Female teacher batters 46 girl students in Assam

Korkajhar(Assam): A chilling incident was reported from Chirang district of Assam where a female teacher assaulted 46 girl students on Friday without any justified reason.
All the students are of Jawahar Navoday Vidyalaya and were studying in 6th, 7th and 8th standards.

The victimized students have reported that the teacher Debashree had asked some of the students to take bath and some to study inside the room.

Then, the teacher without any reason began physically assaulting the students.

Fifteen girl students had to be given immediate medical attention and were taken to Basugaon Primar Health Centre.

A student of class VI (B), Varsha Bhattachrjee reportedly had a broken tooth during the assault.

On Saturday, the parents of the victimized students filed a written complaint with the Deputy Commissioner of Kokrajhar and chairman of JNV, Nitin Khare.

Strict action against the teacher under the Right to Education Act was demanded by the parents. Additional Deputy Commissioner, Dinesh Boro was sent to have a look at the situation.
A show cause notice has already been issued to the teacher by school authorities.
In her defence, Mrs. Deboshree has said that students have become defiant and to control them, physical punishments was required.

She pointed out incidents where teachers were attacked by the parents and how the parents used media to smash teachers over petty things.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner has assured that necessary action will be taken against the accused teacher and an FIR had been lodged under 323/326 IPC at the Basugaon Police Station

Oct 2: 60 lakh Assam students to write essay on Mahatma

On October 2, about 60 lakh students across Assam will be writing an essay on Mahatma Gandhi. Announcing this here Sunday, Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said every student and teacher would have to remain present in their respective educational institutions on the day as the education department in Assam has withdrawn the Gandhi Jayanti holiday. "While school teachers will have to organise an essay competition on Gandhiji, college teachers will have to organise a quiz on Gandhiji and the freedom movement on Gandhi Jayanti," Sarma said.

Six poachers caught from Kaziranga

Kaziranga (Assam), Sep 27 : Six alleged poachers were today caught in and around the Kaziranga National Park here.

Acting on a tip-off, personnel of the Forest Protection Force launched an operation in Kohora range of the Park and nabbed three poachers this morning, forest officials said.

Based on their interrogation, three others were picked up subsequently while one managed to flee, they said.

A magazine and seven silencers were recovered from the apprehended poachers, the officials said.

Assam planters want tea to be national drink

Coonoor, Sept. 26 :  The North Eastern Tea Association Assam, has sought the support of South Indian Planting and Traders’ Associations to pressurise the Centre to declare tea as a national drink.

“Although ministers had shown interest, this issue is pending for over a year now. We have submitted a detailed memorandum to the Union and Assam Governments. We are mobilising the support of various planters’ and traders’ bodies,” the association Chairman Bidyananda Barkakoty told Business Line.

He was leading a delegation of Assam planters to the Golden Jubilee convention of Coonoor Tea Trade Association.

“We visited tea estates and factories in the Nilgiris and tasted the teas coming up for this week’s auction.

“We are highly impressed at the quality improvements made here. We will suggest some measures followed by Coonoor for implementation at Guwahati auctions,” he said.

“We have represented to the Tea Board that when it is asking bought-leaf factories to have price-sharing formula with growers, it should ask packeters to share their price with factory owners,” he said.

200 Guwahati schools still vulnerable to disasters

GUWAHATI: If you are a parent and your child goes to a school in Guwahati, then there is cause for serious concern as your child may be in grave danger.

Based to a report submitted by Assam Engineering College (AEC) before the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in March-end, around 200 private and government-run schools in Guwahati were found most vulnerable to disasters like earthquake, flood and strong winds by the Kamrup (Metro) district disaster management authority.

However, even after six months, there has been no visible effort on the part of the authorities of these institutions as well as the government to rectify this situation.

Sources, in the ASDMA, said the authorities are likely to float tenders inviting firms to carry out necessary repairs after the Durga Puja.

According to the source, while some of the schools that need repairing are leading private schools of the city that have been set up in recent times, some were established over 100 years back.

The Union ministry of human resource development ( MHRD) in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) and District Disaster Management Authority of Kamrup (Metro) district have planned to train about 2,000 school teachers in the city by October this year to handle crisis situations and disasters.

This has been done because Guwahati falls in seismic zone-V - the highest earthquake risk zone. But the plight of these 200 schools still remains a cause of concern for the school authorities.

College principal arrested on molestation charge in Assam

Tezpur: The principal of a college in Assam's Lakhimpur district was arrested for allegedly molesting 10 girl students, police said on Saturday.

The principal of ST Junior Anthony College, Roydas Milaphil was arrested by Laluk police last night after a complaint was lodged by the local unit of All Assam Student's Union (AASU) at Harmut police station alleging that he had molested 10 girl students of the college, the sources said.

Pickpockets hailing from Assam in city police net

The Thampanoor police have arrested two persons involved in picking the pockets of passengers at various bus stands in the city. The arrested were Prathap Panik, 35, and Tom K Battoor, 24, of Assam.
According to the police, the duo, who picked pockets and snatched bags of passengers, were arrested based on a complaint lodged by Jose Peter, a resident of Pathanamthitta, for snatching his bag and Rs 6,000. The police said that Joseph and his family had come to the city for going to Kanyakumari on September 15. When they were about to board the bus to Kanyakumari, the duo snatched the bag from Joseph and escaped.
However, as the victim registered a complaint with the Thampanoor police, policemen, along with Joseph, conducted a search in their patrolling vehicle. It was during the search that the duo were identified by Joseph when they were coming out of a bar near Aristo Junction. Both of them were taken into custody by the police on the same day. However, their arrest was recorded only on Tuesday evening.
The police also said that the two accused had similar cases registered against them in Kochi, Thrissur and Palakkad districts. Though several cases were registered against them, this is the first time that they are landing in the police net. The police also recovered the money and purse snatched from Joseph from the duo.  Both of them were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody.
A team led by Thampanoor Circle Inspector Sheen Tharayil conducted the arrest. Thampanoor SIs S Ajayakumar and Suresh Chandra and CPOs Syam, Sunil, Jayan and Faisal comprised the team.

New transmission line offers respite to power hit Assam

(Power-hungry Assam has…)
MUMBAI: Power-hungry Assam has got a lifeline as the first of the two lines of the first ultra mega transmission project has started operations.

Sterlite Grid, a part of the Vedanta group, has commissioned a double-circuit transmission line as a part of its East North Interconnection projects which aims to connect Assam, West Bengal and Bihar. Interestingly, the project was originally aimed to pump in power from hydropower projects in Assam to states like Bihar, West Bengal, and Punjab. But the transmission line is now being used to transport electricity from power surplus states to Assam, which has a shortfall of 7-10%.

"We have commissioned the 230-km Purnia-Biharsharif transmission line. This line would evacuate power from hydropower projects in Assam to other states. But currently it is being used to draw in power to Assam from power surplus states," Praveen Agarwal, director, Sterlite Technologies, told ET.

In 2010, Sterlite bagged the India's first ultra mega transmission project to construct theRs1,000 crore-transmission lines that would carry 1,000 mw of power from hydropower projects in north east to light up over 10 lakh homes in north and eastern India.

"We have invested Rs500 crore on the first line and would invest another Rs500 crore on the second line. The second transmission line has been delayed due to local disturbance. We hope the government authorities will help us to expedite the project," Agarwal, said. According to the Central Electricity Authority, India reported a power deficit of 5% in April-August, with north eastern including Assam facing deficit if almost 7%. Power Grid plans to spend Rs20,000-25,000 crore every year in transmission infrastructure.

Protests against rise in crime in Assam

Haflong: Students and general public on Wednesday came out on the street protesting against the spurt in crime against women in Dima Hasao district.

The protesters also gave a memorandum to the district authority to take immediate steps to prevent such incidents.

Over a thousand people with strong presence of the student community gathered at the Lal Field here in the morning and protested and sought justice on growing incidents of gang-rape, kidnap and other offences in the entire district.

In a memorandum submitted to Dima Hasao Deputy Commissioner Barun Bhuyan, the protesters demanded immediate arrest of the culprits and employment opportunities to the victims besides financial compensation.

Some of the organisation that took part in the protest include Hmar Woman Association, Dimasa Mothers Association, Bieate Mothers Association and Student Bodies of Dima Hasao District.

Assam police to recruit 10,000 personnel: DGP

Guwahati, Sep 18 (PTI) With a view to strengthen the force, Assam Police today said it will recruit around 10,000 personnel within next three months, the process of which will start from October this year.

"We have a total vacancy of around 10,000 people. We want to fill these as soon as possible... In the next three months, we will complete hiring these people," Director General of Police Jayanto N Choudhury told PTI h

Jhumor – A Symphony from the Hills of Assam by Papon

MUMBAI: Music gets raw on Coke Studio@MTV Season 3. In search of some soulful melody, Papon goes into his comfort zone – his homeground Assam and creates a folk song ‘Jhumor’.

‘Jhum’ means togetherness and ‘Mor’ means coming in line. Excited about composing the song for his people, Papon says “It’s the common person’s song in Assam and they will be very happy to see their song on national television.” To create a local feel, Papon has also used a local talent Dulal Manki from Assam to sing this song. Catch the track ‘Jhumor’ on Coke Studio@MTV airing this Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 8 pm which is sure to take you on a journey to the tea gardens of Assam

Music doyen's magic to touch UK

GUWAHATI: Come September 6 and London will get to experience a music concert taking in artists from Bangladesh and India, especially from Assam, to commemorate the 87th birth anniversary of Bhupen Hazarika.

The event is an attempt by the Assamese diaspora in collaboration with the Nehru Centre, Mayfair, London, to take the work of the doyen of Assam to a global audience.

Bangladesh high commissioner Mohammed Mijarul Quayes - a noted patron of the arts - is expected to attend the event.

The event will be chaired by deputy high commissioner of India Virander Paul and the expected attendees are Lord & Lady Sheikh, writer Yavar Abbas and filmmaker Emma Achara, among others.

"The state has been fortunate to have given birth to a great musical genius in Bhupen Hazarika. Now that the mighty voice is silent, Assam and the world have become poorer. The concert is a significant step in our endeavour to take Bhupenda to the global forum. On the eve of his 87th birth anniversary, Indian and Bangladeshi artists will be united to celebrate his musical journey," Rini Kakati, organizer and Assam coordinator for the UK.

The Assamese diaspora settled in the US and in Europe commemorates the birth anniversary of the 'Bard of Brahmaputra' through different events.