacking attempts
since November have driven up prices for armed securi-
ty guards and insurance coverage and raised the spec-
tre of possible ransom payments. Given that India has the
largest presence in the Indian Ocean and it is the first
responder, it should continue with its focus and innova-
tions on developing indigenous platforms, systems, sen-
sors and weapons as part of the expansion of its maritime
forces. The increasing interest of the Chinese Navy in
the Indian Ocean region has also led the Indian Navy to
invest more in anti-submarine ships, long-range maritime
reconnaissance aircraft and ships and unmanned aerial
vehicles. Amidst a rising global threat to maritime securi-
ty, a prompt and robust international response with India
as a key player holds the key to ensuring safety.
A
lthough divergent and
numerous, respective of
countries and geograph-
ical locations, law and or-
der had been the first prerequisite
for any form of settlement to be de-
clared as a civilisation. It is for the
proper execution and maintenance
of this law and order that the histo-
ry of human civilisation had wit-
nessed since the ancient times an
instituted body of people empow-
ered by the governing order, re-
ferred generally as the police.
Known in different ages and in dif-
ferent places through different
names such as the ‘prefect’ in an-
cient China, or as ‘paqudus’ in an-
cient Babylon, as ‘Bedouins’ in
Egypt, ‘Crypteia’ in Greece and ‘ko-
twals’ in the Middle Ages in India,
police had been one of the most in-
fluential bodies of administration and
execution of governance.
The Indian police force or the po-
lice division is a department which
works under the Ministry of Home
Affairs, Government of India and is
entrusted and empowered with the
task of maintaining law and order,
community engagement, ensuring
the safety and protection of the citi-
zens and preventing felonious activ-
ities. Engaged in divergent servic-
es, the Indian police force has been
accomplishing a persuasive task all
Letters
to the
EDITOR
Sir, – Some complicated and
impracticable issues are involved in
the Assam Accord, NRC, CAA, etc.,
which have created confusion
among the masses. For example, as
per Clause 5.8 of the Assam Accord
1985, foreigners who came to
Assam on or after March 25, 1971
shall continue to be detected,
deleted and expelled in accordance
with law. After a gap of four
decades, it is quite impossible to
implement this clause for any
government. Had action been taken
just after signing of the Assam
Accord, some success in respect of
detection and deportation of illegal
foreigners could have been
achieved. Similarly, there are some
clauses or sub-clauses in the Assam
Accord, NRC, CAA, etc., which are
infringing on one another.
These accords/amendments
should be revisited at the highest
level and modified, if necessary
for their smooth implementation.
Yours etc., Pradip Kumar
Chakravarty, Bhetapara.
throughout. The Assam Police is an
indispensable organisation working
under the direct control of the De-
partment of Home Affairs, Govern-
ment of Assam. Functioning under
various divisions and ranges, the
Assam Police has had a rich history
and tradition of a disciplined and or-
ganised execution of law and order
in the State over the years. Given
the state of mayhem and agitations
that Assam had been sweltering in
over the years provoked by illegal
immigration and the issue of citi-
zenship, militant organisations, nat-
ural calamities, the issue of national
security, etc., the Assam Police force
has unswervingly rendered its un-
flinching service all throughout. Al-
most every emerging issue and
problem has been responded to ac-
tively by the Assam Police ensuring
the full execution of governmental
and judicial decrees and directives
in the State.
However, what draws crucial sig-
nificance of the Assam Police apart
from its public service in the form
of response to call of action is a kind
of service rendered through letters.
Many officers of the Assam Police
were (or are) notable men of let-
ters who have left an indelible mark
in the literary field of the region
through works that not only show-
case their literary and artistic ex-
Complications over Assam Accord, NRC and CAA
Acid test
Sir, – Gaurav Gogoi and Pradyut
Bordoloi, both Congress MPs
from erstwhile Koliabor and
Nagaon constituencies respective-
ly, are two of the most decorated
MPs from Assam who survived
the Modi wave in Assam in the last
general election. In fact, their
success was mainly due to outside
AIUDF support. But the AIUDF is
no longer an ally of the Congress
and Pradyut Bordoloi is once again
contesting from Nagaon where he
will be facing a triangular contest
against BJP and one-time ally
AIUDF where linguistic minority
votes were and are the deciding
factor. Gaurav Gogoi, after
delimitation will be contesting
from Jorhat where the voter
pattern is different as linguistic
minority voters are in the real
sense minority in that constituency.
Another big gun of Assam
Congress Rakibul Hussain too will
be contesting from Dhubri against
AIUDF supremo Badruddin Ajmal.
It seems the three veterans
will be facing an acid test. I wish
them luck. Yours etc., Dr Ashim
Chowdhury, Guwahati.
connected to the social system.
We are proud to have a plethora of
writers from the Assam Police re-
gime such as Harekrishna Deka,
Kuladhar Saikia, Bhaskar Jyoti Ma-
hanta, Hiren Chandra Nath, Mugd-
hajyoti Mahanta, Jayanta Narayan
Choudhury, Nishinath Changkakoti,
Phatikdutta Goswami, Jnanananda
Sharma Pathak, Partha Sarathi Ma-
hanta and others who have engaged
themselves equally with pen and pa-
per portraying not just a poetic land-
scape and fictitious plot but a psycho-
logical landscape as well. Notably, a
deep insight into the other side and
possibilities of the podium – the oth-
er side of criminality, of power, of
victimisation, of captivity – has been
strongly articulated through the psy-
chological landscape inscribed in the
poetic persona or the fictitious char-
acters created by these writers.
Experimenting with different
genres from novel, to critical piec-
es in newspapers and magazines,
poems, short stories, travelogues,
scripting telefilms and plays, musi-
cal drama, etc., these writers have
in most cases tried to delve into
issues of violence, criminality and
vehemence in a much more hu-
mane way in their writings and have
extended the horizon of prison or
captive narratives and crime fiction
from the four walls of the prison
VIP culture
Sir, – The Prime Minister often
talks about doing away with VIP
culture. He has cited many times
how this culture has been an
impediment in the growth of this
great nation. He also promulgated
a rule whereby only a few,
including the President and the
Prime Minister, are allowed to use
red light and siren on their cars.
But VIPs being VIPs, continue to
discover ways to bend and go
around such rules introduced by the
most powerful person in India today.
For example, while we don’t
normally see a red light on a VIP
vehicle, the same VIP vehicle is
escorted by multiple police vehicles
with red lights and menacing sirens.
Some time back, the engagement
ceremony of a daughter of a senior
police official was organised at his
residence. Policemen and consta-
bles from 9th Battalion in Nagaon
were deployed on the roads near
his residence with no arrangements
for food or drinking water for these
poor policemen. Strange and
efficient ways of the VIPs and VIP
culture indeed! Yours etc., D
Bhutia, RG Baruah Road.
tum of the society, of urban living,
of the human psychology as such.
On turning over the pages of some
of the masterpieces of world litera-
ture and classics it turns out that most
of the writers like Charles Dickens,
Leo Tolstoy, Rabindranath Tagore and
many others were portraying a pic-
ture of the society, of revolutions with
the harsh realities and veracities,
something which most of them had
been witnesses to. Imagination, fan-
tasy, reality, rationality, sensibility, wis-
dom and a zeal for reformation dom-
inated the literature they produced.
Even while shaded in most cases by a
colour of fantasy and imagination, the
overall facet of reality and an enthusi-
asm for reformation were impulsive-
ly part of the masterpieces and clas-
sics. And they are more so regarded
as classics and masterpieces because
of this very element of reality and
reformation which makes it so relata-
ble and significant despite any context
of reading. It might seem quite far-
fetched for a police officer surround-
ed by artilleries and violence to artic-
ulate sensitivity and feelings in an or-
nated language. Nevertheless, this
very facet of their surrounding can
possibly be regarded as an inspiration
behind their delving deep into the very
complexities of rigid definitions and
prejudices and looking forward for an
alternative. A layer of thoughtful in-
EVM usage
Sir, – With the dates for the
general elections having been
announced, it is time for the
authorities to properly educate the
voters on how to vote through the
electronic voting machine (EVM).
Since an EVM is an awesome
piece of machine least compre-
hended by people in general, there
must be wide visual publicity as to
how a voter should use it. This is
all the more important because
more than thirty per cent of the
people in India are illiterate.
Sometimes the polling booths
are not adequately lighted which
makes it difficult for a voter to see
what is flashing on the screen.
Sometimes a voter does not know
for whom he just voted, for which
some slip may be issued in the
machine. I request the Election
Commission to give wide
publicity by demonstrating as to
how to use EVMs at the polling
booth by a voter to cast his vote.
Yours etc., Prafulla Gohain,
Dwaraka Nagar, Guwahati.
Voice of Ladakh
Sir, – Sonam Wangchuk, the
man from whom Aamir Khan’s
order, beyond fixity. A sense of a ven-
ture into an unexplored psychological
labyrinth can be possibly drawn from
most of the works like Bandiyar, Po-
lakata, Aakashor Sobi Aru Ananya
Golpo, If a River and Other Stories,
Solihar Sohor, Jibonor Xonglap and
several others which narrate life with
its intricacies and possibilities and
yearn for an optimistic reformation.
A prospect of executing the mainte-
nance of law and order, of a just socie-
ty not solely through armed meas-
ures but by instigating a sense of hu-
mane empathy and reformation
through literature – the most influen-
tial and impressive means of action
and exertion – can be sensed from
most of the content of literature pro-
duced by these policemen.
Well, it might not be prudent to
generalise the intention of the writ-
ers from the Assam Police in terms
of an instinctive inclination for writ-
ing; or writing with a pedagogical
purpose for creating awareness for
an inquisitive insight behind the
roots of delinquency; or a yearning
for reformation through letters;
or a documentation of personal
field experiences; but it must be
said that amidst all its possibili-
ties it undoubtedly generates a
rewarding reading experience
which induces pleasure at the end
of the day.
character in 3 idiots ‘Phunsuk
Wangdu’ is inspired, is currently
living under harsh conditions. It
has been more than two weeks
since his hunger strike started
with more than a thousand
Ladakhis taking part in it. The
hunger strike seeks to highlight
the issue of granting statehood to
Ladakh. The Ladakhi population
technically have no democratic
rights in the mother of democracy
because, since the abrogation of
Article 370, Ladakh has not
attained statehood unlike J&K.
This is affecting the fragile
ecosystem of Ladakh as a lot of
harmful industrial activity has
come up there. We can’t let a man
like Sonam Wangchuk and the
thousand Ladakhis starve. The
voice of 2.4 lakh Ladakhis needs
to be heard and a workable
solution evolved before the
situation turns critical. Yours etc.,
Kaustav Puzari, Class VIII, St
Vivekananda English Academy,
Maligaon, Guwahati.
Articles (within 1000-1100 words) and
Letters to the Editor for publication in
the editorial page may be sent to the
email ID: editor@assamtribune.com.
 MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024
CITY THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 5

WEATHER
GUWAHATI
Partly cloudy sky with
one or two spells of rain
or thundershowers.
Maximum and mini-
mum temperatures are
most likely to be 28°C
and 18°C respectively.
TEMPERATURE:
Max 26.0°C
Min 18.1°C
World Social
Work Day
observed
GUWAHATI, March 24:
IQAC, West Guwahati College
of Education celebrated World
Social Work Day, recently where
students conducted a door-to-
door survey on awareness of
cleanliness in the Pandu, Tem-
pleghat area, a press release
stated. A cleanliness drive was
also observed through ‘Safai Ab-
hiyan’ in the nearby area. The
students participated in the
event guided by the faculty
members of the institution. This
was a community development
work which proved beneficial for
the Pandu Templeghat area.
Woman dies
from fall
GUWAHATI, March 24: A
60-year-old woman died after
falling from the 8th floor of a
residential building at Dhiren-
para on Saturday, police said
today. The woman was iden-
tified as Sarita Agarwala. –
Staff Reporter
Workshop on
typeface design
GUWAHATI, March 24: A
three-day workshop on ‘Type-
face design’ organized by the
Royal School of Design conclud-
ed recently. Dr Udaya Kumar,
lecturer, and Prof of IIT-G (De-
partment of Design), best
known for his design of the In-
dian Rupee symbol, conducted
the workshop.
The initiative gave design
enthusiasts an enriching ex-
perience from theory to prac-
tical application, exploring the
intricacies of creating impact-
ful and memorable typefaces.
Meanwhile, Royal School of
Communication and Media or-
ganized a special lecture on
the topic, ‘Role of Media in
Child Protection’ on Wednes-
day. Leading child rights ac-
tivist and founder of Utsah,
Miguel Das Queah delved on
the pivotal role of media in
safeguarding the rights and
well-being of children.
He also stressed on how the
media, by raising awareness,
amplifying voices, fostering
dialogue, and holding stake-
holders accountable, plays a
vital role in creating a safer
and more supportive environ-
ment for children to grow, learn
and thrive. – Staff Reporter
Honour for
Hayat Hospital
GUWAHATI, March 24: Ha-
yat Hospital has been honoured
with the Gold and Diamond sta-
tus by the World Stroke Organ-
ization (WSO) Angels Awards
for the second quarter of 2023.
This recognition highlights
the hospital’s exceptional ded-
ication and innovative approach
to stroke management, show-
casing its commitment to ex-
cellence in healthcare.
The WSO Angels Awards are
globally recognized accolades
presented to healthcare insti-
tutions and professionals that
demonstrate outstanding
achievements in stroke care.
The Gold and Diamond status
is awarded to organizations that
excel in delivering high-quali-
ty care, and implementing best
practices.
“We are incredibly hon-
oured to receive the Gold and
Diamond status from the WSO
Angels Awards,” said Dr
Participants at the closing ceremony of the seven-day workshop on Bihu dance and Bihu Dhol organized by NEZCC, Dimapur in collaboration with the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New
Vineet Kumar Todi, Chief
Delhi at the Shilpgram, in Guwahati on Sunday. – UB Photos
Neurologist. – Staff Reporter
‘Immense potential for new Holi celebrations today
research on Ramayana ideals’ STAFF REPORTER Many streets across the city are also
filled with makeshift stalls selling col-
demand for herbal colours and ‘Modi
mask’. “We have holi colours in the price
STAFF REPORTER serving the valuable works of Dr contribution of the latter-day GUWAHATI, March 24: The resi- ours, toys, and other items. Several range of Rs 250-450 per kg,” he said.
Indira Goswami and also carry- retellings towards constructing
GUWAHATI, March 24: ing forth her dream of encourag- a vibrant genre of Ramkatha in
dents of Guwahati on Sunday thronged
markets in the city to make last-minute
vendors from Kanpur, Delhi and Kolka-
ta, among others, have put up stalls on
“This year, the sales are comparatively
better than last year,” he added.
There is immense potential ing research on the Ramayana. Indian languages, including
for new research on the ideals Speaking as the chairper- Assamese and Karbi. purchases of colours, water guns, col- the occasion. Amidst the shopping spree, water
of kingship, duty, governance, son of the talk, Dr Nandita The talk was attended by a ourful wigs, etc., ahead of the Holi cele- Masks inspired by political leaders guns (pichkaris) fetched prices ranging
and social responsibility in the Bhattacharya emphasised number of distinguished aca- brations. including Prime Minister Narendra from Rs 100 and Rs 700, while herbal
Ramayana. upon the importance of under- demics from Guwahati, nota- Fancy Bazar wore a festive look as Modi have flooded the markets, infus- colour packets were priced between Rs
This was observed by Prof standing the relevance and bly by Prof Robin Goswami and shops witnessed massive footfall of peo- ing a political essence into the celebra- 30 and Rs 100. Different types of masks
Bishnu Charan Dash, Profes- significance of the epics in the Dr Gautam Sarma, who en- ple buying different items for the cele- tion ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. were sold at Rs 50 per piece. Cotton
sor of English, Assam Univer- present time, and appreciat- riched the ensuing discussion bration of the festival of colours. A shop owner said that there is a high kurtas of Rs 350 were also in demand.
sity, Diphu Campus, in the ed the Centre for its contin- with their insightful comments
course of his talk on ‘Negoti- ued activities in that direction. and observations.
ating the Concept of Ramra- During his lecture, Prof Bish- The programme concluded
jya in the Ramayana,’ deliv- nu Charan Dash expressed his with the vote of thanks pro-
ered under the auspices of the sense of tremendous gratitude posed by Dr Sanjeeb Sarma,
South-East Asia Ramayana towards Indira Goswami for who also outlined the initia-
Research Centre on Friday. having been a constant source tives taken on behalf of the
Convened under the direc- of support and inspiration for centre for acquiring its due
torship of Dr Sabita Sarma, the him during her lifetime. recognition as an academic
programme began with a man- Appreciating her position as centre for research on the ep-
galacharan by Dr Nandita Bhat- a ‘feminist humanist,’ Dr Dash ics of India.
tacharya who also recited spoke at length about her con- The programme was coor-
hymns extolling the divine vir- tribution towards the compar- dinated by Dr Pritima Shar-
tues of Goddess Saraswati. ative study or the Ramayana. ma, who further emphasised
In her opening remarks, Dr Responding to his lecture, Dr upon the necessity to ac-
Sabita Sarma welcomed the au- Dhurjjati Sarma raised a point knowledge the contribution of
dience and outlined the objec- regarding the fashioning of the the centre towards Ramayana
tives of the centre towards pre- Ramayana as a “text” and the Studies in Assam.
Dispur MLA urges CEC to
remove NOTA provision Girls singing Holi Geet during a pre-Holi celebration at the Gauhati Press Club on Sunday. – UB Photos
CORRESPONDENT Bora stated, “When a person decides to uti-
lize NOTA, he does so well in advance and there
JORABAT, March 24: Atul Bora, Member of
the Legislative Assembly (MLA) represent-
ing Assam's Dispur Constituency, has penned
is no need for him to come to the Polling Centre,
stand in the queue for a long time, enter the
polling booth and then press the NOTA button in
Pre-Holi festivities held at Chinmaya Mission
a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, the EVM. It is simply a waste of time leading to GUWAHATI, March 24: Pre-Holi A meaningful and heart-touching ‘Kanha’ on a ‘jhula’. The entire
Election Commission of India, advocating for unnecessary loss of time and energy and creat- festivities were held at the Chinmaya welcome address was given by vice- programme was anchored by Susree
the removal of the ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) ing problems to the voters who come to register Mission on March 23 with colourful president RS Joshi mingling the deep Das. Devi group and Swaranjali
option from Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) their votes and not NOTA.” and religious fervour, a press release essence of Holi with spirituality. members rendered Holi geet. Invited
ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Furthermore, Bora referred to the initial in- stated. Chaitanya then explained the artiste and noted singer Khana Das
In his letter addressed to the Chief Election troduction of NOTA in India following a Supreme The programme began with ‘Deep significance of celebration of the presented a special Barpeta Holi Geet
Commissioner, Bora highlighted the inefficien- Court judgment in 2013, arguing that the provi-
Prajwalan’ by Brahmacharini Ananya colourful festival Holi and the essence with her team. The programme ended
cies and perceived drawbacks associated with sion contradicts the essence of voting rights and
the NOTA provision. He emphasized that the freedom of expression. He urged the Election Chaitanya (spiritual incharge), Narayan of Radha and Krishna playing Holi. This with a vibrant dance performance by
inclusion of NOTA in EVMs has led to unneces- Commission of India to petition the Supreme Barkataki (trustee), RS Joshi (vice- was quickly followed by ‘Phoolon ki three Chinmaya Yuva Kendra mem-
sary complexities in the voting process, ulti- Court for the reversal of this judgment, thereby president), Govind Karamchandani Holi’ with ‘Kanha’ during which the bers. The vote of thanks was given by
mately causing inconvenience to voters. enabling the removal of NOTA from EVMs. (patron) and BL Agarawal (patron). devotees offered flowers to the little Dr Sunita Agarwalla (secretary).

Prizes of 5th Physics Olympiad of 29 ˜±‰«¬ ¸—‡…±

Assam Physical Society distributed
GUWAHATI, March 24: The 5th Physics Ol-
ympiad prize distribution ceremony of Assam
Physical Society was held at Pandu College,
Guwahati with a student interaction programme
with Dr Bipul Jyoti Saikia, Scientist CPP-IPR,
Sonapur and the chairmanship of Dr Chitralekha
Talukdar, retired Associate Professor of Pub-
Kamrup College, a press release stated.
The exam was held on November 5 (2023)
in 22 centres all over Assam and categorized
into two parts – category I for class IX and X
and category II for class XI and XII. The first,
Earth Hour being observed at the City Centre in Guwahati on Saturday. – UB Photos
second and third rank holders in both the cate-
gories and centre toppers of each 22 centres
were awarded memento, cash prize money and
certificate in the programme.
The programme was conducted by the local
coordinator Dr Pranita Das, Assistant Professor
of the Department of Physics, Pandu College.
The welcome address was delivered by Dr
Bandana Das, HoD, Physics of the College. The
prize distribution programme was conducted
by Dr Mousumi Bhuyan, the general secretary
of APS and Assistant Professor, Department of ’±·cfl¡ Œ˘±fl¡¸ˆ¬± øÚ¬ı«±‰¬Úfl¡
Physics, Rangia College. Dr Kushal Kalita from
the Physics Department of Gauhati University ∆˘ ’¸˜ Ó¬Ô± ˆ¬±1Ó¬¬ı¯∏«1
and Dr Manab Deka of Pragjyotish College de-
livered speeches.
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www.asambani.com

New algorithm to encode human brain networks developed
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 24: Research-
ers at the Indian Institute of Technol-
ogy, Guwahati (IITG) have developed
a novel algorithm – a Unique Brain
Network Identification Number
(UBNIN) – designed to encode the in-
tricate brain networks of healthy hu-
mans and patients with Parkinson’s
disease (PD).
The study involved analysis of
structural brain MRI scans of 180 PD
patients and 70 healthy individuals
from the National Institute of Mental
Health and Neurosciences (NIM-
HANS), India. The researchers adopt-
ed a network perspective, represent-
ing different brain regions as nodes
and establishing connection values of
the network based on regional grey
matter volume.
Further, connection values for eve-
ry node were weighted to capture the
significance of each link by following a
series of algorithmic steps. The hence
obtained numerical representation
(UBNIN) was observed to be distinct
for each individual brain network, also
applicable to other neuro-imaging brain
modalities.
The innovative research holds im-
mense potential in the realm of brain
printing and emerges as a promising
biomarker with numerical value for
tracking mental illness progression
over time.
PD, a neurodegenerative disorder,
with clinical symptoms such as trem-
ors, stiffness, and slow movement,
worsens with age. However, neuro-
degeneration begins long before these
symptoms appear, making early de-
tection imperative for effective PD
management.
Addressing this critical gap in a
first-of-its-kind study, IITG and NIM-
HANS researchers used non-invasive
structural MRI scans during rest. Cat-
egorizing PD patients into five age
groups (A: less than 32 years, B: 33-
42 years, C: 43-52 years, D: 53-62
years, and E: more than 63 years),
the study delved into how age im-
pacts the brain connectivity over var-
ying sparsities.
For each age cohort, clustering coef-
ficient presented a decreasing trend
with increasing sparsity.
Explaining the research findings,
Dr Cota Navin Gupta, assistant pro-
fessor in the Neural Engineering Lab,
Department of Biosciences and Bio-
engineering, IITG said, “UBNIN is a
special number representing unique
characteristics of each human brain
from a network perspective. Inter-
estingly, we can also reverse engi-
neer any human’s UBNIN value to
reconstruct the original brain network.
This UBNIN algorithm will enable us
to identify and characterize (encode-
decode) brain networks of every hu-
man beings efficiently.”
PhD scholar Tanmayee Samantaray
added, “Applying UBNIN algorithm on
longitudinal neuroimaging data (i.e.,
over time) holds promise for elucidat-
ing the dynamics of brain plasticity
(i.e., changes in human brain). This
insight is crucial to understand how
the human brain degenerates, and
copes with damage due to underlying
neurological diseases.”
The developed UBNIN algorithm
makes MRI data interpretable and
holds a potential to transform neuro-
degenerative disorder diagnosis and
treatment. This may be used as a bi-
omarker to complement other diagnos-
tic tests recommended by neurologists.
UBNIN's applications range from brain-
printing to optimizing storage for struc-
tural MRI brain networks.
“This could open avenues for low-
bandwidth, high-speed information
transfer of human brain networks for
Telemedicine and related applica-
tions. UBNIN’s adaptability could
also be extended to other neuroim-
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aging modalities like electroen-
cephalogram (EEG), functional MRI ¸˜‘X ¤˝◊√ ø¬ıÀ˙¯∏ ¸—‡…±ñ
(both resting and task based), etc.
It can also be applied to other neu-
rological conditions like Schizophre-
nia, Alzheimer’s, depression, etc.,”
the researchers observed.
Furthermore, it may be implement-
ed on various datasets such as protein, øÚ¬ı«±‰¬Ú
social and traffic networks, making it a
versatile tool for understanding com-
plex system dynamics.
Gupta added, “We are now look-
ø¬ıÀ˙¯∏..
ing into the possibilities of using
UBNIN as a potential biomarker to
distinguish healthy and Parkinson’s
at group level.”
The current findings have been pub-
lished in the journal Brain Sciences and
were co-authored by Tanmayee Sa-
mantaray, Utsav Gupta, Jitender Saini
and Cota Navin Gupta. This research
has been funded by the Ministry of
Education doctoral scholarship, Gov-
ernment of India and supported by the
Scheme for Promotion of Academic and
Research Collaboration (SPARC Grant),
Govt of India.
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 BUSINESS & ECONOMY
6 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI
Bought-leaf tea factories threaten Miners urge govt not to impose
to cease manufacturing
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
DIBRUGARH, March 24:
About 110 tea factories
which are members of the
Assam Bought Leaf Tea Man-
ufacturers Association
(ABLTMA) in its general
body meeting held here yes-
terday unanimously opposed
the idea of mandatory auc-
tions and that they have giv-
en the same by way of a writ-
ten undertaking to the asso-
ciation.
ABLTMA chairman Chand
Kumar Gohain told newsmen
that the collective stand of the
members would be commu-
nicated to the Tea Board of
India. The general body meet-
ing was called to discuss the
agendas of ‘routing of 100%
dust teas and remaining 50%
teas through the public auc-
tions’ and for the manufacture
of teas, which are compliant
with the present Food Safety
and Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI) norms.
Gohain mentioned that the
entire decision-making proc-
ess resulting in the issue of
the Gazette Notification for
routing of 100% Dust Teas
through the public auctions –
was carried out behind the
back of the Bought Leaf As-
Samsung to
further drive
growth in India:
Raju Pullan
NEW DELHI, March 24:
With a focus on premiumisa-
tion, Samsung will be able to
drive further growth this
year again in India, Raju Pul-
lan, Senior Vice President
(VP) and Head of MX Busi-
ness at Samsung India, said
on Sunday.
According to him, 52 per
cent is the growth of the in-
dustry for 5G and Samsung
is going ahead of the indus-
try right now.
"We see that the industry
contribution for 5G is about
52 per cent and we are going
ahead of the industry right
now. We see that this year
again, with a focus on premi-
umisation, we will be able to
drive the growth still fur-
ther," Pullan told IANS dur-
ing an interaction.
According to Counterpoint
Research, Samsung took the
top spot in India in 2023 with
18 per cent market share. In
addition, Pullan mentioned that
they have got one of the larg-
est portfolios of 5G at Samsung.
"With the launch of Galaxy
A35 and A55, we will have
almost 20 running models,
and we will continue to drive
the overall 5G segment by
launching newer products
with distinctively unique
propositions for the consum-
ers in India," he added.
5G smartphone shipments
in India grew at 67 per cent
(year-over-year) in 2023, led
by Samsung with a share of
23 per cent, according to
CyberMedia Research
(CMR). – IANS
India’s push for EVs may lead to large-scale entry of Chinese firms: GTRI
NEW DELHI, March 24:
The Indian government’s
push to boost domestic man-
ufacturing of electric vehicles
(EVs) may lead to large-scale
entry of Chinese auto firms
in the local market, a report
by think tank GTRI said on
Sunday.
China’s automotive indus-
try, buoyed by substantial
state support, has grown rap-
idly in electric vehicle tech-
nology, making it a leading
exporter of EVs and related
components, the Global
Trade Research Initiative
(GTRI) said.
The renewed policy push
to make India a hub for e-ve-
hicle manufacturing and ef-
forts of the private sector will
lead to a sharp increase in
dependence on auto compo-
nent imports from China, the
report said.
India’s auto component
imports were USD 20.3 bil-
lion in 2022-23 of which 30
export duty on low-grade iron ore
Green tea leaves issue
sociations (ABLTMA) and
North Bengal Tea Producer
Welfare Association) – indicat-
ing a conspiracy to disrupt the
existing sales mechanisms of
the Bought Leaf Tea Factories
– which is resulting in higher
price realisations than for
similar varieties of teas, pres-
ently being routed through
the public auctions.
Gohain further said the
higher price realization in the
Shepherds with their sheep near a mustard field on the outskirts of Srinagar on Sunday. – PTI
Public sector banks’ dividend
payout may exceed Rs 15,000 cr
NEW DELHI, March 24:
Public sector banks (PSBs)
are likely to pay a dividend
of over Rs 15,000 crore for
the financial year ending
March 2024 on the back of
improved profitability, ac-
cording to sources.
In the first three quarters
of the current financial year,
all 12 PSBs earned a total
profit of Rs 98,000 crore,
only Rs 7,000 crore less
than the entire FY23.
PSBs earned the highest-
ever aggregate net profit of
Rs 1.05 lakh crore during
per cent came from China.
As the EVs are getting
greater focus in the country,
the auto component imports
from China may increase fur-
ther because it has a greater
hold over the EV compo-
nents’ global supply chain.
According to estimates,
China has 75 per cent of the
world’s battery production ca-
pacity and battery accounts for
40 per cent of the cost of an
EV. It also accounts for more
than 50 per cent of global EV
production and exports.
The report said in the
“next few years, every third
electric vehicle and many
passenger and commercial
vehicles on India roads could
be those made by Chinese
firms in India alone or
through Joint Venture with
Indian firms”.
GTRI founder Ajay Srivas-
tava said Indian market en-
try provides a much-needed
relief to Chinese firms.
hands of the Bought Leaf Tea
Factories is also helping in
higher price realization for
the Small Tea Grower, given
the present Price Sharing
Formula, as notified by The
Tea Board of India.
According to Gohain, the
members of the Federation of
All India Tea Traders Associa-
tion (FAITTA) – the apex body
of Tea Traders Associations in
India, procure close to 43% of
FY23 compared to Rs
66,539.98 crore earned in
2021-22.
As a result, the govern-
ment earned a dividend of
Rs 13,804 crore, 58 per
cent higher than the Rs
8,718 crore paid out in the
previous financial year.
Since the profit in the
current financial year would
be much higher than the
previous year, so will the
dividend payout to the gov-
ernment, sources said.
Going by the record, the
dividend payout for FY24
“China’s EV exports to the
European Union and the
United States are declining
due to anti-subsidy probes
and increased trade restric-
tions over the export of sub-
sidised cars/EV batteries,”
he said.
JSW MG Motor India, a
joint venture between China’s
SAIC and Indian conglomer-
ate JSW Group, recently an-
nounced an investment of Rs
5,000 crore to enhance pro-
duction capacity and launch
one new car every 3-6
months starting September.
Last year in November,
China’s largest automaker
SAIC Motor inked a joint ven-
ture (JV) agreement with the
JSW Group to accelerate the
transformation and growth of
MG Motor in India.
The JV aims to sell one
million units of passenger
electric vehicles in India by
2030 when the total market
is expected to be 10 million
the production of teas in India
and that the Tea Board of India
has completely ignored the
section of the buyers who are
supporting the Tea Industry, by
purchasing approximately 57%
of the teas.
Deven Singh, advisor of
the association who also ad-
dressed the newsmen, said
all the attending tea factories
unanimously supported man-
ufacture of teas, which are
should be more than Rs
15,000 crore, they added.
Earlier in January, the Re-
serve Bank, in its draft
guidelines, proposed to al-
low banks having net non-
performing assets (NPAs)
ratio of less than 6 per cent
to declare dividends.
As per the prevailing
norms last updated in 2005,
banks need to have an
NNPA ratio of up to 7 per
cent to become eligible for
declaration of dividends.
The central bank has pro-
posed that the new guide-
units annually. MG Motor is
a British brand owned by
Shanghai-headquartered
SAIC Motor.
GTRI said SAIC Motors is
not alone, as other Chinese
car companies like BYD Auto
have made their mark in In-
dia by offering electric vehi-
cles, including buses, trucks,
cars, and SUVs.
“Other Chinese compa-
compliant with FSSAI
norms. “All chemicals, insec-
ticides and pesticides are
used in the plantations of
small growers and no chem-
ical formulations are used in
any of the Bought Leaf Tea
Factories (BLFs) during the
manufacturing process. Giv-
en the penal provisions in the
FSSAI Act, 2006 – all BLFs
were of the unanimous opin-
ion to cease manufacturing of
teas, till such time, CISTA
does not make their position
clear on supplies of compli-
ant green tea leaves.
Singh further informed
that all member BLFs have
been advised to immediate-
ly carry out testing of green
tea leaves and teas manufac-
tured recently, to understand
compliance thereof to the
FSSAI norms. The attend-
ing members unanimously
wanted to cease manufactur-
ing operations from April 1,
2024, in view of the pres-
ently non-compliant green
tea leaves.
Singh further informed
that the attending members
have given their written un-
dertaking to the association,
authorizing Chand Gohain,
Chairman to take appropri-
ate decision in the matter.
lines should come into ef-
fect from FY25 onwards.
The draft lays down di-
rections that need to be fol-
lowed by banks’ boards
while considering proposals
of dividend payouts, which
include consideration of di-
vergence in classification
and provisioning for NPAs
as well.
A commercial bank
should have a minimum to-
tal capital adequacy of 11.5
per cent to be eligible for
declaring dividends, the cir-
cular said. – PTI
nies, including Changan Au-
tomobile, Jinko Solar, and
several bus and truck manu-
facturers like Zhongtong Bus
and Foton Motor, also con-
tribute to China’s automotive
presence in India,” Srivasta-
va said, adding that Great
Wall Motors and Haima Au-
tomobile are also looking to
enter the Indian market, in-
dicating an increasing Chi-
NEW DELHI, March 24:
Miners' body FIMI has urged
the government not to impose
any export duty on low-grade
iron ore, stating that any such
move would cause a significant
loss of state revenues and
employment and also affect
foreign exchange earnings.
In a representation to the
government, the Federation
of Indian Mineral Industries
(FIMI) said the mining sec-
tor was adversely impacted
when in May 2022 the ex-
port duty was imposed on
low-grade iron ore fines and
pellets. The government,
however, withdrew the tax
in November same year.
A major share of the min-
ing sector's contribution to
the country's GDP is ac-
counted for by iron ore
among the non-coal miner-
als. Iron ore mining also sig-
RBI special audit for regulatory
breaches by IIFL
Finance, JM Financial Products
NEW DELHI, March 24:
IIFL Finance Ltd and JM Fi-
nancial Products Ltd (JMF-
PL) will undergo a special
audit to further probe their
regulatory breaches, as the
Reserve Bank has initiated
the process for the appoint-
ment of auditors.
The Reserve Bank has
floated two separate tenders
for the appointment of audi-
tors for special audits of these
two non-banking finance
companies.
Audit firms empanelled by
the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (Sebi) for fo-
rensic audit can participate in
the tendering process, and
the last date for submission of
bids is April 8, as per the ten-
der document published by
the Reserve Bank of India.
The selected firms will be
awarded work on April 12,
2024, as per the bid docu-
ments.
Earlier this month, the
Reserve Bank put a curb on
Tech Mahindra to merge
two US-based subsidiaries
NEW DELHI, March 24:
IT services and consultation
company Tech Mahindra said
it plans to merge its two
wholly-owned subsidiaries,
Born Group and Tech Mahi-
ndra (Americas), to syner-
gise business operations, op-
timise operational cost, and
reduce compliance risks.
The merger is subject to
regulatory approvals in the
country of incorporation. Ac-
cording to a regulatory filing,
the appointed date of the plan
of merger is April 1, 2024.
“A Plan of Merger of Born
Group, Inc., a wholly-owned
step-down subsidiary of the
Company with its parent
company viz. Tech Mahindra
(Americas) Inc., a wholly-
owned material subsidiary of
the Company, has been ap-
nese influence in India’s au-
tomotive sector.
He said China’s automo-
tive industry, buoyed by sub-
stantial state support, has
rapidly advanced in electric
vehicle technology, making it
a leading exporter of EVs and
related components.
As per the report, the au-
tomobile industry in India
contributes 7.1 per cent to
MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024
nificantly contributes to-
wards creating jobs with
employment of about 5 lakh
persons -45,000 direct and
4,50,000 indirect, it said.
More than 90 per cent of
the country's overall iron ore
shipments go to China. "We
request that any proposal for
banning, restricting exports
of iron ore and pellets may
kindly not be considered and
the status quo of nil export
duty on these products be
maintained," the miners'
body said.
With the opening of new
mines and expansion of ex-
isting mines the iron ore pro-
duction capacity is likely to
rise to 330 million tonnes in
FY'25. But if there is a ban on
exports of iron ore or a duty
is imposed on its exports, in
such a scenario the produc-
tion will drop to 225 million
these two entities for non-
compliance of regulatory
guidelines.
The central bank barred
IIFL Finance from sanction-
ing or disbursing gold loans
after certain material super-
visory concerns were ob-
served in its gold loan port-
folio. The RBI said an inspec-
tion of the company was car-
ried out by it concerning II-
FL’s financial position as of
March 31, 2023.
“Certain material supervi-
sory concerns were ob-
served in the gold loan port-
folio of the company, includ-
ing serious deviations in as-
saying and certifying purity
and net weight of the gold at
the time of sanction of loans
and at the time of auction
upon default,” the RBI had
said in a statement.
These practices, apart
from being regulatory viola-
tions, also significantly and
adversely impact the inter-
est of the customers, the cen-
proved by the respective
companies on Friday, 22nd
March 2024,” the company
said.
While BORN specializes in
providing Brand strategy,
visual design, brand identity
exploration, and more for
digital products, mobile apps,
and physical products in the
US, TMA provides compu-
ter consulting, programming
support services and IT
Management & Consulting
Services.
Tech Mahindra (Americas)
(TMA) is a wholly owned
material subsidiary of the
company. BORN is a wholly
owned subsidiary of TMA
and a step-down wholly
owned subsidiary of the
company.
According to the filing, the
the country’s GDP, up from
2.8 per cent in 1992-93. It
provides direct and indirect
employment to over 19 mil-
lion individuals.
“The large-scale entry and
market dominance of Chinese
automakers in India will im-
pact the domestic auto/EV
manufacturers, firms working
in EV value chain space, and
battery development,” the
report said, adding currently,
nearly a quarter of India’s auto
component imports come
from China. The dependence
on China will increase sharp-
ly as more Chinese firms
making cars in India will im-
port most parts and compo-
nents from China, it noted.
“China has firm plans to
increase its presence in In-
dia in the passenger vehicle
and commercial vehicle seg-
ments, after flooding the
market with e-rickshaws and
two-wheelers,” it added.
The report suggested that
tonnes, it said.
In the mining of iron ore,
lumps are generated to the
tune of only 25-30 per cent
and the balance of iron ore is
in the form of fines.
"The fines below 58 per
cent Fe are required to be
kept in the mining lease area
only as these cannot be uti-
lised by the steel industry,
especially the secondary steel
sector," it said.
The non-removal of low-
grade iron ore from the mines
restricts the production of
lumps and becomes an envi-
ronmental hazard besides
limiting scientific mining.
Thus accumulation of iron
ore fines in the mines also
leads to the restricted avail-
ability of lumps in the mar-
ket which in turn adversely
impacts the steel industry, it
said. – PTI
tral bank added.
A day after, the Reserve
Bank imposed restrictions on
JM Financial Products Ltd
following the finding that the
company indulged in various
manipulations, including re-
peatedly helping a group of
its customers to bid for vari-
ous IPOs by using loaned
funds.
The central bank barred
the systemically important
non-deposit-taking NBFC
from providing any kind of
financing against shares and
debentures, including sanc-
tion and disbursal of loans
against initial public offering
(IPO) of shares and subscrip-
tion to debentures.
In a statement, the RBI
said the actions were “neces-
sitated due to certain serious
deficiencies observed in re-
spect of loans sanctioned by
the company for IPO financ-
ing as well as NCD (non-con-
vertible debentures) sub-
scriptions”. –PTI
turnover of BORN and TMA
for the financial year ended
31st March 2023 is USD 55.08
million and USD 1,201.37
million respectively.
“The business of both en-
tities BORN and TMA are
complimentary hence con-
solidation of entities will re-
sult in synergy of business
operations, optimize opera-
tional cost and reduce the
compliance risk,” the com-
pany said. It added that there
will be no cash consideration
or issue of new shares in-
volved under the Plan of
Merger. The investment of
TMA in BORN will be can-
celled on the merger becom-
ing effective.
The shareholding pattern
of the company will remain
unchanged. – PTI
the government and indus-
try stakeholders will need to
carefully manage the risks of
over-reliance on foreign
manufacturers and potential
trade imbalances.
“India’s decision to allow
Chinese car makers in India
and cutting import tariffs on
electric vehicles (EVs) will
benefit Chinese manufactur-
ers directly or indirectly be-
ing the dominant suppliers of
EV batteries. Supply chain
dependence on China will
sharply increase even when
non-Chinese companies (Tes-
la, Vinfast) set shop in India,”
Srivastava said.
India has recently an-
nounced an EV policy. It has
announced to cut down im-
port duty on electric vehicles
(four-wheelers) from 70-100
per cent to 15 per cent if a
foreign company would in-
vest a minimum of USD 500
million in the country in the
sector. – PTI
 MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024
4 fishermen
drown in Tripura
CORRESPONDENT
AGARTALA, March 24 : Four
fishermen, who were fishing in
the Dumbur Lake in Dhalai dis-
trict, drowned as the thunder-
storm lashed different parts of
Tripura last night. Three of the
four bodies of the fishermen
were recovered this morning
by the disaster management
team and Fire Brigade and one
body is still untraced.
“Four fishermen of Gan-
dacherra sub-division ven-
tured out to catch fish on Sat-
urday. They had taken shelter
in a tent in the middle of the
lake amidst the heavy storm.
Due to strong wind, the tent
collapsed and they were sub-
merged in the lake,” he said.
Tripura Chief Minister
Manik Saha expressed shock
over the death of fishermen
in Dumbur lake.
“Have received information
about the death of four fisher-
men due to a heavy storm who
went to Dumbur lake to catch
fish. The administration and
police have already taken up
follow-up action after the trag-
ic incident. One body has al-
ready been recovered while
the operation is still on. I con-
vey my condolence to the be-
reaved families and the gov-
ernment will stand by the vic-
tim’s family in this difficult
time”, Saha wrote in a Face-
book post.
BJP will win
Inner Manipur
seat: CM
IMPHAL, March 24: As-
serting that the BJP has
“opened the eyes of people”
of the Northeast, Chief Minis-
ter N Biren Singh on Sunday
said the saffron party will win
the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha
seat by a massive margin.
He also said the BJP candi-
date for the seat will be known
by Monday.
“The BJP will win by a huge
margin... Earlier speeches and
qualifications mattered, but
now, what is important is those
who truly love the communi-
ty and the land.
“The BJP has opened the
eyes of people of the entire
Northeast. The winnability
chance of the party is 200 per
cent,” he claimed.
The state has two Lok Sab-
ha seats – Inner Manipur and
Outer Manipur. Earlier, the
BJP had said it will support its
ally, the Naga People’s Front
(NPF), in the Outer Manipur
seat.
The Chief Minister also
lauded the Meitei and Kuki
communities for maintaining
peace in the north-eastern
States, which has been rocked
by ethnic strife since May
2023.
“The increasing peace
shows their faith in the state
machinery... My message is
that grievances should be han-
dled through political dialogue
and negotiation, and this can
only bring a solution, not vio-
lent killings” Singh said. – PTI
Air Quality
Index (AQI)
March 24, 2024
(Average of past 24 hours)
City/ Index Air
Town Value Quality
Guwahati 124 Moderate
Nalbari 96 Satisfactory
Nagaon – –
Sivasagar 56 Satisfactory
Silchar 51 Satisfactory
Pollution Control
Board, Assam
WEATHER NorthEast
Forecast for NE states: Light to moderate rain very likely
to occur at a few places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.
Warning: Thunderstorm and lightning is very likely to occur at
isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland
and Manipur and thunderstorm and lightning with gusty winds
reaching speed upto 30-40 kmph very likely to occur at isolated
places over Assam, Mizoram and Tripura.
Dibrugarh
Max
28.2 16.4
Min Max
27.9 19.1
Dhubri Jorhat
Max Min Max
23.2 19.3 27.3
Shillong Imphal
Max Min Max
18.4 10.1 25.2
Kohima Pasighat
Max Min Max
13.4 8.6 28.4 17.6
Duty Meteorological Officer, Regional Meteorological
Centre, Guwahati
NORTH EAST
Justice Kant stresses
importance of legal awareness
CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR, March 24:
Supreme Court Judge, Justice
Surya Kant has emphasized
the importance of legal aware-
ness, noting that despite the
numerous rights and benefits
granted to citizens, lack of
awareness often deprives
them of these benefits.
Justice Kant underlined
this while gracing the day-
long mega legal awareness
programme held at the Kal-
awangpo Convention Hall in
Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh
Conrad hails BJP’s decision to
support NPP candidates
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG, March 24:
The unexpected decision of
the BJP not to field candidates
in Meghalaya and instead sup-
port the National People’s
Party (NPP) candidates, both
from Shillong and Tura seats,
has changed the dynamics of
the Lok Sabha elections in the
State. The decision has made
NPP president and Chief
Minister Conrad Sangma
more happy.
The BJP till the last mo-
ment was keen in fielding
candidates from the two
seats, like it did for the past
many Lok Sabha elections.
State BJP president, Rikman
Momin a week ago said that
a list of the prospective can-
didates have been sent to the
NSCN factions have tacit understanding
with Myanmar junta: RPP
CORRESPONDENT
DIMAPUR, March 24:
The Rising People’s Party
(RPP) said some NSCN fac-
tions in Mynamar and Naga-
land have a tacit understand-
ing with the Myanmar mili-
tary junta.
“At a time when the en-
tire ethnic people including
the majority Burmans are
with the Pro-Democracy
Forces (PDF) fighting the
junta, the Nagas in Burma
have lost their national vi-
Tezpur Silchar
Min Max
29.2 17.6
Min
N. Lakhimpur
Min Max Min
16.6 26.8 16.2
Agartala
Min Max Min
12.7 32.0 17.2
Itanagar
Min Max Min
25.6 18.2
on Sunday. The programme
was organized by the Aru-
nachal Pradesh State Legal
Services Authority (APSL-
SA) in collaboration with Ta-
wang District Legal Servic-
es Authority (DLSA) and the
district administration.
He commended the efforts
of organizations like NLSA
(National Legal Services Au-
thority), SLSA, and DLSA at
national, state, and district
levels for their initiatives in
spreading awareness and as-
sisting citizens in accessing
their entitled benefits.
central leadership for ap-
proval.
The likelihood of Cabinet
Minister and senior BJP
state leader, AL Hek of get-
ting the ticket from Shillong
seat, while from Tura former
militant-turned politician
Bernard Marak was in the
frontline in getting the ticket
from the Tura seat. Howev-
er, within this period every-
thing changed and the BJP
announced it would support
the NPP candidates. Al-
though the party is nowhere
close to winning either of the
two seats, expectations were
there that its vote share
would have increased during
these elections with the Modi
wave.
The BJP has about 70000
votes in Shillong constituen-
sion. Instead of strengthen-
ing the PDF like the Chins,
Shans, Kachins and other
ethnic groups have done, it
is alarming that the Naga
armed factions in Burma
have chosen to side with the
junta,” the RPP said in a
statement.
The party also referred to
the claim of the NSCN-K
(Yung Aung) that the Myan-
marese army is going to con-
script the Naga youth in My-
anmar, calling it alarming.
However, it said, after having
The members of Green Tech Foundation carrying out a cleanliness drive at Wahumkhrah, Meghalaya on Saturday.–UB Photos
Chief Justice of Gauhati
High Court, Justice Vijay
Bishnoi, who is also the pa-
tron-in-chief of APSLSA, dis-
cussed various welfare
schemes for farmers, wom-
en, and victims. Gauhati HC
Judge and Executive Chair-
person of APSLSA, Justice
Suman Shyam elaborated on
Article 21 of the Indian Con-
stitution, focusing on the right
to life with dignity and relief
measures for trafficked vic-
tims, along with the wom-
en’s helpline initiative.
Additional Judge of Gauhati
cy, which was likely to have
increased to 1 lakh and the
same goes for Tura seat. This
decision of the BJP could not
have come at a better time
with the NPP fighting anti-
incumbency and a litany of
corruption charges.
Candidates like Ampareen
Lyngdoh from Shillong seat
is fighting a legal battle in the
CBI’s court and Agatha
Sangma from Tura is fight-
ing anti-incumbency and
poor service.
Meanwhile, an elated NPP
president and Chief Minis-
ter Conrad Sangma said the
decision of its alliance part-
ner the BJP would have a
positive impact on the NPP
in the upcoming Lok Sabha
elections.
“Every support is a good
scrutinized the short-sighted
Naga policy in Myanmar, this
situation was inevitable.
The RPP felt that due to
this short-sighted approach,
the Nagas with their zero
contribution or rather anti-
PDF stand will be inevitably
sidelined or marginalised
when the future federal
structure of Myanmar even-
tually materialises after the
PDF eventually wins the
civil war in the country.
The party said it has been
brought to light that the jun-
HC, Justice Kardak Ete and
APSLSA Member Secretary
Yomge Ado also spoke on the
occasion. Justice Suman Shyam,
Tawang Deputy Commission-
er Kanki Darang and Superin-
tendent of Police DW Thongon
were, among others, present on
the occasion. During the tech-
nical session, the resource per-
sons explained different laws
and rights concerning women,
children, and weaker sections
of society, further empower-
ing the attendees with legal
knowledge and awareness, an
official release said.
thing. Every organization has
its base, every organization
has its voters and obviously
the support of any individual
or any political party coming
and supporting us is a posi-
tive thing... we are very hap-
py,” Sangma said.
He claimed that the NPP
is also getting the support of
the Trinamool Congress
from Nongthymmai constit-
uency in Khasi Hills and also
from other constituencies as
well.
“We are very thankful to
all political parties that are
extending their support to
us, we are now getting the
support from the BJP, sup-
port from the TMC in Non-
gthymmai constituency and
outside Nongthymmai con-
stituency too,” he added.
ta has already taken census
of men and women in Naga
self-administered zone and
other Naga-inhabited areas.
“The forced conscription
is only a matter of time,” it
added.
Saying that the Mayn-
marese Nagas are in a dire
situation, the RPP said it is
imperative that the Naga civil
society organisations and
armed groups formulate a
national vision for Myan-
marese Nagas against the
context of civil war in that
Sikkim BJP flays SKM
GANGTOK, March 24: A
day after breaking off alliance
with the Sikkim Krantikari
Morcha (SKM), the BJP on
Sunday launched an all-out
attack on the ruling party
describing it as “corrupt” and
asked the people to vote for
the saffron party to usher in
a double engine government
to fast-track development in
the Himalayan state.
Launching a vitriolic attack
on the SKM, BJP Sikkim
Spokesperson Passang Sher-
pa said that the ruling party
was running a “corrupt”
government and “indulging
in political violence and sell-
ing natural resources and as-
sets of the state like hydel
power projects at throw-
away prices”.
“We are glad that the un-
comfortable alliance with the
SKM is over for good and we
feel free now having broken
the shackles of keeping com-
pany with the SKM”, Sher-
pa told reporters.
Assam Rifles celebrates 189th Raising Day
SHILLONG, March 24:
Assam Rifles Director Gener-
al Lt Gen Pradeep Chandran
Nair on Sunday asserted that
the force is committed to
modernise its equipment pro-
file and upskill manpower.
Nair also lauded the Assam
Rifles personnel for their
contribution in counter-in-
surgency operations in the
region and in Kashmir.
“The force remains commit-
ted to modernise its equip-
ment profile in terms of acqui-
sition of state-of-the-art weap-
ons, surveillance and protec-
tive equipment,” he said here
during an address on the 189th
country. The RPP also ques-
tioned all the 24 Nagala po-
litical groups (NPGs) sta-
tioned in Nagaland about
their policy regarding the
Nagas of Myanmar.
“Should the national
struggle be reduced to tax-
ing the common man in Na-
galand to the point of ex-
haustion, or should the
NPGs do something con-
crete for the aspirations of a
forgotten people during
their time of existential cri-
sis,” it asked.
THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 7
He said the BJP, in the ty of an alliance with the Sik-
event of being elected to pow- kim Democratic Front
er in Sikkim, will get various (SDF) in the event of falling
acts of “corruption and swin- short of majority in the as-
dling” of public money by the sembly elections, he said the
SKM leaders and govern- party leadership will take
ment officials, to be thorough- whatever decision will be-
ly probed and stern action come necessary in such an
taken against the culprits. eventuality.
The Sikkim BJP spokes- Sherpa said that the BJP
person refused to dwell into candidates for the simultane-
reasons behind the collapse ous elections to 32 assembly
of the alliance with the SKM and lone Lok Sabha seat will
and ruled out a post-poll alli- be decided within a day.
ance with the latter too say- The two parties had con-
ing that his party has an un- tested 2019 assembly polls
shakeable alliance with the separately with the SKM
people of Sikkim and trust going on to win 17 seats to
the people to give his party form the government, while
an opportunity to serve the BJP drew a blank polling
them. less than two per cent votes.
On SKM leader and Chief The two parties later
Minister’s Political Secretary formed a post-poll alliance
Jacob Khaling Rai’s assertion after the BJP’s tally of
on Saturday that the doors of MLAs swelled to 10 with as
a post-poll alliance between many defectors from the
the two parties were open, SDF joining it while two
the Sikkim BJP spokesperson others switched allegiance
ruled out such a possibility. to the SKM taking its tally
Asked about the possibili- to 19. –PTI
Raising Day of the Assam Ri- tributed immensely in bring-
fles. Nair said the Assam Ri- ing peace in the northeast
fles is making efforts to safe- states, the DG said.
guard its networks from cy- It was originally formed as
ber intrusions, and has also ‘Cachar Levy’, established by
signed an MoU with universi- the British in 1835 as a po-
ties to upskill manpower and lice force to protect settle-
accredit the academic and ments against tribal raids.
training programmes. Delivering a video message
“The force continued to on Saturday on the eve of the
prove its mettle during 189th Raising Day, Nair had
2023-24. During the past said: “I wish to assure our
year, three battalions re- countrymen that Assam Ri-
ceived the ‘Chief of the Army fles shall leave no stone un-
Staff Unit Citation’ and five turned to act in the interest of
battalions received the ‘Gen- our country, no matter what
eral Officer Commanding-in- challenges lie ahead of us. We
Chief Unit Citation’,” he said. are and shall eternally remain
The Assam Rifles has con- friends of the northeast.” –PTI
Mizoram MP
criticises BJP leaders
AIZAWL, March 24: A day vociferously both within and
after asserting the need to outside Parliament,” the 54-
challenge and oppose the year-old MNF leader said.
NDA government, K Vanlal- However, Vanlalvena com-
vena, Mizoram’s lone Rajya mended the NDA govern-
Sabha member, on Saturday ment, led by Prime Minister
leveled a serious allegation Narendra Modi, for its con-
against BJP leaders, claiming tributions to economic devel-
they are striving to transform opment in the country.
India into a Hindu kingdom. He affirmed his willingness
Vanlalvena, who was named to collaborate with other
by the opposition Mizo Na- NDA members in Parlia-
tional Front (MNF) as their ment if elected to the Lok
nominee for the upcoming Sabha, stressing the impor-
elections to the state’s lone tance of NDA’s continuity for
Lok Sabha seat, told report- the progress and develop-
ers that the NDA is an alli- ment of the nation.
ance formed by various par- Vanlalvena outlined the
ties, not all of which share the protection of Mizo culture
ideologies of the BJP. and religion and the consoli-
“Some BJP leaders with
vested interests are trying to
dation of various Mizo tribes
under a single administrative
turn the country into a Hindu unit as his primary campaign
kingdom. The NDA is likely agenda for the upcoming Lok
to retain power at the Cen- Sabha polls scheduled for
tre in the upcoming polls. If April 19. He asserted that his
the NDA government takes efforts during his tenure as a
steps, which are against the Rajya Sabha member have
interest of the religious mi- already begun yielding posi-
norities, including Mizo tive results for Mizoram’s
Christians, I shall oppose it development. – PTI
Tripura CM holds party meet
AGARTALA, March 24: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha
on Sunday said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guaran-
tee can ensure the development of Janajati communities and
overall welfare of the State.
He said this while addressing party workers meeting at
Ambassa Town Hall in Dhalai district for the Lok Sabha polls
in the East Tripura seat.
“Only PM Modi’s can ensure Janajati development and
overall welfare of the State. Keeping this in mind, our kar-
yakartas need to work with more dedication to make Bharati-
ya Janata Party win in every booth in the Lok Sabha polls. We
must ensure BJP’s victory to make the country powerful. PM
Modi always thinks about the country and its people. We must
reach out to the people to make them aware of various devel-
opmental schemes,” he said. He also emphasized that the BJP
always believes in work rather than empty rhetoric, contrast-
ing it with CPI-M, which used to make big promises but
never delivered for the people. – Correspondent
 8 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI
STATE MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024

Training of
PwD polling ‘Guidelines on checking MRLs
personnel
held at Tezpur
in made teas will hit industry’
AJIT PATOWARY auction centres in a year, and ble in the market, there is no
CORRESPONDENT this will result in laboratory effort on the part of the au-
GUWAHATI, March 24: tests on around 8,00,000 tea thorities concerned to train
TEZPUR, March 24: A The guidelines issued on invoices. But, at the same the tea growers, specially the
training programme of per- February 23 last by the Un- time, there would be a seri- small tea growers (STGs), on
sons with disabilities (PwD), ion Commerce and Industry ous problem in conducting the use of recommended dos-
who are to be engaged in the Ministry to conduct labora- laboratory tests on such a es of permissible pesticides.
parliamentary elections 2024 tory tests on the samples of huge quantity of samples This is highly important as,
in Sonitpur HPC, was organ- made teas sent to the auc- within the 200 working days today, around 50 per cent of
ised on Saturday by the train- tion centres to assess their available with the auction the country’s teas comes
ing cell of the office of the dis- maximum pesticide residue centres in a year. from the STG sector.
trict election officer, Sonitpur, levels (MRLs), is going to Sarma, a former superin- Taking advantage of the
at the auditorium of Tezpur harm the country’s already tending manager of Tezpore use of banned pesticides by
Academy High School here. sagging tea industry in a dev- Tea Company of the Shaw unaware STGs, some major
The district commissioner astating manner, warned tea Wallace Group who is pres- estates are allegedly taking
cum returning officer of Sonit- A variety of items on sale on the eve of Holi festival, at Tezpur on Sunday. – UB Photos expert PK Sarma. ently the coordinator of a recourse to the unscrupulous
pur, Deba Kumar Mishra, vis- It needs to be mentioned study project on tea agricul- use of pesticides. This sce-
ited the training venue and that the Union Commerce ture jointly undertaken by IIT nario calls for a strong sys-
interacted with the trainees.
The programme, which was
organised for around 35 PwD
World Water Day observed at and Industry Ministry,
through its notification, made
the sale of 100 per cent dust
Guwahati and Kyoto Univer-
sity of Japan, described the
guidelines of the Union Com-
tem to eradicate use of
banned pesticides to keep
intact the much-publicized
polling personnel, saw the en-
thusiastic participation of the
trainees. Addressing the gath-
ering, the district commis-
Jorhat Kendriya Mahavidyalaya tea and 50 per cent of the rest
of the made teas mandato-
rythrough auction centres
and assessment of the pesti-
merce and Industry Ministry
as quite imprudent. He said
that the MRLs of the teas are
to be assessed at the green-
image of Indian tea as a health
drink, Sarma said.
He regretted the lack of
concern demonstrated by
STAFF CORRESPONDENT the occasion, delivered an in- dyalaya, and Kabyajyoti Go- India (ECI) guidelines for
sioner highlighted the need cide MRLs in the made teas leaf stage, much before their the Tea Board and other
sightful talk on the orgin of goi of Nakachari College se- the forthcoming elections
for an inclusive election arriving at the auction cen- arrival at the factories, to en- stakeholders of the tea indus-
JORHAT, March 24: A dis- water, its scarcity, and con- cured the first, second and was held at the conference
where all eligible sections of tres through laboratory tests, sure their standards comply- try to develop a scientific
trict-level workshop on ‘Wa- servation. third prizes, respectively. hall of the Majuli DC’s of-
the society can take part in prior to their going under the with the Food Safety and mechanism for keeping tea
ter conservation and sustain- Speech competitions at A demonstration on free fice on Friday.
the democratic process. He hammer. Standards Authority of India MRLs under the permissible
able practices’ was organised both school and college lev- water quality testing was also A Majuli district adminis-
informed that Sonitpur HPC Arrival of huge quantities (FSSAI) norms. The at- limits to ensure the robust
at the Jorhat Kendriya Ma- els were also organised as presented by Dipak Ranjan tration official informed that
will have three model polling of teas at the auction centres tempts to determine the health of this industry, which
havidyalaya on Friday to part of the programme. The Buragohain of the PHED on altogether 48 women presid-
stations manned by PwDs – during the peak cropping sea- MRLs of the made teas after is feeding crores of Indians
mark World Water Day. topic of the school-level con- the occasion. The day’s ing officers, along with first,
one in Dhekiajuli and two in son, owing to these guide- their arrival at the auction directly and indirectly.
A press note of the college test was ‘Significance of events concluded with the second and third polling offic-
Tezpur. lines, has the potential to dis- centres are fraught with the IIT Guwahati has already
stated that the workshop was World Water Day’, while for vote of thanks offered by Dr ers, received the training.
Mishra further assured the turb the fair price realization danger of damaging the good developed the technology to
organised by the Public the college level it was ‘Wa- Rajen Borah, coordinator of Majuli district commis-
trainees and the audience in process of the tea industry, name of the country’s teas. He determine tea MRLs. What
Health Engineering Depart- ter for Peace’. At the school the IQAC of the college. The sioner Cauvery B Sharma,
general that the district ad- finally upsetting its economy pointed out that the MRLs of is now required is its appli-
ment (PHED), Jorhat Divi- level, Chayajyoti Baruah of programme was anchored by who is also the district elec-
ministration will provide all in an irreparable manner, the teas manufactured in In- cation in the fields. The Un-
sion, in association with the Sarojini Devi High School, Bishnuram Nath, while Rat- tion officer, interacted with
necessary assistance, such as Sarma said. dia are growing due to the ion Government, the State
Industrial Innovation Coun- Bhaswat Nath of Shemford namoni Dutta and Khusboo the polling officials and asked
porters, special transporta- He pointed out the fact that reckless spraying of banned governments concerned, and
cil (IIC) and Internal Quality Futuristic School, and Chay- Agarwal coordinated the them to discharge their duty
tion, healthcare facilities, and the Union Government’s pesticides on the green tea the tea industry as a whole
Assurance Cell (IQAC) of the anika Barik of Kenduguri Jati- programme. with sincerity.
accessible venues, among notification will make it man- leaves in many areas of the should come together to de-
college. After the welcome ya Vidyalaya bagged the first, Training held: Mean- The official stated that
others, in these three desig- datory to sell about 825 mil- country. While the banned velop a device for applying
address was delivered by the second and third prizes, re- while, the first phase of these women personnel will
nated model polling stations. lion kg of Indian tea through pesticides are openly availa- this technology, he said.
PHED executive engineer of spectively. training of women polling be deployed in 10 all-women
Jorhat Division, Bhaskar Jyoti At the college level, personnel of Majuli district polling stations in the Majuli
OBITUARY
Dr Khagen
Sharma, the principal of the
college, Dr Dulen Saikia, who
Pranab Hazarika of Sarbodi-
ya College, Dhrubajyoti Nath
on the use of Electronic Vot-
ing Machines (EVMs) and
Assembly constituency,
which is a segment of the 101st birth anniversary of
was the resource person on of Jorhat Kendriya Mahavi- the Election Commission of Jorhat Lok Sabha seat.
Deka
Sanitary pad
Biren Barkataky observed
A CORRESPONDENT

CHAMATA, March 24: Dr

Khagen Deka, retired subject
teacher of Chamata Higher
Secondary School and former
president of Nalbari Zila Sah-
itya Sabha, Nabajyoti Sakha
Sahitya Sabha, Gamarimuri
Gaon Unnayan Sangha Puthib-
haral, and Uttar Dharmapur
Sakha Sahitya Sabha,
breathed his last on Friday due
to age-related ailments at his
residence in Gamarimuri vil-
lage here. He was 82.
Dr Deka was also a noted
poet, dramatist, article writ-
er, State pensioner in the field
of literature, and a social
worker. He wrote more than
30 books, including Swargiya
Brajanath Sarma, Bhakti
Sahityar Dristipat, Natya Sa-
hityar Rengani, Kanchan
Phular Bat, Gitimalika,
Gamarimurir Atit Aru Bar-
taman, and Manimala.
He leaves behind his wife,
two daughters, a son, and
grandchildren, besides a host
of relatives.
Various individuals and so-
cio-cultural organisations
paid their last tributes to his
mortal remains before the
last rites were performed.
Founder principal of THB College
accorded public felicitation
A CORRESPONDENT
JAMUGURIHAT, March
24: Suren Das, the founder
principal of THB College,
was accorded a public felici-
tation at a meeting held on
Saturday at the conference
hall of the college with
Janardan Bhuyan, president
of the diamond jubilee cele-
bration committee of the col-
lege, in the chair. The public
meeting was convened as a
part of the diamond jubilee
celebration of the college.
Suren Das had joined the
college as its founder princi-
pal in 1963 and attained su-
perannuation in 1996. The
founder principal, an ac-
claimed academician and ad-
ministrator of repute, was fe-
licitated with a citation,
sarai, japi, gamosa, seleng
sador, and a packet of books
by the diamond jubilee cele-
bration committee, college
staff, and Sootea MLA Pad-
ma Hazarika, besides various
organisations of the greater
Naduar area.
In this connection, two As-
samese books – Khoj, au-
thored by Suren Das himself,
and Sikhya Kandari compiled
on his life – were unveiled by
eminent science writer
Khiradhar Barua and Dr Su-
shil Goswami, respectively.
The day-long pro-
gramme began with a bor-
geet, followed by illumina-
tion of a ceremonial lamp by
Bhaba Goswami, president
of Baresohoriya Bhaona
Committee. Dr Ajit Haza-
rika, principal of the col-
lege, delivered the welcome
address. Sootea MLA Pad-
ma Hazarika graced the oc-
casion as the chief guest and
highlighted the life and con-
tributions of Suren Das.
Eminent writer Mayur
Bora graced the event as the
appointed speaker. He high-
lighted the principles of
Suren Das and made a hum-
ble appeal to all to follow the
path shown by Das. The
event was attended by dig-
nitaries and representatives
of various organisations.
vending units
installed in NL
NORTH LAKHIMPUR,
March 24: Vending machines
for sanitary pads for girl stu-
dents were installed in two
colleges in North Lakhimpur.
Named ‘Sakhi’, the sanitary
pad vending machines were
installed at Lakhimpur Girls
College, the hostel of La-
khimpur Girls College, and
Lakhimpur Commerce Col-
lege on March 21 to raise
awareness about menstrual
hygiene among the students.
The machines were in-
stalled in presence of college
principals and officials of ADRA
India, an NGO. The field coor-
dinator of ADRA India, An-
upam Kakoti, and intern Anan-
ya Bhuyan delivered lectures
on menstrual hygiene aware-
ness among the students and
demonstrated the functionali-
ty of the ‘Sakhi’ sanitary pad
vending machines during their
installations at both the colleg-
es. They stated that the initia-
tive would ensure the availa-
bility of ‘Sakhi’ sanitary pads
and create a supportive envi-
ronment for the girl college
students. – Correcpondent
A CORRESPONDENT
JAMUGURIHAT, March
24: The 101st birth anniver-
sary of Biren Barkataky,
former president of Asam
Sahitya Sabha, former prin-
cipal of Sivasagar Girls’ Col-
lege and a son of the soil of
Sootea, convened by the
Uttar Sootea branch of Na-
tun Sahitya Parishad and
Giti Kabi Keshab Mahanta
Memorial branch, Sootea in
collaboration with Uttar
Sootea High School was
Election expense observer
visits Golaghat district
CORRESPONDENT
DERGAON, March 24:
The expenditure observer
appointed by the Election
Commission of India (ECI)
for Kaziranga HPC is under-
taking visits to different lo-
cations under the constituen-
cy. While visiting different
places under the HPC like
Dergaon and Bokakhat, he
urged the agencies deployed
at various stages to be more
held today at the conference
hall of the Uttar Sootea High
School with journalist Ratul
Bhuyan in the chair.
The daylong programme
began with offering of flo-
ral tribute in front of the
portrait of Biren Barkataky
by Dipalimi Hazarika fol-
lowed by a welcome ad-
dress offered by Mrinal
Goswami, secretary of the
undivided Sonitpur district
committee of Natun Sahit-
ya Parishad. Labanu Saikia
explained the objectives of
vigilant in adhering to the
ECI’s guidelines and curbing
any violation thereof.
The appointed observer, a
senior officer of the Indian
Revenue Service, Laxman
Singh Gurjar, arrived at Gola-
ghat and inspected the cells
formed for the ensuing elec-
tion. Interacting with the of-
ficials engaged for the elec-
tion, including district com-
missioner Dr P Uday
Praveen and superintendent
the meeting. Mayurakshi
Mahanta Saikia, a writer,
attended the occasion as an
appointed speaker who
presented a picturesque
picture of the life and liter-
ary as well as academic
contributions of Biren Bar-
kataky. She also traced the
history how Borkakaty was
sent behind the bar in the
Quit India Movement 1942
and his contribution as a
president of the Kampur
session of Asam Sahitya
Sabha in 1986.
of police Rajen Singh, the ob-
server urged all officials to
ensure a free and fair elec-
tion in the HPC.
The observer also urged all
concerned to contact him at
his office chamber at the cir-
cuit House or his mobile phone
for any election-related mat-
ter. The district administra-
tion has opened a control room
with the telephone number
07774-283282 for any
election-related input.

Proposal submitted to declare Birendra Kumar

Bhattacharyya’s birthday as ‘State Day’
CORRESPONDENT
NAZIRA, March 24: Year-long cel-
ebrations of the birth centenary of
Jnanpith Award-winning author Dr
Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya are
under way in Sivasagar district, with
various programmes being organised
to make the student community
aware of the life and achievements of
the literary luminary.
The organisers have already con-
ducted a series of lectures on the cel-
ebrated author at various colleges of
the district. A host of other pro-
grammes have been lined up to mark
the birth centenary of Bhattacharyya,
who was one of the doyens of mod-
ern Assamese literature.
The Dr Birendra Kumar Bhatta-
charyya Birth Centenary Celebration
Committee, Sivasagar, has proposed
that October 14, the birthday of Bhat-
tacharyya, be declared as a ‘State Day’
and a life-sized statue of him be made
in Sivasagar town. The committee
has also suggested naming an impor-
tant road of Sivasagar after Birenda
Kumar Bhattacharyya. It is worth
mentioning that Bhattacharyya was
born and bred at Safrai Tea Estate in
the undivided district of Sivasagar.
The proposals concerned have al-
ready been sent to the State govern-
ment through the Sivasagar district
commissioner.
Dr Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya
was the first Assamese recipient of
the Jnanpith Award, the highest Indi-
an literary honour. He won the award
in 1979 for his most outstanding work
Mritunjoy (Immortal), a classic novel
based on the socio-political life in As-
sam in the pre-independence period,
especially during the 1942 Quit India
Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.
Bhattacharyya was also honoured with
the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1961
for his novel Iyaruingam (People’s
Dream), which is regarded as a mas-
terpiece of Indian literature. In Iyaru-
ingam, Bhattacharyya delves into the
impact of India’s freedom struggle and
the Second World War on the Tang-
khul Naga society in Manipur.
Incidentally, Mritunjoy and Iyaruin-
gam were the first Assamese novels
to win the Jnanpith Award and Sahitya
Akademi Award, respectively.
Dr Bhattacharyya was a novelist,
short story writer, poet, playwright,
literary critic, journalist, essayist, bi-
ographer, translator, lyricist, and trav-
el writer all rolled into one. He has to
his name 24 novels, five short story
collections, a poetry anthology titled
Sandhyaswar, 16 plays, and lyrics of
over 30 songs. He is best known for
his novels which are characterized by
a deep sense of life, humanism and
the social awareness of a realist. He
used contemporary social and politi-
cal events as the themes of his nov-
els. Bhattacharyya was a liberal but
believed in the socialist principles of
equality, justice, freedom, democra-
cy and humanism.
Bhattacharyya made a monumen-
tal contribution to Assamese litera-
ture when he worked as the editor of
the path-breaking Assamese literary
journal Ramdhenu (1952-1963) that
nurtured some of the best Assamese
authors of all time.
Born to Shashidhar Bhattacharyya
and Padmavati Devi on October 14,
1924, Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya
did his BSc from Cotton College, MA
in Assamese from Gauhati Universi-
ty, and PhD with the thesis titled ‘Hu-
mour and Satire in Assamese Litera-
ture’ from the same university. He
was the president of the 1983 Bon-
gaigaon session of Asam Sahitya Sab-
ha, president of Sahitya Akademi
(1988-1993), and president of Au-
thors Guild of India (1982). He passed
away on August 6, 1997.
The year-long celebrations of the
birth centenary of Bhattacharyya start-
ed on October 14, 2023, at Sibsagar
College, Jaysagar, with a lecture pro-
gramme on the topic ‘The role of Bi-
rendra Kumar Bhattacharyya in es-
tablishing Assamese literature in the
pan-Indian context’. Similar pro-
grammes have also been organised at
Nazira College, Amguri College, De-
mow College, Hem Chandra Dev
Goswami College in Nitaipukhuri,
Sibsagar Commerce College, Bir La-
chit Borphukan College in Sivasagar,
and Dikhowmukh College.
Dr Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya
Birth Centenary Celebration Com-
mittee president Juga Gogoi said that
in the coming days, lecture pro-
grammes, seminars and workshops
on Bhattacharyya’s works and phi-
losophy of life will be organised in
other higher educational institutions
of the district with support from var-
ious social and cultural organisations.
Singing, recitation, portrait drawing
and quiz competitions are also sched-
uled to be held among students as
part of the birth centenary celebra- A vehicle being checked by flying squad personnel ahead of the Lok Sabha election in
tions of Bhattacharyya. Morigaon on Saturday. – UB Photos
 MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024
STATE THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 9

CM reviews poll preparations

in Bongaigaon, Chirang
CORRESPONDENT
BONGAIGAON, March 24: Chief Minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma reviewed the poll
preparations of Barpeta and Kokrajhar Lok
Sabha (LS) seats visiting Chirang and
Bongaigaon districts today.
Chief Minister Sarma held a meeting with
the workers of the BJP and its allies, United
People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and Asom
Gana Parishad (AGP) at Bongaigaon Refinery
township, Dhaligaon in Chirang district this
noon, to assess the activities of party workers
in both the LS seats.
Addressing the media, Chief Minister
Sarma said the National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) nominee for Kokrajhar LS seat Jayanta
Basumatary (UPPL) would win the seat by
obtaining 2-2.5 lakh votes. Looking at peace
Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi during an election campaign at Mariani on Sunday. – UB Photos and development prevailing in the BTR, the
electors of Kokrajhar LS seat would cast their
votes in favour of the candidate of UPPL, an
LS seat Phani Bhusan Choudhury (AGP).
There, he interacted with the media persons
and said that after being confirmed of wining
the Barpeta LS seat, Choudhury has been field-
ed in it. Because, it is a need to send an matured
politician, who loves Assam, to the Parliament
to represent the areas between Guwahati and
Dhubri for greater development prospects,
the Chief Minister added, and expressed his
expectation of over two lakh votes in favour
of Choudhury in the ensuing LS polls.
“Though our target is 13 seats, we are sure
to get 11 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in this
poll,” Chief Minister Sarma said.
In his reply to media’s query on the Dhubri
seat, the Chief Minister said there would be a
contest between AIUDF and Congress party
in the seat and said, “If Badruddin Ajmal
(AIUDF) wins the seat, fundamental forces
would raise their heads and if Rockybul
Hussain (Congress) wins the seat, the rhinos
of Kaziranga would suffer.”

Meghalaya truck driver’s body found in ally of NDA, the Chief Minister said.
Following the meeting in Chirang district,
the Chief Minister had lunch at the Bongaig-
After a brief meeting with the party
workers at Bongaigaon BJP office, the Chief
Minister left for Guwahati in a chopper in this

‘secret chamber’ of truck at Deopani near KNP aon residence of NDA candidate for Barpeta afternoon.

Assam Rifles
CORRESPONDENT

NAGAON, March 24: the

body of a truck driver, identi-
fied as Nicholas Dkhar hailing
from Jowai of West Jayantia
Hills in Meghalaya, was found
in the ‘secret chamber’ of a
cement-laden truck at Deo-
pani near Kaziranga National
Park this morning here.
Sources claimed that the
truck driver drove the truck
to unload bags of cement at
Samaguri.
Meanwhile, the police from
Jakhalabandha PS arrested
one Raju Nath hailing from
Pandu in Guwahati in connec-
tion with the suspected mur-
der of the truck driver.
Sources said that based on
the inputs provided by the
truck owner, the police recov-
ered the truck from Deopani
near Kaziranga National Park
and arrested the criminal.
It was suspected that the
arrested Raju might have
killed the driver with the help
of a wheel wrench inside the
truck and then hijacked the
truck, sources said, adding
that he was planning to take
the truck to Jorhat to smug-
gle off the consignment there.
The truck bearing regis-
tration number NL01-
AA6213 was carrying cement
from Meghalaya and was sup-
posed to unload the consign-
ment at Suraksha Cement
(KD Cement) at Samuguri in
the district.
“But when the truck own-
er Gurdeep Singh tracked
the truck in GPS and saw
that it crossed the delivery
point, he immediately in-
formed us. We chased it and
intercepted it at Deopani be-
fore Bagori,” a senior police
official said.
The truck was taken to the
police station and Raju was
arrested after the truck own-
er confirmed that he is not
the original driver. During
the search, the body of the
driver was inside the secret
chamber of the truck, he said
adding that Raju Nath was a
known criminal and he was
arrested several times earli-
er in truck hijacking cases.
observes
Veterans’ Day
CORRESPONDENT
TEZPUR, March 24:
the Assam Rifles
organised a comprehen-
sive Veterans’ Day event,
prioritising the well-being
of and support to the
veterans at Assam Rifles
Garrison in Lokra,
100-hour hunger
strike by Chutia Yuva
Sanmilan under way
STAFF CORRESPONDENT the other demand was con-
stituting an autonomous
JORHAT, March 24: The council for the socio-eco-
Chutia Yuva Sanmilan, As- nomic development and cul-
sam, led by its central com- tural preservation of Chutia
mitte, has been undertaking people, one of the oldest in-
a 100-hour hunger strike digenous groups of the State.

Assam Civil Society Cong to have last laugh Sonitpur on Saturday.

blasts BJP govt
CORRESPONDENT
SIVASAGAR, March 24:
Addressing a press confer-
ence in Sivasagar today, Ajit
Kumar Bhuyan, Bharat Jodo
Campaign Coordinator and
president of Assam Civil
Society, criticized the BJP as
the killer of democracy and
said that several incidents
stand proof of it. The BJP-led
politics of division has
reached its final stage and it
is time the people should
come out openly against the
tyrannical rule of the BJP. He
added that two Chief Minis-
ters have been arrested for
not towing the BJP line. He
The event provided a
comprehensive array of
from March 22 at Nehru Park
area here seeking fulfillment
of several long-standing de-
Saikia stated that the com-
munity has been seeking the
inclusion of Chutia in the ST
in Silchar: Aminul services tailored to meet
various needs of the
mands.
The strike which is sched-
(Plains) list since a long period
of time with pleas to the vari-
veterans. This included uled to end on Monday ous governments at the Cen-
appealed to the voters to vote
thorough medical check- (March 25), has two key de- tre and in the State headed by
for Gaurav Gogoi and said
ups to ensure their health mands that include granting different political parties.
that the BJP government has
requirements, of Scheduled Tribe (Plains) However, except for pro-
not responded to the 32
information kiosks status to the Chutia commu- viding assurances by the re-
questions raised by the IN-
offering access to benefits, nity. spective governments, there
DIA group.
entitlements and Mohan Chandra Saikia, has been hardly any progress
The press meet was also
attended by Paresh Malakar, reintegration support. president of the Chutia Yuva seen in this regard, the pres-
secretary, Assam Civil Grievance redressal Sanmilan, Assam, said that ident of the Chutia body said.
Society, Guwahati High mechanisms were also
Court advocate Shantanu put in place, allowing the
Barthakur and Civil Society
Sivasagar district coordina-
veterans to voice
concerns and receive Rs 2,44,080 seized
tor Jintu Mech. timely resolutions. JORHAT, March 24: In the ongoing drive by the flying squads
The speakers alleged that In a heartfelt gesture of and static surveillance teams in Jorhat district, an amount of
the BJP government is using appreciation, Veer Naris Rs 2,44,080 was seized in areas under Jorhat and Titabar
the ED and CBI for its own were felicitated for their Assembly constituencies on Sunday.
interests to intimidate the resilience and sacrifices, A district administration official informed that the No. 11 flying
Aminul Haque Laskar being welcomed by Congress supporters at Congress Bhawan in while disabled veterans
opposition by creating squad group seized Rs 70,000 in Jorhat and the Number 1 and 10
Silchar on Sunday. – UB Photos
suspicion and terror. received aids and static surveillance teams jointly seized Rs 1,00,080 in Titabar.
STAFF CORRESPONDENT angst and dissatisfaction among the people of assistance, reaffirming the The No. 5 flying squad team also seized Rs 74,000 in Titabar.
these communities against the ruling party as commitment to support The said teams were constituted by the district administra-

World Meteorological SILCHAR, March 24: Aminul Haque Laskar,

former Sonai MLA who had recently joined
the Congress quitting the BJP, on Sunday made
Day celebrated strong claims that despite contesting against
BJP veteran and minister Parimal Suklabaidya,
TEZPUR, March 24: The Regional Meteorological Centre, Congress-nominated candidate Surjya Kanta
Guwahati celebrated World Meteorological Day on Saturday at Sarkar will sail through in the ensuing Lok
Regional Meteorological Centre jointly with Indian Meteoro- Sabha elections from Silchar.
logical Society, Guwahati Chapter highlighting the theme of the Elaborating his reasons behind the
year ‘At the Frontline of Climate Action’. statement Laskar said, the BJP has destroyed
The special lecture organised for the occasion was delivered the hopes and aspirations of three communi-
by Dr Lalit Saikia, assistant professor, Department of Earth ties, namely, the Nath community in Borkhola,
Science, University of Science & Technology Meghalaya. During Meitei Manipuris in Lakhipur and Bishnupriya
his speech Dr Saikia urged policy makers to make eco-friendly Manipuris in Ratabari courtesy the
future plans. delimitation process. This has triggered great
Taking part in the programme KN Mohan, Scientist-G,
stressed taking urgent action to combat climate change and its
men from these communities will never been
seen representing in the State Assembly. The
outburst of this would be seen in the results of
those who have served and
sacrificed for the nation.
Additionally, a bank help
tion following the announcement of dates of the Lok Sabha
elections to check attempts of intimidation, movement of illegal
arms and ammunition, influencing and bribing of electors by
the elections this year, Laskar said.
“Congress candidate Surjya Kanta Sarkar
desk was available to
provide financial guidance,
way of distributing cash, liquor and other items. – Staff
Correspondent
who has already begun his campaign reaching ensuring veterans have
out to the people of all ages will be blessed by access to essential
the people to the Lok Sabha for which I shall banking services and
work at my level best,” Laskar asserted. resources. Overall, the CINEMA PROGRAMME
The former Deputy Speaker was seen being event exemplified Assam
given a rousing welcome at the District Con- Rifles’ dedication towards ANURADHA CINEPLEX GALLERIA CINEMA
gress office by Silchar District Congress the veterans holistically. A Multiplex Ambience Dibrugarh,
25 March : At 2.00 pm Junction Mall
president Abhijit Paul in the presence of total of 128 veterans, 26 THE CREATOR From 22nd March 2024 to 28th March 2024
Katigorah MLA Khalil Uddin Mazumder and widows and 4 Veer Naris Cast : John David Washington, Screen-1
Madeleina Voyles, Ken Watanabe At 10.00 am & 8.15 pm
other party leaders. benefited from the event. At 8.00 pm SWATANTRYA VEER SAVARKAR
THE ZONE OF INTEREST At 1.15 pm
Cast : Sandra Huller, Christian Friedel, KUNGFU PANDA 4 - 3D (E)
Ralph Herforth

Basanta Utsav at Gauripur

At 3.00 pm
26 March : At 2.00 pm
impacts. Dr Sanjay O’Neill Shaw, Scientist-F in his speech sug- ANATOMY OF A FALL
MADGAON EXPRESS
gested the audience to contribute at an individual level to pro- Cast : Sandra Huller, Swann Arlaud, At 5.45 pm
Jehnny Beth SHAITAAN
tect our environment. Sunit Das, Scientist-F, explained about At 8.00 pm Screen–2
the consequences of global warming on us in the programme. CORRESPONDENT by garlanding on the portrait of Radha Chakraborty presented a melodious OPPENHEIMER At 10.15 am, 12.45 pm & 8.40 pm
Cast : Chillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, MADGAON EXPRESS
The programme was hosted by Suruj Gogoi, meteorologist. Krishna. The stage for presenting items group song. The programme was at- Matt Damon At 3.30 pm
It is worth mentioning that World Meteorological Day is GAURIPUR, March 24: Under the of dance and song was opened by the tended by Jaya Biswas, chairman, Gau- 27 March : At 2.00 pm WIDE ANGLE (ASS)
KILLER OF THE FLOWER MOON At 6.05 pm
celebrated throughout the world every year on March 23 to initiative of Bina Mandir Club and in as- SDO (Civil) Partha Pratim Neog. More ripur Town Committee, Bijoy Kumar Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily YODHA
create awareness to turn away the undeniable threat to our sociation with the Nupurdhwani, a per- than 80 students performed various Roy, Prakash Chandra Paul, Mrinmoy Gladstone, Robert De Niro Tele Booking Timings
At 8.00 pm 9.00 am to 8.00 pm.
entire civilisation, as the effects of climate change are already forming arts centre, Gauripur, a daylong items like Borgeet, Rabindra dance, Deb Adhikary. The Bhortal dance and BARBIE Tele Booking No. 8876565001/
visible and will be catastrophic unless we act now. programme on Basanta Utsav was held Kathak dance, Satriya dance, Goalini naam-kirtan presented by the Upasana Cast : Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, 8876565002
America Ferrera (Terms & conditions apply)
On the occasion Regional Meteorological Centre, Guwahati on the premises of the club today. The dance, etc. The cultural troupe of Gau- Naam troupe attracted the audience. The 28 March : At 2.00 pm Ticket Rates: Regular Show : Rs. 150/-,
received the ‘Best RMC’ award from IMD HQs. Also, Kanak programme started after lighting of cer- ripur presented a Bihu dance. A group programme was anchored by Debadutta PAST LIVES Rs. 200/-, Rs. 350/- Rs. 500/-, 1000/-
Cast : Greta Lee, TeoYoo, John Magaro, New Movie Rates Rs. 180/-,
Chandra Das of Regional Meteorological Centre, Guwahati re- emonial lamp by Partha Pratim Neog, of singers from Dhubri and Gauripur led Chaki, programme convenor and direc- Moon Seung-ah
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Madeleina Voyles, Ken Watanabe

World Tuberculosis Day observed

CORRESPONDENTS
KOKRAJHAR, March 24: Along
with the rest of the world, World
Tuberculosis (TB) Day was also
observed at Kokrajhar with the
theme ‘Yes We Can End TB’.
In this connection, an awareness
meeting was held at the conference
hall of the RNB Civil Hospital,
Kokrajhar. Earlier, a rally was also
held throughout the Kokrajhar town
with posters and banners.
The awareness meeting was pre-
sided by Dr NR Biswas, superin-
tendent, RNB Civil Hospital,
Kokrajhar.
In the meeting Dr Kaushik Das,
District TB Officer, explained the
status of the district in the coun-
try’s ‘End TB’ strategy by 2025.
Kabita Deka, additional District
Commissioner (Health), Kokrajhar
stressed the Nikshay Mitra and
committed to arrange more Nik-
shay Mitra and more food baskets
to the TB patients of the district.
She also informed that the food bas-
ket will help the TB patients to re-
cover from the disease.
Dr JB Roy, Joint Director of Health
Services, Kokrajhar told about the
seriousness and progression of the
TB disease and how to protect the
society from TB. Boloram Khotry,
Secretary, DLSA, Kokrajhar siad
about the legal rights of the TB pa-
tients and stressed maintaining the
equal rights of the TB patients as
the common citizen. Dr Dibyajyoti
Nath, HoD of Radiology Depart-
ment, Kokrajhar Medical College
said about TB as a social disease and
the spread of the disease from social
crowd and its prevention.
Dr Keswajit Sonowal, faculty of
Kokrajhar Medical College asked
people to work together to fight
against the disease to make the
country TB free by 2025. NGO part-
ner of NTEP, Barub Hussain shared
his experience of working in the
most hard-to-reach area of the dis-
trict like Lungsung.
In Goalpara: Goalpara District
Health Committee observed World
Tuberculosis Day today at the con-
ference hall of the District Commis-
sioner. The meeting presided over
by Dr Janbir Das, subdivisional
health officer, Goalpara, was organ-
ised on the occasion where health
workers of the district Paritosh Pal,
Minitha Daimary, Raju Shankar
Nath, Amin Sikdar and members of
private diagnostic laboratories were
present.
It may be mentioned that the
Government of India has been tak-
ing various steps in Goalpara to
eradicate tuberculosis in the district
under the National TB Elimination
Programme, with the objective of
eradicating tuberculosis from the
country by 2025.
The Goalpara District Health
Committee under the leadership of
District Commissioner Khanindra
Choudhury has been taking steps
to make the district TB free at the
At 11.00 am
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SHAITAAN (HINDI) 2D
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SHAITAAN (H)
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 10 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI
INTERNATIONAL MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024

Gunmen who raided Some among 300 captive school kids freed in Nigeria
Moscow concert tried ABUJA, March 24: At least trated in the country’s north- No group has claimed re-

to escape to Ukraine: Putin 137 of nearly 300 Nigerian

Kyiv denies involvement
MOSCOW, March 24: The
suburban Moscow music hall
where gunmen opened fire on
concertgoers was a blackened,
smoldering ruin on Saturday
as the death toll in the attack
surpassed 130 and Russian au-
thorities arrested four sus-
pects. President Vladimir Pu-
tin claimed they were cap-
tured while fleeing to Ukraine.
Kyiv strongly denied any
involvement in Friday’s as-
sault on the Crocus City Hall
music venue in Krasnogorsk,
and the Islamic State group’s
Afghanistan affiliate claimed
responsibility.
Putin did not mention IS in
his speech to the nation, and
Kyiv accused him and other
Russian politicians of falsely
linking Ukraine to the assault
to stoke fervour for Russia’s
war in Ukraine, which recent-
ly entered its third year.
US intelligence officials
confirmed the claim by the IS
affiliate. “ISIS bears sole re-
sponsibility for this attack.
There was no Ukrainian in-
Around the
volvement whatsoever,” Na-
tional Security Council
spokeswoman Adrienne
Watson said in a statement.
The US shared information
with Russia in early March
about a planned terrorist at-
tack in Moscow and issued a
public warning to Americans
in Russia, Watson said.
Putin said authorities de-
tained a total of 11 people in
the attack, which also wound-
ed more than 100. He called
it “a bloody, barbaric terror-
ist act” and said Russian au-
thorities captured the four
suspects as they were trying
to escape to Ukraine through
a “window” prepared for
them on the Ukrainian side
of the border.
Russian media broadcast
videos apparently showed the
detention and interrogation of
the suspects. One told the
cameras he was approached
by an unidentified assistant to
an Islamic preacher via a mes-
saging app and paid to take part
in the raid. – AP
children abducted more than
two weeks ago from their
school in the northwestern
state of Kaduna were released
on Sunday, the West African
nation’s military said.
An earlier statement from
the government suggested that
all the students were freed.
Motorcycle-riding gunmen
invaded the Kuriga school on
March 7 and marched the chil-
dren into the forests before
security forces could arrive,
as terrified families watched
helplessly. School authorities
said a total of 287 students
were kidnapped during the
attack. At least 100 of them
are aged 12 or younger.
At least 1,400 students
have been kidnapped from
Nigerian schools since 2014,
when Boko Haram militants
seized hundreds of school-
girls from Borno state’s Chi-
bok village. In recent years,
abductions have been concen-
Time to ‘truly flood’ Gaza
with aid: UN chief
RAFAH CROSSING
(Egypt), March 24: UN Sec-
retary-General António Gu-
terres stood near a long line of
waiting trucks on Saturday and
declared it was time to “truly
flood Gaza with lifesaving aid,”
calling the starvation inside the
enclave a “moral outrage.” He
urged an immediate ceasefire
between Israel and Hamas.
Guterres spoke on the
Egyptian side of the border not
far from the southern Gaza city
western and central regions,
where dozens of armed
groups often target villagers
and travellers for ransom.
The 137 children were
rescued in Zamfara state, an
enclave known for kidnappings
more than 200 kilometres
away from their school, Ni-
gerian military spokesman
Maj Gen Edward Buba said in
a statement.
“Efforts would continue
until other hostages are found
and the terrorists arrested,
tried, and brought to justice
by Nigerian law,” Buba said.
At least 17 other schoolchil-
dren in northern Sokoto state
were also rescued two weeks
after they were taken hostage,
according to a statement is-
sued on Saturday by the Soko-
to state government.
Kaduna state Governor
Uba Sani, who first an-
nounced the rescue, did not
give details about the opera-
tion. His office could not be
‘Starvation’ there is an outrage
reach consensus on the word-
ing of a US-sponsored resolu-
tion supporting “an immedi-
ate and sustained ceasefire.”
Guterres repeatedly noted
the difficulties of getting aid
into Gaza, for which interna-
tional aid agencies have largely
blamed Israel. “Here from
this crossing, we see the
heartbreak and heartlessness
… a long line of blocked relief
reached on Sunday to clarify
the discrepancy in the
number of those freed. The
Associated Press could not
reach villagers in Kuriga
town, where mobile network
is not available.
Under growing pressure to
the immediate release of all
hostages.” He later told jour-
nalists that a humanitarian
ceasefire and hostage release
should occur at the same time.
Hamas is believed to be
holding around 100 hostages
as well as the remains of 30
others taken in its October 7
attack that killed about 1,200
people, mostly civilians, and
sparked the war.
end the mass kidnappings in
northern Nigeria, President
Bola Tinubu promised his ad-
ministration is “deploying de-
tailed strategies to ensure that
our schools remain safe sanc-
tuaries of learning, not lairs
for wanton abductions.”
tony Blinken on Thursday said
an Israeli ground assault on
Rafah would be “a mistake”
and unnecessary in defeating
Hamas. That marked a shift
in the position for the United
States, whose officials have
concluded there is no credi-
ble way for getting civilians
out of harm’s way.
Netanyahu has vowed to
press forward with military-
approved plans for the offen-
sive, which he has said is cru-
Tinubu had vowed to res-
cue the children “without
paying a dime” as ransom. But
ransoms are commonly paid
for kidnappings, often ar-
ranged by families, and it is
rare for officials in Nigeria to
admit to the payments.
Senegal votes in tightly
contested presidential race
after months of unrest
DAKAR, March 24: Sen-
egalese headed to the polls
Sunday in a tightly contested
presidential race that followed
months of uncertainty and un-
rest that has tested the West
African nation’s reputation as
a stable democracy in a region
that has experienced a wave
of coups in recent years.
The election takes place af-
ter President Macky Sall un-
successfully tried to call off the
February 25 vote until the end
of the year. Sall is barred from
sponsibility for the Kaduna
kidnapping, which locals have
blamed on bandit groups
known for mass killings and
kidnappings for ransom in the
conflict-battered northern re-
gion, most of them former
herders in conflict with set-
tled communities.
At least two people with
extensive knowledge of the
security crisis in Nigeria’s
northwest told AP that the
identity of the abductors is
known.
Murtala Ahmed Rufa’i, a
professor of Peace and Conflict
Studies at Usmanu Danfodiyo
University, and Sheikh Ahmad
Gumi, a cleric who has negoti-
ated with the bandits, said they
were hiding in the region’s vast
and ungoverned forests.
Arrests are rare in Nigeria’s
mass kidnappings, as victims are
usually released only after des-
perate families pay ransoms or
through deals with government
and security officials. – AP
sition protesters have been
arrested and jailed.
There are 19 candidates in
the race, including one wom-
an, the highest number in the
nation’s history.
“This is poised to be the
most competitive election
since the introduction of mul-
tiparty politics,” Tochi Eni-
Kalu, Africa analyst at the
Eurasia Group, told The As-
sociated Press.
Analysts say no candidate is
expected to win more than 50

W RLD of Rafah, where Israel plans to

launch a ground assault despite
widespread warnings of a po-
tential catastrophe. More than
Nepal celebrates Holi half of Gaza’s population has
taken refuge there.
amidst tight security “Any further onslaught will
make things even worse –
worse for Palestinian civilians,
worse for hostages and worse
for all people in the region,”
Guterres said.
He spoke a day after the UN
Security Council failed to
trucks on one side of the
gates, the long shadow of star-
vation on the other,” he said.
About 7,000 aid trucks are
waiting in Egypt’s North Sinai
province to enter Gaza, Gover-
nor Mohammed Abdel-Fadeil
Shousha said in a statement.
Guterres added: “It is time
for an ironclad commitment by
Israel for total … access for
humanitarian goods to Gaza,
and in the Ramadan spirit of
compassion, it is also time for
When asked about Gu-
terres’ comments, the office
of Israeli Prime Minister Ben-
jamin Netanyahu referred to
a social media post by Foreign
Minister Israel Katz accusing
the UN chief of allowing the
world body to become “an-
tisemitic and anti-Israeli.”
An estimated 1.5 million
Palestinians now shelter in
Rafah after fleeing Israel’s of-
fensive elsewhere.
US Secretary of State An-
cial to achieving the stated aim
of destroying Hamas. The mil-
itary has said Rafah is Hamas’
last major stronghold and
ground forces must target four
battalions remaining there.
Again on Saturday night,
Israelis protested in Tel Aviv
and Jerusalem against Netan-
yahu and the government
amid fears that surviving hos-
tages held in Gaza are in ever-
worsening conditions months
into the war. – AP
running for a third term due to
constitutional term limits. As
a result, the vote is taking place
during Ramadan, the holy
month when observant Mus-
lims fast from dawn until dusk.
The roads were largely
deserted early in the morn-
ing in the capital Dakar and
the nation’s elite police force
were stationed all over the
city in armoured vehicles.
Outside polling centres, po-
lice checked voters cards as
men and women in formal
dress lined up. Results are
per cent of the vote, which
means a runoff between lead-
ing candidates is widely expect-
ed. They include Amadou Ba,
a former Prime Minister, and
Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who
is backed by popular Opposi-
tion figure Ousmane Sonko.
Sonko, who came third in the
previous election, was barred
from running in January be-
cause of a prior conviction for
defamation. He has faced a slew
of legal troubles in recent years
that supporters say are part of
a government effort to derail

KATHMANDU, March 24: Holi, the festival of col-

ours, was celebrated on Sunday in Kathmandu and other
Palestinians face heavy destruction,
hilly districts across Nepal amidst tight security. Howev-
er, in Terai, the southern plains of the country, the festival
will be celebrated on Monday. President Ramchandra Pau-
forced marches in ongoing Israeli raid
RAFAH, March 24: Pales-
del, in his message on the occasion, expressed confidence
tinians who fled during an on-
that Holi would “promote mutual harmony in society and
going Israeli raid in and around
further strengthen national unity”.
the Gaza Strip’s main hospi-
Expressing his good wishes for happiness, peace and
tal described days of heavy
prosperity to all Nepalese at home and abroad, President
Paudel described Holi as the celebration of “victory of
justice over injustice and victory of virtue over evil”.
fighting, mass arrests, forced
marches past dead bodies and
Nepal Police intensified security in and around Kathman-
du Valley to avoid any untoward incident. Around 5,000
flattened buildings in inter-
views on Sunday.
The Israeli military says it
police personnel were mobilised in the Valley to maintain
law and order. Police also used drones to monitor the
has killed over 170 militants and
detained some 480 suspects in
security situation in sensitive areas. The force also start- the raid on Shifa Hospital that
ed checking vehicles at around 100 places to monitor began last on Monday, portray-
possible traffic rule violations during the festival. ing it as a heavy blow to Hamas
The local administration has warned of action if anyone and other armed groups that it
sprays colours or throws water over people without consent. says had regrouped in the med-
The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office has taken action ical compound.
against at least 250 vehicles for violating traffic rules. – PTI But the heavy fighting has
also highlighted the resilience
Nearly 80 pc of of Palestinian armed groups in
an isolated-and heavily-de-
Afghans lack access to stroyed part of Gaza where
troops have been forced to
drinking water: UNDP return after launching a simi-
lar raid back in November.
KABUL, March 24: Nearly 80 per cent of Afghanistan’s
Kareem Ayman Hathat,
population lacks access to potable water, according to a
who lived with his parents
report from the United Nations Development Programme
and two brothers in a five-
(UNDP) Afghanistan. The report pointed out that the se-
storey building about 100
vere drought conditions, economic instability, and the dev-
metres (yards) from the hos-
astating effects of prolonged conflicts have significantly
pital, said they huddled in the
reduced Afghanistan’s water infrastructure, Xinhua news
kitchen for days while gun-
agency reported.
fire and explosions echoed
The crisis disproportionately affects female-headed house- outside, sometimes causing
holds, which face additional barriers in accessing public water the whole building to shake.
facilities, exacerbating their vulnerability, it added. The land-
Early on Saturday, Israeli
locked Afghanistan is grappling with an exacerbated drought.
troops stormed the building and
The Afghan caretaker government has been building small
forced them and dozens of oth-
dams, water supply networks, and water canals across the
er residents to leave. He says
country to improve and store groundwater. – IANS
the men were forced to strip
to their underwear and four
were detained. The rest were
blindfolded and ordered to fol-
low a tank south, as more blasts
thundered around them.
“From time to time, the
tank would fire a shell,” he told
The Associated Press in an
interview from another hos-
pital in central Gaza, where
he has sought shelter. “It was
to terrorise us.”
The head of Israel’s south-
ern command, Maj Gen Yaron
Finkelman, said the Shifa raid
had been a “daring, tricky and
most impressive operation so
far,” with ”hundreds” of mili-
tants apprehend and the acqui-
sition of valuable intelligence.
“We will finish this opera-
tion only when the last ter-
rorist is in our hands – alive
or dead,” he added in a state-
ment released by the mili-
tary on Saturday.
Shifa Hospital had largely
stopped functioning following
the raid in November. After
claiming that Hamas maintained
an elaborate command centre
inside and beneath the hospi-
tal, Israeli forces exposed a sin-
gle tunnel leading to a few un-
derground rooms. They also
said they found weapons in
parts of the hospital.
Gaza City, where Shifa is
located, suffered widespread
devastation in the early days
of Israel’s offensive, launched
after the October 7 Hamas at-
tack that triggered the war.
Israeli forces have isolated the
city and the rest of northern
Gaza since November, and
hardly any aid has been deliv-
ered in recent weeks. Experts
said last week that famine is
imminent in northern Gaza,
where over 210,000 people
are suffering from catastroph-
ic hunger.
Jameel al-Ayoubi, who was
among thousands of people
sheltering at Shifa when the
raid commenced last Monday,
said in a phone interview that
tanks and armoured bulldoz-
ers had plowed into the court-
yard of the sprawling medical
compound, crushing ambu-
lances and civilian vehicles. He
said he saw tanks driving over
at least four bodies of people
killed early in the raid.
The Health Ministry said
five wounded Palestinians
trapped at Shifa had died
without food, water or med-
ical services. The World
Health Organisation’s direc-
tor-general, Tedros Adh-
anom Ghebreyesus, de-
scribed the conditions there
as “utterly inhumane.”
The military said on Satur-
day that it had evacuated pa-
tients and medical staff from
Shifa’s emergency depart-
ment because militants had
“entrenched” themselves in
the building. The army said it
had set up an alternative site
where seriously wounded pa-
tients were receiving care.
Abed Radwan, who lived
some 200 metres (yards)
from the hospital, said Israeli
forces stormed all the build-
ings in the area, detaining sev-
eral people and forcing the
rest to march south. As he
walked south with others, he
saw dead bodies in the streets
and several flattened homes.
“They left nothing intact,” he
said in an interview from a rel-
ative’s house in central Gaza.
Now in its sixth month, the
war between Israel and Ha-
mas has killed at least 32,226
Palestinians, according to
Gaza’s Health Ministry. It
does not distinguish between
civilians and combatants in its
toll but says women and chil-
dren make up around two-
thirds of the dead. – AP
expected next week.
The election is set to be
the nation’s fourth demo-
cratic transfer of power since
Senegal gained independ-
ence from France in 1960.
The process has been
marred by violence and un-
rest, and hundreds of Oppo-
Pakistan to ‘seriously’
consider restoring trade
ties with India: FM Dar
ISLAMABAD, March 24:
Pakistan will “seriously” con-
sider restoring trade ties with
India that remained suspend-
ed since August 2019, Foreign
Minister Muhammad Ishaq
Dar has said, indicating a po-
tential shift in diplomatic
stance towards the neigh-
bouring nation.
Dar made these remarks
during a press conference in
London following his partici-
pation in the Nuclear Energy
Summit in Brussels, Geo
News reported. He highlight-
ed the eagerness of cash-
strapped Pakistan’s business
community to resume trade
activities with India.
“Pakistani businessmen
want trade with India to
resume,” the foreign minis-
ter said on Saturday.
Pakistan will consider re-
storing trade ties with India,
he said. “We will seriously
look into matters of trade with
India,” Dar was quoted as say-
ing by the Express Tribune
newspaper. His remarks in-
dicated a potential shift in dip-
lomatic stance towards India.
Pakistan downgraded its dip-
lomatic ties with New Delhi
after the Indian government
abrogated Article 370 of the
Constitution, revoking the spe-
cial status of Jammu and Kash-
mir and bifurcating the State
into two Union Territories.
The decision, Islamabad
said, undermined the envi-
his candidacy.
Other potential frontrun-
ners are Khalifa Sall, a former
mayor of Dakar unrelated to
the President, and Idrissa
Seck, a former Prime Minis-
ter from the early 2000s who
was the runner up in the 2019
presidential race. – AP
ronment for holding talks be-
tween the neighbours.
Pakistan has been insisting
that the onus of improving the
ties was on India and urging it
to undo its “unilateral” steps
in Kashmir as a sort of pre-
condition to start the talks.
India has dismissed the
suggestion and made it clear
to Pakistan that the entire
Union Territories of Jammu
and Kashmir and Ladakh
were integral and inalienable
parts of the country.
New Delhi has also assert-
ed that the constitutional
measures taken by the Indian
government to ensure socio-
economic development and
good governance in the Un-
ion Territory of Jammu and
Kashmir are matters internal
to India.
It has been maintaining that
it desires normal neighbour-
ly relations with Pakistan
while insisting that the onus
is on Islamabad to create an
environment that is free of
terror and hostility for such
an engagement.
Despite the frosty ties, the
two countries agreed to re-
new the 2003 ceasefire agree-
ment along the Line of Con-
trol (LoC) in February 2021.
Lately, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in a post on X
congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on
becoming the head of Pakistan’s
government, prompting hopes
for a diplomatic thaw. – PTI
 MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024
Samson guides Royals to Stars await glory in era sans Messi, Ronaldo
20-run win over Super Giants
Rajasthan Royals batter Riyan Parag en route to his innings of 43 against Lucknow
Super Giants at SMS Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday. – PTI
JAIPUR, March 24: Skip-
per Sanju Samson led from
the front with an unbeaten 82
to steer former champions
Rajasthan Royals to confi-
dent 20-run win over Luc-
know Super Giants in their
IPL opener, here Sunday.
Samson hit half a dozen of
sixes along with three fours
KKR earn
four-run win
over SRH
KOLKATA, March 24: An-
dre Russel’s all-round effort
headlined Kolkata Knight Rid-
ers’ sweaty four-run win over
Sunrisers Hyderabad in their
IPL match here on Saturday.
Russell’s brutal unbeaten
64 off 25 balls with three fours
and seven sixes and Phil Salt’s
more pragmatic 54 off 40 balls
guided KKR to 208 for seven.
Left-arm pacer T Natara-
jan was their most success-
ful bowler with a three-wick-
et haul (3/32). At several
points, SRH threatened to
chase 208 down, particularly
when Heinrich Klaasen (63,
29b, 8x6s) went berserk in
the backend of the innings.
But the Hyderabad side fell
agonisingly close to the target.
Brief scores: Kolkata Knight
Riders: 208 for 7 in 20 overs (An-
dre Russell 64 not out, Phil Salt
54; T Natarajan 3/32) beat Sunris-
ers Hyderabad: 204/7 in 20 overs
(Heinrich Klaasen 63, Mayank Agar-
wal 32; Harshit Rana 3/33, Andre
Russell 2/25) by 4 runs. – PTI
Bud hammer SG in GPL
SPORTS REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 24:
Bud Cricket Club showcased a
remarkable performance in the
ongoing Guwahati Premier
League (GPL), defeating SG by
a convincing margin of 127 runs
in a match held at the Judges’
Field in Guwahati on Sunday.
Winning the toss, Bud opt-
ed to bat first and set a for-
midable target of 192 runs for
the loss of seven wickets in
their allotted 20 overs. The
innings was anchored by a
blistering knock from
Swarupam Purkayastha, who
amassed 80 runs off just 46
balls, smashing seven sixes
SU DO KU
Solution of last problem
Originating from Japan,
‘su do ku’ is a mind game and
a puzzle that can be solved
with proper reasoning and
logic. Fill the grid with digits in
such a manner that every row,
every column and every 3 x 3
box accommodates the digits
1 to 9 without repeating any.
in his 52-ball-knock, which
was replete with spectacular
hits in all parts of the ground.
His knock provided Roy-
als both impetus and stabili-
ty after twin blows in the
Powerplay.
With Riyan Parag (43) also
playing his part well by forg-
ing a 93-run association for
RCB eye better outing from
bowlers against Punjab Kings
BENGALURU, March
24: Royal Challengers Ben-
galuru’s IPL 2024 campaign
is just one-match old but it
has already exposed their
biggest chink – brittleness in
bowling, and they need bet-
ter returns from bowlers
against a confident Punjab
Kings at an unforgiving M
Chinnaswamy Stadium here
on Monday.
During their six-wicket
defeat against Chennai Super
Kings, the pacers were guilty
of blindly following a short-
pitch ball strategy while the
spinners just did not have
enough resources to exploit
a gradually slowing-down
Chepauk pitch.
The three RCB spinners –
Mayank Dagar, Karn Sharma
and Glenn Maxwell – bowled
five overs between them and
managed middling figures of
37 for one without actually
troubling the batters.
Swarupam Purkayastha
receiving MoM award.
and three boundaries. Abu
Nechim Ahmed contributed
30 runs, while Kaushik Giri
remained not out on 23.
In response, SG’s batting
the third wicket to consoli-
date for their side, Royals
batting did come good in their
opening game.
LSG fought through KL
Rahul (58) and Nicholas
Pooran (64 not out) after a
disastrous start but their
brave effort only reduced the
defeat-margin while chasing
In contrast, the two CSK
spinners – Ravindra Jadeja
and Maheesh Theekshana –
bowled a combined eight
overs for figures of 57 for
four when the deck was much
easier to bat.
So, the Royal Challengers’
spinners will have to brace
for a tougher task here as the
22-yard trampoline with
short fences and a quick out-
field is not a friendly associ-
ate of theirs.
These numbers will make
that point clear. This venue
holds the record of teams
scoring more than 200 runs
in an innings on most occa-
sions – 27 times, and the av-
erage first innings score in
the IPL here is 172.
But those grim stats also
put the onus on the RCB
pace bowlers against Punjab.
Mohammed Siraj, Alzarri
Joseph, in particular, and Yash
Dayal zealously used the quo-
lineup crumbled under the
pressure of the challenging tar-
get, getting bowled out for a
meagre 65 runs in just 14.4
overs. Bud’s bowlers execut-
ed their plans perfectly, with
Swarupam leading the charge,
picking up four wickets while
conceding only eight runs in
four overs. Pusparaj Sharma
also claimed four wickets, seal-
ing Bud’s emphatic victory.
Brief score: Bud Crick-
et Club 192/7 in 20 overs
(Swarupam Purkayastha 80,
Abu Nechim Ahmed 30,
Kaushik Giri not out 23). SG
65/10 in 14.4 overs
(Swarupam Purkayastha 4/8,
Pusparaj Sharma 4/9).
Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek begin Miami Open on positive note
MIAMI GARDENS (US)
March 24: Indian Wells
champion and second-ranked
Carlos Alcaraz began his Mi-
ami Open campaign with an
emphatic 6-2, 6-1 victory
over fellow Spaniard Rober-
to Carballes Baen.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz,
who is the reigning Wimble-
don champion, dominated the
match from start to finish with
his impressive speed and agil-
ity. He saved all three break
points he faced to pick up his
seventh straight win.
Jannik Sinner advanced to
the third round with a 6-3, 6-
4 victory over fellow Italian
Andrea Vavassori. The third-
ranked Sinner, the Austral-
ian Open champion and last
year’s Miami Open runner-
up, had to wait overnight to
clinch the opening victory at
Miami after rain forced a sus-
pension of the match on Fri-
day with Sinner leading 3-2.
SPORTS
a huge target of 194.
LSG, who wobbled at 11/
3, eventually finished at 173
for six.
Skipper Rahul struck a fine
fifty on his return to top flight
cricket, scoring 58 off 44 balls
with four fours and two sixes.
He also kept wickets for a full
20 overs to remove doubts, if
any, about his fitness after suf-
fering a quadriceps injury.
Not just Rahul but Pooran
also took the fight to the rival
camp with a 41-ball 64, ham-
mering four sixes and as many
fours to take the game as deep
as possible but Rajasthan
edged ahead with two points.
Lucknow were off to a
poor start with Royals’ over-
seas left-arm duo of Trent
Boult (2/35) and debutant
Nandre Burger (1/30), com-
ing on as an impact sub, caus-
ing the damage.
Brief scores: Rajasthan
Royals 193/4 20 overs
(Sanju Samson 82 not out,
Riyan Parag 43) beat LSG
173/6 in 20 overs (Nicholas
Pooran 64 not out, KL Rahul
58, Trent Boult 2/35). – PTI
ta of two bouncers per over
against Chennai but in doing
so they sacrificed their con-
trol over line and length.
It reflected in their run-
giving rate too – Siraj (9.5),
Joseph (10.3), Dayal (9.3).
Cameron Green, the
fourth pacer, took pace off his
deliveries and employed the
cutters that fetched him two
wickets but they were inter-
spersed with loose deliver-
ies as the Aussie conceded
nine runs an over.
However, following a sin-
gle-channel strategy will be
suicidal at Chinnaswamy and
they will have to find a way
to use their copious amount
of skills more judiciously.
But there is another rath-
er unnoticed glitch. As it of-
ten happens, the RCB total
of 173 for six against the Su-
per Kings is a bit of misin-
formative. – PTI
Match starts at 7.30 pm
Elvis to attempt
swimming in
Gulf of Gdansk
GUWAHATI, March 24:
Assam’s long-distant swim-
mer Elvis Ali Hazarika is plan-
ning to swim in the Gulf of
Gdansk in Poland, from Hel
to Gdynia in August this year.
“The swim is going to be a
solo one. It will be a rare feat
if I can do it,” said Elvis. He
is thinking of starting the
swim on August 15 and com-
pleting it on the same day.
Recently, Elvis swam to
Robben Island from the
mainland in Cape Town in
South Africa on a solo expe-
dition. This was stated in a
press release.
“I think it’s a lot of differ-
ence between here and any-
where else,” Sinner said.
“Here maybe the court suits
me a little bit better because
the ball is not that bouncy. But
I feel just mentally quite free
to play, and I think that’s most
important.”
Andy Murray advanced to
the third round with a 7-6, 6-
3 victory over 29th-ranked
Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
That match was also suspend-
ed on Friday because of rain.
Murray, who won the Miami
title in 2009 and 2013,
snapped a nine-match losing
streak against top 50 players
with the win and has now
played 995 career tour-level
matches.
“My body feels that,” said
Murray, who turns 37 in May,
“It feels like I’ve played a
thousand. I’ve obviously
been on the tour a long time.
My first matches on tour
ABDUL GANI
GUWAHATI, March 24:
The UEFA Champions
League stands as one of the
most widely followed sport-
ing events in India, showcas-
ing the artistry and skill of
football’s greatest talents
over the decades. Notably,
Lionel Messi and Cristiano
Ronaldo, two modern leg-
ends of the game, have dom-
inated discussions for the past
two decades.
Remarkably, this season
marks the first time in 20 years
that these titans are absent from
the Champions League.
In response to this shift,
we turned to David James, a
Premier League legend and
one of England’s greatest
goalkeepers, for his insights.
“I think the competition
itself has always been strong-
er and bigger than the indi-
viduals in it,” a straight an-
swer from David.
David is well aware of the
Indian fans’ support for these
two modern greats of the
game. “There’s enough sup-
port for the teams from fans
in India and real heart in that
support. Messi and Ronaldo
will hold their place at the
top,” former Liverpool cus-
todian added.
David said the new era has
arrived and the fans need to
embrace and enjoy it.
“…you know it’s time for
other people (players) to show
the world that football isn’t
17-year-old Endrick scores
as Brazil beat England
LONDON, March 24: Real
Madrid-bound Endrick be-
came the youngest men’s
player to score an interna-
tional goal at Wembley as
Brazil beat England 1-0 in a
friendly.
Endrick, who will move
from Palmeiras to Madrid at
the end of the season when
he turns 18, struck nine min-
utes after coming on as a sec-
ond half substitute.
“My family is here, my
girlfriend, my agents. I am
not much of a crier, I am hold-
ing myself, but this is some-
thing unique and I am very
happy,” he said.
Based on his second half
cameo, Madrid has secured
another major talent for the
future.
Coming on for Rodrygo in
the 71st minute, Endrick
wasted little time to make his
mark, firing into an empty net
after Vinicius Junior was de-
nied by England goalkeeper
Jordan Pickford.
Endrick could not hide his
delight as he raced away in
celebration and dropped to
his knees – even though he
did have to wait for VAR to
confirm the goal following a
check for offside.
It was his first senior goal
for Brazil and, at the age of
17 years, 246 days, a record
for an international game at
Wembley, according to stat-
istician Opta.
He might have scored an-
Iga Swiatek, coming off an Indian Wells title last week,
defeated Camila Giorgi 6-1, 6-1 in just over an hour.
In an exclusive interview with The
Assam Tribune, former England
goalkeeper David James speaks on
not having two modern greats in
the Champions League for the first
time in 20 years
just about two players. We’ve
been entertained by magnifi-
cent football this season like
the previous seasons. I’m just
hoping that this excitement
and enjoyment will only be
expanded,” he explained.
So, who are the next su-
perstars?
Davis is a huge fan of Man-
chester City youngster Os-
car Bobb.
“I’m going to be biased
because of the coverage I’ve
done with Manchester City
but Bobb is so good. He is
Norwegian and has played in
the City Academy for years.
He played in some games in
the pre-season in Japan
against Yokohama. The way
he played his games,
Endrick
other, but could not beat Pick-
ford with a late chance.
“All of this affected me a
little at the end, the chance I
had at the end. I will not lie,”
Endrick said. “I was just
thinking about scoring. I
could only think about that. I
couldn’t think about the
match any longer.”
Ultimately, his one goal
was enough to win the match
and end England’s 21-game
unbeaten streak at the na-
tional stadium.
“We know he’s a danger-
ous player. He’s managed to
follow in for the goal,” Three
Lions manager Gareth
THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 11
straightaway you know that
the kid is really good,” Dav-
id who also donned the col-
ours of Manchester City, As-
ton Villa and West Ham Unit-
ed among others, said.
Davis says the pathway to
City’s first team seems easy
when one observes players
like Phil Foden and Rico
Lewis, who have successful-
ly navigated it. “Oscar Bob
finds himself at the initial
stages of this pathway. Nota-
bly, some other prospects,
like Cole Palmer and (James)
Mcatee, were either loaned
out or sold, while Oscar was
retained,” the 54-year-old
added.
“While Phil Foden is often
touted as a potential Ballon
Southgate said. “We should
have defended the goal bet-
ter than we did. It’s a bril-
liant moment for him.
“We had as many attempts
as them on goal, but in the
end it is that ruthless mo-
ment that decides the game.”
Madrid secured a deal for
Endrick in December 2022
when he was just 16 but al-
ready tipped to be one of
Brazil’s next stars. Brazilian
media said the transfer was
worth nearly 60 million Eu-
ros (USD 64 million).
He will be 18 in July.
Last year, he helped Pal-
meiras win the Brazilian
league from 12 points behind
Botafogo at one stage.
He will join other Brazil
stars at Madrid such as Vini-
cius Junior and Rodrygo.
As well as losing the match,
England had a potential set-
back when defender Kyle
Walker suffered a suspected
hamstring injury. He was tak-
en off after 20 minutes fol-
lowing treatment on the
field.
“He is feeling something,
but he is not a player that is
injured very often so he is
not quite certain what it is,”
Southgate said. “We will
have to assess it over the next
couple of days.”
Southgate also said Harry
Kane will return to Bayern
Munich and not take part in
Tuesday’s friendly against
Belgium. – AP
were just as I turned 18 years
old ... It’s been a long career
but an amazing career.”
In women’s play, top-ranked
Iga Swiatek, coming off an In-
dian Wells title last week, de-
feated Camila Giorgi 6-1, 6-1
in just over an hour. The vic-
tory gave Swiatek 81 wins in
the first 100 matches of her
career at the WTA-1000 lev-
el. Only Serena Williams (87)
had more wins in her first 100
matches at that level.
Naomi Osaka continued her
comeback journey by defeat-
ing 17th-ranked Elina Svitoli-
na 6-2, 7-6 (5). Osaka, who is
comng off a third-round loss
at Indian Wells, now has two
wins over top 20 opponents
in her last four matches.
“I definitely do think it was
one of my best matches (of
the year), if not the best
match,” Osaka said. “But I
also want myself to play bet-
ter and better every match.”
d’Or winner, Oscar Bobb
deserves attention as well.
Jude Bellingham, another ris-
ing talent, is also worth men-
tioning. Then, there is Erling
Harland. Kevin De Bruyne
and Harry Kane are also do-
ing their bit.”
The first leg of the quarter-
finals of the Champions
League will be played at mid-
night on April 10 and 11 ac-
cording to the Indian Standard
Time while the reverse leg will
be played on April 17 and 18
respectively. Meanwhile, Sony
Sports Network has extend-
ed the exclusive broadcast and
digital rights for UEFA club
competitions till the end of the
2026-2027 season.
David who played in 572
top-level matches in the
Primer League also had a
stint with Kerala Blasters FC
in the Indian Super League
(ISL) in 2014 and later again
in 2017-18.
“My memories of India
are overwhelmingly held
with fondness, from a 4-hour
train journey from Kolkata to
Jamshedpur to witnessing a
storm from my hotel rooftop
in Cochin. From seeing
KBFC’s first training pitch to
being at the stadium with
over 60,000 supporters,
things were amazing,” Dav-
id recalled his days in India.
During the interview, Dav-
id also mentioned about his
visit to Guwahati and North-
east during his association
with KBFC.
Just a matter
of time before
Pant regains
form: Sidhu
CHANDIGARH, March
24: Former India opener
Navjot Sidhu is confident
wicketkeeper batter Rishabh
Pant’s return to form is just a
‘matter of time’ following his
nearly 15-month-long ab-
sence from professional crick-
et after a horrific car crash.
Pant is back leading his Indi-
an Premier League side Delhi
Capitals after missing the ac-
tion last season due to his re-
covery and rehabilitation.
Though Pant did not have
the comeback he would have
wished for in DC’s match
against Punjab Kings here on
Saturday, being dismissed for
18 by Harshal Patel, he was
quick between the wickets,
took a catch behind the stumps
and also effected a stumping.
“(He is) leading Delhi Capi-
tals and running between the
wickets and playing good crick-
et. Just a matter of time he will
regain his form. But, impor-
tantly, Indian cricket has got its
fine gem back, and we should
be thankful to God on his re-
turn to the field,” said Sidhu.
Sidhu added that when he
first saw the images of the
crash, he wondered how an-
yone could survive a mishap
like that.
“When this accident had hap-
pened, I saw the picture of the
vehicle. Everything got
burned, and there was no vehi-
cle at the scene. How anyone
can survive that sort of horrify-
ing accident?” he added. – PTI
A day after rain and wind
delayed the start of play and
suspended several matches,
downpours again pushed the
start of Saturday’s matches
back by nearly three hours.
On a day with several up-
sets on the men’s side, Bra-
zil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild
stunned American Taylor
Fritz 6-3, 6-4 to reach the
third round. Numerous Bra-
zilian fans were in attendance
to watch their compatriot
play, and they cheered so
loudly that Fritz complained
to the chair umpire.
Christopher O’Connell
topped 22nd-ranked Francis
Tiafoe 7-5, 7-6; 14th-ranked
Tommy Paul appeared to roll
his left ankle in the second set
of his match against Martin
Damm Jr and was forced to
retire; last year’s Miami Open
winner Daniil Medvedev ad-
vanced, beating Marton Fuc-
sovics 6-4, 6-2. – AP
 12 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI
SPORTS MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024

Sunil Chhetri all set for his 150th

international in Guwahati
SPORTS REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 24:
Talismanic Indian striker Su-
nil Chhetri is all set to make
his 150th international ap-
pearance for India when the
Blue Tigers face Afghanistan
in the FIFA World Cup 2026
and AFC Asian Cup 2027
Preliminary Joint Qualifica-
tion Round 2 match in Gu-
wahati on March 26.
Sunil Chhetri first donned
the Senior National Team jer-
sey on June 12, 2005, in a
friendly match against Paki-
stan in Quetta. And since
then, he has proved his met-
tle on the field to emerge as
one of the greatest.
With 93 goals from 149
matches, Sunil Chhetri is
now fourth overall and third
Sunil Chhetri (centre) during a training session with teammates on Sunday evening. – AIFF
in the all-time and active scor-
ers’ lists in the world. That
speaks volumes of the post-
er boy of Indian football.
At 39, Sunil Chhetri is one
of the rare examples who
defied their age and proved
it’s just a number. Even now
he leads the scoring mission
for India with ease.
Sunil Chhetri also holds the
unique record of scoring at
least one goal in his first, 25th,
50th, 75th, 100th and 125th
match for the Blue Tigers.
The All India Football Fed-
eration (AIFF) will felicitate
Sunil Chhetri on March 26.
Commenting on Chhetri’s
achievement, AIFF president
Kalyan Chaubey said: “It’s
been an awe-inspiring and
staggering cruise that all of
us have been fortunate to
witness since 2005. Chhetri
playing his 150th internation-
al match is an extraordinary
accomplishment that will go
a long way in keeping the In-
dian football flag flying high.
He has been a great influenc-
er who has motivated mil-
lions to play this Beautiful
Game. I congratulate Chhetri
for reaching this great height
in international football.”
AIFF acting secretary gen-
eral M Satyanarayan said: “In
many football fans’ eyes,
Chhetri is almost the synonym
of the Indian Men’s National
Team, something that is not far
from the truth. He is a fabulous
footballer, a cool captain, and a
star striker. The All India Foot-
ball Federation is proud to fe-
licitate him on his 150th inter-
(Left) Team India forward Liston Colaco during a training session at the Indira Gandhi
national match. We sincerely
Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday. In the right photo Head Coach Igor Stimac speaks
hope Chhetri will continue to to his players on the same evening ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian
serve Indian football in the same Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 match against Afghanistan. – AIFF
breath in the future.”

Indian football has improved
significantly: Ashley Westwood Media Management lift cricket title
GUWAHATI, March 24:
Afghanistan football coach
Ashley Westwood on Sunday
said Indian football has im-
proved significantly in the
past decade owing to the play-
ers improving their fitness
and getting the right ‘condi-
tioning’.
Westwood said the Indian
players are fitter compared
to the past and have also been
able to increase their time
spent on the field.
“Ten years ago when I
came here, compared to that,
(the Indian) football has im-
proved significantly,” West-
wood said.
“Every player is physical-
ly fit, everyone is conditioned
correctly, they last 90 min-
utes (and) you don’t see In-
dian players getting cramps,”
he added.
Englishman Westwood,
TOPCEM-ASJA media sports festival
Afghanistan football coach
Ashley Westwood.
who is in Guwahati for In-
dia’s World Cup qualifier
against Afghanistan, has in the
past coached clubs such as
Bengaluru FC, ATK FC and
RoundGlass Punjab FC.
Westwood said Afghani-
stan’s focus ahead of their
World Cup qualifier clash has
been on getting the basics
right.
“(Even) Cristiano Ronaldo
also misses chances, and still
he is one of the best players
in the world that’s football,”
Westwood said.
“Just get the ball in the
right areas and play well –
that’s all we are concerned
about,” he said, adding Af-
ghanistan team’s scores
have improved since he took
charge.
India and Afghanistan
played out a goalless draw at
Abha in Saudi Arabia on
March 22, a game wherein
both the sides squandered
scoring opportunities.
Westwood also picked In-
dian defensive midfielder
Jeakson Singh as one of the
promising players. – PTI
SPORTS REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 24:
Media Management XI an-
nexed the TOPCEM-ASJA
Inter-Media T20 Cricket
Championship of the
TOPCEM-ASJA Media
Sports Festival 2024.
Media Management got
the better of host Assam
Sports Journalists’ Associa-
tion (ASJA) XI by 20 runs in
the final at Nehru Stadium
here on Sunday. Electing to
bat first, Media Management
posted a modest total of 149
for seven in the stipulated 20
overs. The ASJA batters fell
20 runs short when they
were restricted to 129 for
seven in the 20 overs.
Wicketkeeper-batter Jagjit
Singh, who scored an unbeat-
en century against Outstation
Media XI in the semifinals,
anchored the Media Manage-
ment innings with a patient 36
(2x4), while skipper Biswajit
Deka gave him a solid opening
support with a 17-run knock.
It was, however, Subham
Tarafdar (31 not out off 18 balls,
3x6) and Naushad Ali (18, 2x4,
1x6) who brought in the mo-
mentum to the innings during
the slog overs.
The ASJA bowlers also
conceded as many as 22 runs
as extras.
Rupak Baishya was the
most successful ASJA bowl-
er having scalped three for
37, while Abinash Kalita
claimed two for 35.
ASJA started on a shaky
note losing a wicket in the
very first over. Skipper Raj-
deep Das (35, 4x4) and Tauhid
Ali Talukdar (37, 6x4), how-
ever, steadied the innings with
a 62-run second wicket part-
nership. The innings was
destabilised again with the
dismissal of Talukdar till
Rupak Baishya (20, 2x6) and
Gautam Sarma (14 not out,
2x4) shared a seventh wicket
partnership of 24 runs, which
could not help the side
achieve the target though be-
cause it was too late by then.
Biswajit Deka picked up two
wickets for 19 runs to be ad-
judged man of the final match.
The prize distribution of the
championship will be held along
with those of the other sports
disciplines at Nehru Stadium at
3 pm on March 27.
Odisha FC take
home IWL trophy
BHUBANESWAR, March
24: Odisha FC’s near-perfect
IWL 2023-24 season ended
on a flawless note when they
outclassed Kickstart FC 6-0
to bag their maiden title on
Sunday.
Lynda Kom (11', 66' 77'),
Pyari Xaxa (13', 22'), and
Karthika Angamuthu (58')
scored for the winners.
Packed with national team
stars, the champions, who led
3-0 at half time, were aided
by a hat-trick by former In-
dia U17 captain Lynda Kom.
While Pyari Xaxa scored a
brace, Karthika Angamuthu
struck a stunner to complete
the rout.
Lynda and Pyari combined
to slam in three goals within
22 minutes to make sure the
championship didn’t slip out
of their hands and three more
in the second half only added
to the misery of the Bengalu-
ru-based side. – PTI

Printed and published by Ratan Kumar Ray Hajong on behalf of Assam Tribune Pvt. Ltd. at the Tribune Press, Tribune Buildings, P.O.- Assam Tribune, M.R.D. Road, Chandmari, Guwahati-781003. Tel. 0361-2660102 (EPABX), 0361-2661360, 0361-2668807 (News Desk), FAX 0361-2666396. E-mail: advt@assamtribune.com; news@assamtribune.com; atribunenews@gmail.com. Editor: Prafulla Govinda Baruah
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