Councillor family killed in Assam

Guwahati, May 20 : Two men in shorts and T-shirts walked into a Congress councillor’s house in Diphu and shot dead three members of his family this evening.

Apu Das, the councillor, and his brother Ujjal were at their furniture shop when the gunmen came around 7.45pm. They shot Das’s wife Manju, 40, daughter Momi, 17, niece Juhi, 8, and a private tutor, Seema Roy. All died on the spot.

A woman neighbour was injured in the attack.

Police sources said the duo came on foot and fired indiscriminately.

Quoting eyewitnesses, the police said the killers used an AK-series rifle and a pistol.

Das is the councillor of ward 3, a thickly populated Bengali-dominated locality in Karbi Anglong district in central Assam.

The motive behind the killings is yet to be ascertained but the involvement of militants is not ruled out. “It could also be an extortion-related case,” a police official said.

This morning, around 75km from Diphu, six militants of the National Democratic Front of Boroland were gunned down by a police team.

A police source said the killing of Das’s family could be in retaliation to the gunning down of the militants but official confirmation was not available.

“The assailants opened fire on all the members sitting in the drawing room and left the spot within minutes,” a police officer said.

Anita Majumdar, the injured neighbour, said: “I heard the gunshots from my kitchen. When I rushed out, a bullet hit me in the leg. I ran back into the house.”

Anita was admitted to Diphu civil hospital but shifted to an army hospital in Dimapur, Nagaland, around 40km from Diphu.

Foreigners’ Tribunals serve no purpose: HC

GUWAHATI, March 28 – Observing that no useful purpose has been served by the Foreigners Tribunals given the easy manner in which even the detected and deported illegal Bangladeshi migrants continue to migrate to Assam, the Gauhati High Court has asked the Centre, the State Government, the State DGP and the Superintendent of Police, Karbi Anglong to clarify their stands on the matter while delivering its judgement on a writ petition WP (C) 4,171/2008.

In the above case, the petitioner, Ananda Kundu of Hojai, Nagaon, after being declared to be a foreigner by a Foreigners Tribunal and subsequently deported to Bangladesh, came back to Assam easily and even invoked the writ jurisdiction of the high court.

“…The establishment of Foreigners’ Tribunals and their decisions, even after being upheld by this court, has not yielded the desired result. The illegal Bangladeshis could easily migrate to Assam without any valid documents and stay here at par with Indian citizens with all the rights, including the right of franchise. Even after passing of the orders by the Tribunal and upholding of the same by the writ court, the authority is not in a position to deport the foreign nationals,” Justice BK Sharma said in his order dated March 26, 2008 judgement.

“In most of the cases the foreigners do the vanishing act, which otherwise should be an alarming concern for the State and Central Governments,” it added.

Referring to the Supreme Court’s observations in the Sarbananda Sonowal case equating the unabated cross-border infiltration from Bangladesh with external aggression, the High Court said that unless “prompt and useful” action was taken by the Central and State governments what was in store for Assam “can well be imagined.”

Assam tense as 26 hurt in grenade attack

KARBI ANGLONG—The situation in Assam is turning from bad to worse, where insurgency is already in its peak In a latest incident, at least 24 people were injured when suspected NDFB insurgents hurled a grenade at a computer shop in Uttarborbeel market at Howraghat in Karbi Anglong district. Police said the injured were taken to nearby Nagaon Civil Hospital where the condition of seven was stated to be very critical.

Meanwhile a police officer at Howraghat police station disclosed that such kinds of attacks by insurgents have become a matter of routine and they are helpless to stop them.

While expressing their inability to handle the situation, he pointed out that at many occasions cases were taken up with government to dispatch additional troops to handle the situation but no action has yet been taken.

Assam: Rural areas are synonymous of kalapani

The State Government of Assam has turned up with a number of initiatives, together with an improved pay package and an obligatory one-year rural redeployment for postgraduate entrants- Satish Kumar Singh Today nobody wants to go to rural areas for any purpose. Even people don't want to visit their native place or village. Undoubtedly, we always say if you want to see real India you should go to villages. In spite of that people avoid villages. It reveals that we want to live in Utopia. We are not enough brave to see real India.


Interestingly, even media persons who are known as harbingers of society, never cover real story of remote area of villages. Government and other officials too keep away from spending day or night in rural areas.


Currently, rural assignments are nuisance for officials. Officials always try their best to stay away from such assignments.


Due to our careless attitude towards villages; villages are still neglected or under developed. We often hear about spread of deadly disease and death of a large number of people in rural areas. Now, such causalities are a regular feature.

In an offer to make sure doctors' attendance in pastoral and inaccessible areas, the State Government of Assam has turned up with a number of initiatives, together with an improved pay package and an obligatory one-year rural redeployment for postgraduate entrants.


Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced this at a press conference on 3rd febuarary2009. He also said that these days over and done, doctors serving in six 'difficult' areas notified by the Government - Dhakuakhona, Jonai, Majuli, Sadiya, Mankachar (all subdivisions), and NC Hills and Karbi Anglong districts - would be permitted to a considerable hike in their pay package.


At the same time as a sub divisional medical officer (SDMO) would get an additional Rupees 7,000, a senior medical and health officer (SMHO), medical and health officer (MHO) and medical officer (Ayurvedic) stand to gain extra amounts of Rupees 5,000, Rupees 4,000 and Rupees 3,000 correspondingly.
Surrounded by the most important gainers would be high-quality doctors who would entertain an extra Rupees 6,000 over and above the incentives mentioned above.


Thus, while a specialist serving as SDMO would get a total hike of Rupees 13,000, an SMHO and an MHO (specialists) would enjoy an increase of Rupees 11,000 and Rupees 10,000 in that order.

Doctors helping underneath the national Rural Health Mission (NRHM) position to get a supplementary benefit of Rupees 8,000.


At the moment, Government had made it compulsory for postgraduate entrants to go through one-year unavoidable posting in rural areas. This will come into effect instantaneously, and any MBBS pass-out will have to undertake the rural posting in order to be entitled for pursuing post graduation in the State. But for this, the doctors would get a good compensation pack up for the duration of the rural posting. 

Even, ASHA workers under the NRHM would get a fixed salary of Rupees 500 against a smallest amount presentation decisive factor. This will be in addition to the presented encouragement of Rupees 600 per institutional delivery.
Obviously, this decision of Assam state government is not beneficial for even those doctors who will be get benefited. In fact this is another form of bribe.
However, "Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja, Take ser bhaji, take ser khaja" is so pertinent in India. Anything may happen in this country.


Here government officials are so adamant. In Madhaya Pradesh, a few days ago Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had instructed all high profile government officials for staying at least one night at remote village of the state; despite this order, collector or other officials are spending their nights in air conditioned rooms.


Well, there is need of self motivation. Being a citizen of India, it is our duty to do our job honestly. Until or unless such type of spirit comes in our mind, any kind of inducement will not motivate us permanently.

Sops for docs on tough turf

Enhanced pay for ‘difficult’ postings

A doctor treats a patient at a free health camp at Hatigaon in Guwahati. A file picture Guwahati, Feb 3 : Dispur today announced monetary incentives to motivate doctors to serve people in “difficult” areas of the state that are geographically isolated and afflicted by militancy, floods and epidemics. Health and family welfare minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, told newspersons that the doctors, who would be posted in six notified “difficult” areas, would receive higher pay than their counterparts serving in other parts of the state. The areas are Dhakuakhana, Jonai, Mancachar, Sadiya and Majuli subdivisions, apart from Karbi Anglong and NC Hills districts. Sarma said an additional Rs 7,000 would be paid to a sub-divisional medical officer, Rs 5,000 to senior medical and health officers, Rs 4,000 to medical and health officer and Rs 3,000 to medical officer (ayurvedic) for their services in these “difficult” areas. “Apart from the enhanced pay package, a specialist doctor in any of the categories will receive additional amount of Rs 6,000 for serving in the “difficult” areas. For example, if the sub-divisional medical officer is a specialist, he or she will receive a gross additional amount of Rs 13,000 (Rs 7,000 + Rs 6,000),” he said. Sarma said the doctors appointed directly under the National Rural Health Mission would get an additional Rs 8,000 for serving in “difficult” areas. The minister said many doctors refuse to go to these areas due to their remoteness, difficult terrain, apart from being prone to militancy, floods and epidemics. While floods and erosion afflict Majuli, Dhakuakhana, Jonai and Mancachar subdivisions, law and order problems due to insurgency turn off doctors from shifting base to Karbi Anglong, NC Hills and Sadiya. Sarma said the government had made it mandatory for doctors who want to pursue post-graduation to serve at least one year in the rural areas before going in for higher studies. He said the students who fail to meet the criteria would not be allowed to appear for the post-graduate entrance examination. The new rule will come into force from the academic session of 2010-11. During their rural posting, the doctors will get attractive pay packages,” the minister said. The government move has generated mixed reactions among the medical fraternity. G.K. Das, additional director in the directorate of health services, welcomed the government’s initiative and said it would go a long way in motivating doctors to serve in the “difficult” areas. “I started my career in Karbi Anglong district and served there for 20 years. The initiatives taken by the present government deserve praise,” Das said. “Monetary incentives alone are not enough. The doctors must be assured of security and better infrastructure. If we do not have infrastructure, how can you expect us to serve better?” a young doctor asked.