Mizoram Minister Unruffled by MAPs intrusion into Manipur Village

Aizawl, Apr 30 : Amidst hue and cry over harassment meted out to the Manipur villagers by the personnel of Mizoram Armed Police (MAP), Mizoram Home minister R Lalzirliana said if necessary the government of Mizoram will enter Manipur again to arrest the militants.

When the journalists queried on the recent intrusion into Manipur and operation by Mizoram Armed Police (MAP) at Lungthulien, a Hmar village in southern Manipur, the Mizoram Home Minister said, “The MAP entered and raided the village for sure. And if necessary we are going to enter again and pursue any militant rebelling against the Mizoram government”. “The people of insurgency prone areas have although demonstrated their resentment and issued a statement against the intrusion, we are to proceed with further operation if the situation demands so”, the Mizoram Home minister added.

Zoremawia, DIG of Mizoram when clarifying the query that intrusion of MAP into neighbouring state Manipur was lawfully justified and said in India according to law, if a group of rebels or militants disturb the order of peace and are found rebelling against a state, the government has legally the right to pursue them under ‘hot operation’. “The Mizoram police launched an operation at Lungthulien based on hot operation”, the Mizoram police officer said.

Earlier, the Village Authority U  nion of Tipaimukh sub-division, Churachandpur, Manipur had condemned the dastardly acts of personnel of Mizoram Armed Police (MAP) against the innocent villagers of Parvachawm and Lungthulien on two occasions this year.

The Union alleged that Mizoram police personnel, along with arms and ammunition raided Parvachawm village earlier this year on February 19, heinously checked into houses of innocent civilians including the house of the village Chief Malsawm during the wee hours breaking doors and windows, and damaging rice and other household commodities. A good number of innocent villagers were also assaulted and left seriously injured by the Mizoram Police, the release alleged.

The second raid took place when a group of fully armed Mizoram Police personnel crossed over Manipur border unauthorized and entered Lungthulien village, 10 km away from the Parbung sub-divisional headquarter during the wee hours of April 22, the Union alleged. The house of Ralkapthuom, Chairman of the Village Authority was raided by the Mizoram personnel.

The Union further alleged, as no persons were staying in the house during the night, the lock was broken from outside and the Mizoram Armed Police (MAP) personnel intruded into the house and damaged household articles including wooden boxes and stole money amounting to  Rs. 3,555 claimed to be a church fund. Not only this, one Lalpiengruol s/o Lalsiem Sanate, an innocent villager, was forced to take them back to Mizoram by his mini truck and after beating him up badly was later released. Lalpiengruol is said to be undergoing medical treatment as he was badly injured.

The VA Union termed the illegal raiding of the Tipaimukh villages as serious infringement of the law of the land and while condemning the dastardly acts of the MAP personnel in strongest terms, urged the Manipur Government to take necessary steps to stop such illegal intrusions from across the State in the future.

Newmai News Network

Tension Erupts: Mizoram Rushes Forces To Assam Border

Aizawl, Apr 30 : Tension heightened between Assam and Mizoram after Assam Police personnel dismantled two reconstructed kutcha farm houses at a village near the Mizoram-Hailakandi (Assam) border this afternoon, police said.

Two kutcha farm houses of one Laldawngliana of Buhchangphai village, which were dismantled by Assam Police and Forest officials last Sunday, were voluntarily reconstructed by the Young Mizo Association (YMA) local branch members, they said.

"The construction was completed at around 4 PM today and the volunteers left the farm while the personnel of the first battalion of the India Reserve Police remained in the area for an hour," police said.

The Assam policemen came and dismantled the farm houses after the Mizo policemen left the area in Buhchangphai village, about three kilometres from the farm, they said.

Meanwhile, two platoons of the first battalion IRP were sent to Buhchangphai earlier in the day in connection with the incident.

In fact, state Home Minister R Lalzirliana is scheduled to visit Buhchangphai tomorrow, official sources said.

Two Assam Forest officials, six Assam Armed Police with arms and ten people belonging to the Bru community on April 23 forcibly snatched 50 sawn timbers, one goat and two chickens from the labourers of Laldawngliana of Buhchangphai working in his farm at Ramtharzau, Deputy IGP (Northern Range) Zorammuana told reporters earlier in the day.

A criminal case was registered at the Mizoram-Assam border Vairengte Police Station against those officials and civilians accusing them of committing dacoity inside Mizoram.

Again on Sunday last, 18 Assam Forest officials, eight policemen and six civilians came to the same place, dismantled two kutcha huts of Laldawngliana's labourers - Safiq Uddin and Mandon Sali.

They also damaged irrigation pipes and some crops after before threatening the two families to leave the place within three days.

Mizoram CM's Security To Be Beefed Up

Aizawl, Apr 30 : Security for Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla would be beefed up following "threats" from some opposition leaders, a state minister said today.

"Some opposition leaders were indulging in hate politics targeting the chief minister and I have instructed the police to be more vigilant regarding his security," State Home Minister Lalzirliana told a press conference.

The minister alleged that some of the opposition leaders were fomenting trouble after a Presbyterian Church elder K Chhawnthuama alleged tampering of EVMs against the chief minister.

Lalzirliana also accused opposition leaders of trying to create law and order problems in the state and force the Thanhawla government out if NDA comes to power at the Centre.

Incidentally, Chhawnthuama, popular as Phantom, now in judicial custody after his arrest on April 14 along with his associate K Lalhruaitluanga, has sent SMSes to the chief minister accusing him of rigging EVMs to retain power.

State police officials, however, said though there was a perception of general threat, but no specific threat during the recent days for the chief minister while police were instructed to stay more alert.

Two Manipuri Youth Attacked by Bikers in New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 29 : Close on the heels of the death of Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Tania, two youths from Manipur were beaten up on Sunday in what is being described as another case of racial attack on people from Northeast in the capital.

The youths from Manipur were allegedly attacked with sticks and rods by a group of motorcycle-borne men in Ambedkar Nagar area of south Delhi around 8.30 pm on Sunday.

The victims were rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where one was discharged after first aid while another is reported to be in a serious condition, police said.

Reports stated that Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Monday visited AIIMS and met the aforementioned youth and also the teenage girl who was allegedly raped by her landlord's son in Munirka on Saturday.

Singh also called upon Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde demanding strict action against the perpetrators of hate crimes against people from Northeast residing in the Capital. And Shinde assured him of swift action in the matter.

Mizoram Government Concerned By misuse Of Social Media

Aizawl, Apr 29 : Concerned over the rising trend in misuse of social media by people, the state government of Mizoram has come up with a plan to carry out comprehensive awareness programs in order to sensitize the people of certain legal consequences over misuse of social media.

Alongside the sensitization drive, the people are also to be oriented on the advantages of modern information technology depending on its rightful usage. Departments concerned under the state government will carry out the public awareness campaigns in various forms like seminar, workshop etc.

In connection with the said matter, a meeting was convened today by state’s Chief Secretary L Tochhong which was attended by Police, Home, Information Communication Technology, Information & Public Relations, Law & Judicial Departments, besides representatives from NEILIT and NGOs. The meeting which was held at CS Conference Hall discussed over how to take steps so as to make aware for the people on cautious use of social media and also to instruct them on the advantageous use of the same.

The Chief Secretary of Mizoram said that the meeting was called as being felt necessary to discuss the matter with the Departments concerned.  She added that many awareness programmes over social media are necessary.

The meeting with the Chief Secretary dwelt on the ill effects of Information Technology, particularly of social media. The discussion also included certain law and order relating to Information Technology.

The meeting, which discussed at length over the need to instruct the people to carefully use the social media acknowledging the penalty under IT law, came up with a thought to set up Cyber Security Cell under Police, and also thought it good to organise talk shows, workshops, seminars and other forms of awareness campaign.

Source: Newmai News Network

Mizo Cops on Border after Assam ‘threat’ to farmers

Aizawl, Apr 29 : Phone calls to Assam’s Hailakandi district SP’s office went unanswered, while the Cachar district SP, Diganta Barah, said he was unaware of the meeting at Silchar.

A day after policemen from Assam allegedly dismantled houses and threatened farmers in the Kolasib district of Mizoram, two platoons of armed Mizoram Police officers were dispatched to patrol the border between the two states. A case of dacoity was also filed against the Assam Police personnel on Monday.

According to reports, the group which included Assam police and forest department personnel had, on Sunday, dismantled four houses belonging to two Mizoram locals near Buhchangphai village, and threatened workers at the border area where Mizoram’s Kolasib district meets Assam’s Cachar district to leave within three days.

“Two platoons from the 1st IR battalion have been sent to the area and a delegation led by the SP of Kolasib has been sent to Silchar for talks with senior Assam police officers,” Mizoram’s DIG (Northern Range) Zorammuana told The Indian Express. He added that a case of dacoity against the Assam Police was registered at the Vairengte police station in Mizoram.

Phone calls to Assam’s Hailakandi district SP’s office went unanswered, while the Cachar district SP, Diganta Barah, said he was unaware of the meeting at Silchar.

He said there was no boundary conflict between Cachar district and Mizoram.

Mizoram Govt. finally pays one lakh more to electrocuted victims' families

Aizawl, Apr 29 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ensured that the Mizoram Government pays an additional amount of one lakh rupees each to the next of kin of nine persons who got electrocuted while travelling in a bus between New Serkawr and New Latawh in Saiha District.

The ill-fated bus got in touch with the live 11 KV line which was hanging low at 3.35 meter above the ground instead of scheduled 4.5 meters. The State Government has submitted a proof of payment to the Commission.

Earlier, the Commission did not accept the contention of the State Government which had held the driver and conductor of the bus responsible for the accident despite the fact that in the report of the Superintending Engineer, magisterial enquiry report and the police report, the gross negligence on the part of the Power Department was clearly made out. A Junior Engineer, P and E Division, Lawngtlai was held responsible.

It also did not accept the state's argument that since a criminal case had already been registered under Section 304-A IPC, the NHRC may not be the appropriate forum to decide the issue of compensation and that a competent civil court as well as human rights court are there to take up and decided the cases for violation of human rights.

The State had also said that in addition to Rs.10000 already paid to the victims' families, a sum of Rs. one lakh each was also being paid as immediate relief.

The Commission observed that the registration and pendency of a criminal case does not debar it from granting appropriate relief to the next of kin of the deceased under Section 18 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It also said that the amount paid by the State is meager and hence it should pay additional compensation of Rs. one lakh each.

Manipur High Court takes up fake encounter killings case linked to General Suhag

By Gautam Datt and Rezaul Hasan Laskar

Lt-Gen D.S. Suhag is considered the front runner for the post of Army Chief

A petition over the killing of three men in an alleged fake encounter, which names Lt Gen Dalbir Singh, considered the front-runner for the post of army chief, as one of the main respondents, was taken up by the Manipur High Court on Monday.

The Army challenged the High Court's jurisdiction to take up the petition, demanding action against Singh, currently the vice chief, and two other officers for their alleged involvement in the killing of the three men in 2010.

The petition, filed on Saturday by the brother of one of the victims with the backing of the Human Rights Law Network, claimed action should be taken against Singh in his capacity as former head of Rangapahar-based 3 Corps because an intelligence unit of that formation was allegedly involved in the fake encounter.

During the brief hearing, the Army's counsel questioned whether the Manipur High Court had the jurisdiction to hear the case as the killings had occurred at Dimapur in Nagaland. Sources close to the petitioner's counsel Khaidem Mani told Mail Today the court had scheduled the next hearing for Wednesday, when it will listen to arguments on whether it has jurisdiction to hear the case. The court itself had pointed out that the killings occurred in Nagaland and the bodies were found in Assam.

"The petitioner's counsel will attempt to satisfy the court that it has jurisdiction to hear the matter," a source said.

The petitioner's counsel Khaidem Mani is also president of the All Manipur Bar Association. Army sources contested the contents of the petition. They pointed out that the incident took place in January 2010 and Dalbir Singh took over as head of 3 Corps only in March 2011. The Corps was headed by Lt Gen N.K. Singh when the incident allegedly occurred.

Observers have questioned the timing of the case, as it was filed soon after reports suggested that the central government is close to naming Dalbir Singh as the successor to army chief Gen Bikram Singh, who will retire on July 31.

The proposed appointment is at the centre of a controversy after former Army chief V.K. Singh, who is contesting the polls as a BJP candidate, questioned the apparent haste shown by the government to appoint Dalbir Singh as the chief. V. K. Singh contended that the decision should be left to the new dispensation that will be in place after the poll results on May 16.

As Army chief, V. K. Singh had imposed a promotion ban on Dalbir Singh over the alleged "rogue" behaviour of the intelligence unit of 3 Corps.

The killings in Dimapur were cited as one of the botched operations by the unit. The petition against Dalbir Singh surfaced mysteriously in the middle of the ongoing controversy. The petitioner, Phijam Manikumar, claimed his brother Phijam Naobi was abducted from Char Mile area of Dimapur with two others – R K Roshan alias Ronald and Thounaojam Prem alias Romen – on March 10, 2010.

Manikumar claimed the men were abducted by the intelligence unit of 3 Corps but the GOC refused to cooperate with police. He also alleged the commanding officer of the unit, Col Govindan Shreekumar, was behind the killings and cited letters purportedly written by his second-in-command Maj T Ravi Kiran to higher authorities to make this claim.

Dry Spell Leaves Aizawl Thirsty

Aizawl, Apr 28 : Owing to prolonged dry spell, Mizoram is reeling under acute water scarcity with the state capital Aizawl being the worst hit. The nearly three lakhs population of the city largely depends on the greater Aizawl water scheme phase-1, which was started in 1983 and aimed at supplying 10.8 million litres per day to a population of 80,000 at that time.

Under this scheme, water is pumped from Tlawng river to a height of 1,045 m, making it the second highest water supply project in the country after the one in Shimla.

Forget about the less-privileged families, even those who afford water connections from the government's water supply schemes are not getting enough water. "Getting water once a week is a thing of the past.

Sometimes we receive water only twice a month," said Zodinpuii, a resident of Chanmari.

Being a hilly terrain, natural water sources are a far cry for most families in Aizawl. Therefore, when their taps run dry, many families have to buy water that costs Rs 1600-1700 per 4000 litres. People selling water through water tankers that fetch water from places are also finding it difficult to meet the demand.

"We now have long queues of water tankers at all places from where we collect water. It is now a matter of giving two or at the most three trips to the consumers during 24 hours, compared to six to seven trips earlier," said Dina Tlau, a private water supplier. Owing to the dry spell, even spring wells are drying up adding to the residents' woes.

There are long queues of people on a nightlong vigil in places where spring wells still have water. Even if there is enough water from the river, the public health engineering department has occasionally faced technical snags due to the complicated methods involved in pumping water from the river to the top of the hill where water reservoirs are.

It is not only the dry spell that is causing problems for the PHE department but also their pumping set, which is now more than two decades old. According to the officials of the PHE department, the set, which could pump more than two lakh litres per day when it was first installed, can now only pump 80,000 litres daily.

The greater Aizawl water supply scheme phase-II, which construction began in 1998 with an estimated cost of Rs 176.57 crore, is yet to fully function.

The scheme, designed to provide 24.1 million litres of water to the Aizawl residents everyday, has been delayed due to the state government's "whimsically and unsystematic approach". Interestingly, the water supply scheme had been officially inaugurated by then DoNER minister Mani Shankar Aiyer in May, 2007.

Polling For Lone Mizoram Lok Sabha Seat Today

Aizawl, Apr 11 : Polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram which is witnessing a three-cornered contest, will be held today along with the by-poll to Hrangturzo Assembly seat.

The triangular contest is among ruling Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and United Democratic Front (UDF), which is an alliance of eight opposition parties.

UDF comprises the main oppisition party Mizo National Front (MNF) and BJP besides, Zoram Nationalist Party, Mizoram People's Conference, Maraland Democratic Front, Hmar People's Conference, Paite Tribal Council and NCP.

Congress has fielded its sitting MP C L Ruala, while UDF has nominated Robert Romawia Royte. AAP has put up Michael Lalmanzuala as its candidate for the seat.

Mizoram Lok Sabha seat has 7,02,189 voters, of whom 3,55,954 were women.

There are 1,126 polling stations of which 385, mainly in the urban areas, would use the VVPAT system.

Security arrangements have been made for the conduct of free and fair polls with the deployment of additional eight companies of central para-military forces apart from six state armed battalions and unarmed policemen.

International borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh and inter-state borders have been sealed, official sources said.

The polling was originally scheduled for April 9 but the Election Commission postponed it to tomorrow after Mizoram-based civil society bodies called a 72-hour bandh in the state from April 7 in protest against its move to allow Bru refugees to vote in Tripura.

The organisations had demanded that the EC should allow the refugees to cast their vote in Mizoram, which was turned down and the Bru voters, who are in camps in Tripura after being thrown out of Mizoram following ethnic violence with the Mizos in 1997, had exercised their franchise through postal ballot from April 1 to April 3.

Religion in Poll Worries Church

By ZODIN SANGA

Ever watchful: A church in Aizawl

Aizawl, Apr 11 : Religious symbolism is up a few notches this election campaign in Mizoram following the birth of an Opposition alliance that includes the BJP.

The Church, whose watchful eyes have kept poll campaigns largely free from din, defacement and disruption in this predominantly Christian state, however, is concerned at the trend.

“The political parties must debate political and administrative issues. They must be more concerned about development and administration rather than try to be holier than each other,” the Rev. Lalzuithanga, senior executive secretary of the synod of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church, told The Telegraph.

The Presbyterian Church counts more than half the state’s population as its members.

Gegong Apang had set up the first BJP government in the Northeast in the 1990s, in Arunachal Pradesh. Now the party has ventured into the unlikeliest of territories —Christian-majority Nagaland and Mizoram.

If the BJP has gone with the ruling coalition in Nagaland, in Mizoram it is part of the nascent United Democratic Front (UDF), an alliance of eight Opposition parties. Both coalitions are supporting the National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.

The UDF’s declared support for the NDA has heated up the rhetoric ahead of the vote for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram, where Christians make up nearly 90 per cent of the population.

It’s also given Congress chief minister Lal Thanhawla, branded “un-Christian” by the Opposition before last November’s Assembly elections, a chance to hit back.

At a rally at Kawnpui in northern Mizoram’s Kolasib district on March 26, Thanhawla was quoted as saying that if the NDA returned to power at the Centre, the minority Christians would suffer the consequences. His alleged comments have prompted a BJP complaint to the Election Commission.

“Chief minister Lal Thanhawla’s remarks have violated the model code of conduct and were detrimental to national integrity and secularism in India,” the BJP has said.

Earlier, the Mizoram Congress had warned in a statement that if the NDA were voted to power, it might ban cow slaughter in the state.

The main Opposition Mizo National Front (MNF), which is part of the UDF, had earlier attacked Thanhawla for sporting a tilak during a ceremony in Mumbai, terming his action “un-Christian”.

Making it an issue ahead of last winter’s state elections, the party had organised an “anti-idol worship” rally in Aizawl.

The Congress had retaliated by printing images of Laldenga, the late founder-president of the MNF, at a place of worship.

Congress nominee C.L. Ruala, 79, now campaigning in southern Mizoram, too, has warned the people that “secularism and minorities” would face a “threat” under a BJP-led government.

A political analyst, however, said that what matters most to the voters is development and not sectarian issues.

“We have witnessed that election campaigning on religious lines does not translate into votes,” said Lallianchhunga, assistant professor (political science) at Mizoram University.

“The Congress, led by the tilak-sporting Lal Thanhawla, winning 34 of the 40 seats in the last Assembly elections is a clear example. The Congress government had done well during the previous term and the people gave them another mandate.”

Asked about his personal views on the BJP, Rev. Lalzuithanga, the Presbyterian Church leader, said: “I don’t see any anti-Christian attitude in the BJP. However, some radical Hindu groups have appeared to be calling the tune under BJP rule.”

Speaking to this newspaper, MNF president and former chief minister Zoramthanga defended the Opposition alliance’s decision to support the NDA. The MNF has historically been opposed to the Congress.

“Supporting a Congress-led alliance is out of the question for us. We don’t have any option other than to support the NDA,” he said.

“The NDA is not a party but a combination of various like-minded parties, just like the UDF is. India has a brighter future under the NDA than under the UPA in terms of development.”

During its 10-year rule in Mizoram from 1998 to 2008, the MNF had supported the NDA in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. “We have never supported the Congress,” Zoramthanga said.

One key feature of Mizoram elections is the “common platforms” held across the state, where the influential Mizoram People’s Forum (MPF), a citizens’ body that acts as the Church’s election watchdog, invites candidates to interact with voters.

Candidates from rival parties attend the platforms together, peacefully answering voters’ questions.

Before elections in the state, the MPF also issues guidelines to the contestants to curb defacement of walls, decibel levels, or disruptive rallies. The 20-point charter it had released before the November polls is still in place.

The UDF has fielded 47-year-old Robert Romawia Royte, a government employee turned successful entrepreneur, to take on Ruala. A retired IAS officer, M. Lalmanzuala, is contesting on an Aam Aadmi Party ticket, making the election a triangular fight.

• Mizoram votes on April 11

She’s Out To Break A 27-Year Jinx

By Adam Halliday

Aizawl, Apr 11 : In an assembly bypoll scheduled Friday in eastern Mizoram, the state’s Youth Congress president Lalawmpuii Chawngthu, 35, is fighting to become the first woman MLA since 1987 in a state where female voters consistently outnumber the males.

OP-i, as Chawngthu is better known, is the daughter of senior Congress leader C Chawngkunga. She is contesting from Hrangturzo against Lalduhawma, fielded by the seven-party opposition alliance United Democratic Front and who contested last November’s assembly elections for the Zoram Nationalist Party.  Hrangturzo was won by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla then, but he vacated it for his bastion Serchhip.

“I am not at all demoralised because of my gender. The support from women in the constituency has been immense. Women accompanied us during the house-to-house campaigns,” OP-i said over phone.

The apex Mizo women’s body, the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl, has come out in open support of the Congress candidate – it recently issued a public statement asking all women in the constituency to discard party affiliations and vote for OP-i.

“If I win, then one of my main aims would be to pave a wider path for women to occupy positions of power and governance in the future,” OP-i added.

Mizoram Votes Under The Spell Of The ‘Phantom’

By Adam Halliday

K Chhawnthuama

The “Phantom” is back to haunt elections in Mizoram.

Aizawl, Apr 11 : A video of him alleging the Congress rigged November’s assembly polls triggered protest marches last week, demanding CM Lal Thanhawla’s resignation. On Tuesday, police issued a statement (sources say it was ordered from the top of the command chain) declaring the man who has “worried the public and created a law and order situation” is the victim of a trickster. A defiant “Phantom” put up a second video on social media Wednesday, hinting at least three ministers may not have won those elections fairly.

All this comes ahead of Friday’s election to Mizoram’s sole Lok Sabha seat.

The “Phantom” episode had begun after the assembly election results when Lal Thanhawla got two text messages accusing him of rigging EVMs and bribing election officials. Both were signed “Phantom”.

Police arrested K Chhawnthuama, a residential school owner, church elder and a man with no apparent political affiliations. After much speculation, rumours, an ongoing court case and TV interviews, he confessed to being the “Phantom”.

Chhawnthuama, known for his school and a marble tomb he built for his wife on his 24-bigha hilltop compound overlooking Aizawl, has since amassed a large fan following. A “Mizo Phantom Fan Club” on Facebook has more than 35,000 members.

Chhawnthuama presented the first specific “evidence” in a video message aired by local channels on April 4. In the video, the “Phantom” says three computer experts, two of them Congress workers, had travelled from Aizawl to Lal Thanhawla’s bastion Serchhip, broken open the lock and programmed EVMs with a “radio-wave machine” manufactured by a Malaysia-based company called Alcatel.

Later in Aizawl, he says, these experts did more manipulations on the third floor of a college used as counting centre. The “Phantom” also produces what he says was the broken lock and alleges the Congress spent Rs 1.08 crore on the rigging.

After the telecast, more than 100 people marched towards the CM’s residence to demand his resignation. Police dispersed the marchers. The following day, the combined youth wing of opposition parties too staged a march in Aizawl.

In a press briefing, Home Minister R Lalzirliana said they would resign if the allegations were true, demanded that opposition leaders resign if they were not, and said Chhawnthuama appeared in need of psychiatric treatment.

From the opposition, Zoramthanga of the Mizo National Front alleged three elections (including the last assembly polls) had been rigged. And Lalduhawma of the Zoram Nationalist Party played on Chhawnthuama’s “church elder” tag and invoked the mass agitation spearheaded by a Catholic priest that overthrew Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the 1980s.

A statement from the Aizawl SP’s office Tuesday said ongoing investigations “appear to show” Chhawnthuama was tricked into believing false evidence by a serial trickster, Michael Chhakchhuak, for financial gain, a statement followed up by CM Lal Thanhawla in a press conference where he said he felt sorry for the “tricked” Chhawnthuama. Chhakchhuak’s wife has since registered an FIR against the police for defaming her husband.

In a taped video freshly uploaded on YouTube, with transcripts disseminated through Facebook, Chhawnthuama has dismissed the police statement as a “lie”.

A local editor has posted on Facebook, “Campaigning these days is more or less the song of the phantom.”

Mizoram Campaiging For Lone Lok Sabha Seat Ends

Triangular contest will be witnessed among the ruling Congress, AAP and UDF including the Mizo National Front and BJP

Aizawl, Apr 10 : Campaigning for the lone Lok Sabha constituency in Mizoram, where polling would be held on April 11, ended at 5 pm today.

The lone Lok Sabha seat would witness a triangular contest among the ruling Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and United Democratic Front (UDF), an alliance of eight opposition parties including the Mizo National Front (MNF), the main opposition party, and BJP.

The UDF also comprises Zoram Nationalist party, Mizoram People's Conference, Maraland Democratic Front, Hmar People's Conference, Paite Tribal Council, and NCP.

Congress has fielded its sitting MP C L Ruala, while UDF nominated Robert Romawia Royte and AAP put up Michael Lalmanzuala as its candidate for the Lok Sabha seat.

Besides the Lok Sabha election, by-poll to Hrangturzo Assembly seat would also be held simultaneously on April 11.

With the absence of any major issue, the ruling Congress urged voters to elect Ruala to strengthen the party at the Centre saying a Congress-led government at the Centre would be helpful to the state.

UDF's Royte, on the other hand, is banking on the hype around BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. UDF was also thinking that Royte would be a minister if NDA comes to power at the Centre.

Mizoram Lok Sabha seat has 7,02,189 voters, of whom 3,55,954 were women.

There are 1,126 polling stations in the state of which 385 polling stations, mainly in the urban areas, would use the VVPAT system.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the conduct of free and fair polls with additional eight companies of central para-military forces being deployed apart from six state armed battalions and unarmed policemen.

International borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh and inter-state borders have been sealed.

Mizoram’s Peaceful Politics Faces Refugee Hurdle

By Urmi Bhattacharjee


The Election Commission of India (EC) had to bow down to the conglomerate of powerful civil society organisations in Mizoram who came together calling a 72-hour bandh to disrupt the elections for the lone Lok Sabha polls in the Northeastern state where the Congress is in power. Polling has been rescheduled for April 11 and the shut down has been called off.

The bandh has been called by three major civil society watch dogs which rule the roost in Mizoram: Young Mizo Association, Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (women’s organisation) and Mizoram Upa Pawl (senior citizens’ organisation) besides two students’ organisations: Mizo Zirlai Pawl and Mizo Students’ Union supported them.

The shutdown was called as a mark of protest against the exercising of the right to vote by Bru refugees of Mizoram lodged in relief camps on the northern part of neighbouring Tripura since 1997.
The EC had to bow down after total response to the shutdown by the people of Mizoram. It also had to promise that from the next election, they would allow the Bru refugees to vote only inside Mizoram.

Before calling the bandh, Mizo community organisations had warned the EC, but the poll panel went forward with its plan of conducting postal ballot voting for the Bru refugees in their relief camps in Tripura on April 1. This irked the community organisations. Of the 35,000 refugees living in the relief camps, 11,243 are enrolled in Mizoram’s voter list, more than 70% has cast their votes through the postal ballot.

So what’s the fuss about the voting rights to Bru refugees who are in relief camps in Tripura for more than 17 years? The answer lies in the deep rooted ethnic divide between the majority tribe, the Mizos, and the minority tribe, the Brus, who are known as Reangs in Tripura and southern Assam , one of the most primitive tribes of the country.

The murder of a Mizo forest guard in the Dampa Tiger Reserve in 1997, otherwise seen as a normal case of murder, took on communal colour in 1997 and resulted in fierce ethnic clashes between the Brus and the Mizos of Mizoram. Over 50,000 people have left their homes since. More the 35,000 Brus sought refuge in neighbouring Tripura’s Kanchanpur subdivision. They were housed in six makeshift relief camps.

The then underground Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) was thought to be behind the killing of Mizos and so the Mizos chased out the Brus . The underground rebels at the time were involved in an insurgent movement inside Mizoram with a demand for the creation of an Autonomous District Council (ADC) in the Bru-dominated areas of western Mizoram; the Mizos were against any autonomy for the Brus.

For 17 years, the Brus have been languishing in relief camps, a life full of uncertainties. For long the Mizoram government never wanted to take them back, Tripura has always treated them as a burden and for Centre they were non-entities.

The Brus got help from the underground rebel groups of Tripura like the banned underground outfit United Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) formed the Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) that surrendered in 2001 followed by Bru Liberation Front of Mizoram (BLFM) that came above ground and surrendered en-masse in 2006.

Even then repatriation to Mizoram was not in sight.

New Delhi created pressure on the Mizoram government and conducted a fresh survey of inmates of the camp. They finalised the names of more than 27,000 refugees to be taken back in phases, but that process itself is stuck in limbo, with opposition from Mizo civil society groups. Even then refugees were reluctant to go back, they are still insecure about their lives. Between 1997 and 2012, some 17,000 Brus have returned to Mizoram, until the Mizo government stopped repatriation.

The Mizo civil societies allege the Brus are still involved in insurgent activities inside the state. Thus when the Brus were allowed to vote from relief camps the Mizos saw it as a process of giving them political upper hand and thus resorted to shut down.

This crisis is perhaps a classic example how ethnic divide rules politics in the Northeast and even the general elections have been affected by this.

Polling in 4 Northeast States Ends Peacefully

Kohima/Imphal/Shillong/Itanagar, Apr 10 : Polling was held today for six Lok Sabha seats in the four North Eastern States of Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, besides Arunachal Pradesh, where Assembly elections to the 60-member House were also held, reports PTI.

The Congress candidate in Konsa (W) Assembly constituency in troubled Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh was kidnapped by suspected militants, but was released unharmed later.

Polling was not held in a disputed area in Longleng district of Nagaland, bordering Assam.

Longleng Superintendent of Police James said armed Assam Police and CRPF personnel prohibited the entry of polling officials at Ladaigarh Polling Station (PS) No. 1 under Tamlu Assembly constituency in the district.

In Meghalaya, defying a 12-hour bandh called by a banned separatist group in the Khasi Jaintia Hills, voters turned out in large numbers in urban areas, State Chief Electoral Officer P Naik said.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress, BJP, NCP and People’s Party of Arunachal, besides independents, were in the fray in the Western and Eastern parliamentary constituencies, which have been traditional Congress strongholds since 1975, except in 2004 when the BJP made a dent.

Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Ninong Ering of Congress was pitted against BJP nominee Tarir Gao and PPA’S Wangman Lowangcha in the Eastern parliamentary seat.

After casting his vote at Sagalee, about 137 km from Itanagar, Chief Minister Nabam Tuki said the party would emerge winner in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

Tuki was among 11 Congress candidates elected unopposed to the 60-member House.

In Manipur, 10 contestants from the BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, Naga People’s Front, NCP, JD(U) and Aam Admi Party, besides three independents, were in the fray.

The candidates whose electoral fate was decided were sitting Congress MP Thangso Baite, Gangmumei Kamei (BJP), C Doungel (NCP), Kim Gangte (TMC), Soso Lorho (Naga People’s Front), L Gangte (JD-U) and MK Zou (AAP).

Elections to the Inner Manipur seat would be held on April 17.

70% Votes Cast in Outer Manipur

By Sobhapati Samom

Imphal, Apr 10 : More than 70% of the 9,11,699 electorates cast their votes in its Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency seat as the second phase of the nine-stage Lok Sabha elections in the state today.

According to Manipur's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)O Nabakishore. Repoll likely in a polling booth in Chandel district.

Speaking to newspersons here this afternoon,CEO Nabakishore, however, admitted that the exact polling percentage will be known once the final reports from the respective presiding officers come in."Though there was report of replacing 11 EVMs (3 each in Churachandpur,Thoubal and Ukhrul,1 each in Senapati and Jiribam) in view of its malfunctioning in all districts excluding Tamenglong, the polling was by and large peaceful,"he added.

The CEO also informed that they will recommend repolling at 41/21 Lambung Primary school in Chandel district as the EVM engineers could not retrieve the record after an unidentified miscreant damaged the machine around 12.30pm.

The day’s polling was held to elect a Lok Sabha member from among 10 candidates which includes sitting Congress MP Thangso Baite and ex-MPs Kim Gangte, and Mani Charenamei.

With the hope of getting a corruption-free and pro-people government after the poll, many voters mostly women folks came out in groups to cast their votes at their respective polling stations in the five hill districts and eight assembly segments in Thoubal and Imphal East district since early morning.

A student Disy M(23) of Yaikongpao village in Senapati district said they love to have a corruption, free government which can provide employment opportunity to the educated youths besides taking up infrastructure development.

Many voters were seen standing in long queues in front of polling booths when this reporter visited some of the important booths in Senapati district around 10 in the morning.

On the other hand, after casting his vote along with his MLA wife Landhoni at the Athokpam primary high school in Thoubal district, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh appeared confident that Congress will win both the Lok Sabha seats.

NSCN (IM) takes over Manipur booths, Loads EVMs with votes

A large group of smartly dressed young men guard the booth and the booth doors have plainclothes sentries.

By Esha Roy

At Booth 44/2 in Senakeithei in Outer Manipur LS constituency, a voter is watched on Wednesday.

Senakeithei is a picturesque village enveloped in a tranquil silence. On a nearby hill, its polling station — booth number 44/2 — is as quiet. But something insidious is afoot here.

A large group of smartly dressed young men guard the booth and the booth doors have plainclothes sentries.

It is 3.30 in the afternoon on election day Wednesday. “We can’t let you in. It’s the last bit of voting so there can be no disturbance,” says a polite but officious youth. After much cajoling, The Indian Express team is allowed in.

The room is sparse and only the polling agents of the Naga People’s Front remain. Presiding officer R S Victor says polling agents of the other contestants have left. “There were two polling agents from the Congress and two from BJP but they just put in an appearance and left soon after,” Victor said.
But like polling stations across Ukhrul district, the absence of the Congress and BJP and the overwhelming presence of NPF supporters is evident.

Senakeithei has not voted Wednesday. But according to Victor’s records, once polling comes to an end, of the 1,117 registered voters, 808 voters have voted – recording nearly 75 per cent polling.
Earlier in the day, however, Victor said 457 women and 417 men had voted – 874 votes at 3.30 pm, 808 at 4.13 pm.

One of the 1,117 voters, PCO owner N C Janet tells The Indian express that he has not voted Wednesday. “It’s not only me. None of us have gone to vote. We have stayed at home,” Janet said.
Asked why, he says: “Because of the terrorists. They came to the village yesterday and they spent the entire night here – these people from the NSCN(IM). They told us we either have to vote for the NPF or not vote at all. We decided not to vote.”

Back in the booth, a young man clad in a black T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans stands next to the EVM. As older men approach, he shows them the button next to the rooster – the NPF symbol.
“You see, the reason why he is standing there is because it’s a village and the villagers don’t really know how to use the EVM. So we have kept him there for assistance,” the presiding officer said.

Another election officer, employed to check election slips and strike each voter off, holds a large packet of the slips. The same men stand in line again and again, leave the room and return after a while, and the officer strikes each name off on his list and casts aside a slip as the men approach the EVM machine.

As the 4 pm deadline approaches, all appearance of propriety is thrown to the wind.
The doors are shut and bolted. The queue of returning men is abandoned. And the young man at the booth, with the help of the election officer, proceeds to get in as many NPF votes as possible. He keeps pressing the button down, waiting for the EVM machine to reboot for the next vote.

CRPF security personnel stand outside guarding the booth. “There may be bogus voting here but it is not our duty to check. We are here to maintain security. And the voting has been peaceful here today,” says a jawan.

Senakeithei is representative of villages across the Naga districts of Manipur where rampant booth capturing took place Wednesday.

The BJP has complained to the Election commission alleging that 57 polling stations had been rigged by NSCN(IM) across Ukhrul, Chandel and Senapati districts and have demanded a repoll.

A Congress insider from Ukhrul said NSCN(IM) captured what it felt were the “big booths’’ in Ukhrul district. “Somdal, Kachai, Humei, Ngaingu had all been captured by IM. Somdal is in any case where Muivah hails from. Forget our Congress workers or the workers of any other party, even the villagers were not allowed to enter to vote. Only some villagers were deputed to vote on behalf of entire villages,” the Congress leader alleged.

Somdal, Kachai, Humei and Ngaingu fall under the sub-district of Chigai. The booths captured under Ukhrul sub-district include Pharung, Shimtang, Lamlang and Nungou. Earlier this week, the state election commission had declared 70 polling stations under Chigai and 61 under Ukhrul the most hypersensitive in the Outer Manipur seat.

A Little BJP Flutter Among Manipur Nagas

The people do not seem interested in sitting MP Thangso Baite.

The Naga vote holds the key in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat where three of the five hill districts — Senapati, Ukhrul, Tamenglong — entirely comprise Nagas. In Senapati, there is little sign of an election except an occasional BJP flag that flutters alongside one of Naga People’s Front.

A thin wooden barricade and a lone policeman marks the Naga-Manipur border. In the upper reaches of this hill district, which rises into the taller, more statuesque mountains of Nagaland, voters are pledging allegiance to their Naga leaders.

Two of the ten candidates are Nagas. In a first, the BJP has fielded a Naga candidate — Prof Kamei Gangumei of Tamenglong, a man highly respected across tribal and non-tribal communities. The second is NPF’s Soso Lorho, a protege of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.

The people do no seem interested in sitting MP Thangso Baite. “He is a Kuki, not a Naga,” says Alfred Leivon.

RK Mishra, who hails from Varanasi, has been living in Senapati for over 30 years. He is watching the fight in his home town with far more enthusiasm than in his adopted village, Maram. “All the biggies are fighting from Varanasi. My wife has also gone back and will come after elections. Here in Manipur we will vote for sure. Our landlords will tell us whom to vote for. I can’t air my political opinion, I am not allowed,” says Mishra.
 
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Maram’s allegiance seems to have already been been decided. Benjamin Leba is a contractor and says there is no question of any one other than the NPF winning. “We will have a general body meeting where the entire village will congregate. Whatever the chief decides will be relayed across the village. This entire region has at least 98 per cent NPF supporters. Chief Minister Ibobi Singh only spends on his own people, the tribals are forgotten. It is time to show our strength,” says Leba.

As one comes closer to Imphal valley, BJP flags replace those of the NPF. “You never know with Manipur. As far as we can see, it is one of the two — BJP or NPF — who will win. But then Congress has great resources and has been known to buy out votes at the last minute. Moreover the two Naga candidates may actually do each other a disservice by cutting into each other’s vote,’’ says former UNC member Paul Leo.

Mizoram LS Polls Postponed to April 11

New Delhi, Apr 8 : The Election Commission of India on Tuesday postponed the Lok Sabha polls for Mizoram till April 11.

The state was to have polls tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a 72 hour-long shutdown is on for the second day today in the state.

The shutdown is in protest against Bru polling in six refugee camps in Tripura and to urge the Election Commission not to count Bru votes that have been polled via postal ballot.

Tripura saw the parliamentary constituency of West Tripura going for polls yesterday.

There were 26 critical polling stations which were identified and arrangements were made accordingly. The commission sent seven observes. 658 non bailable warrants were served on different people as part of preventive actions. 490 persons were bound down under various provisions of CrPC. 5021 litres of liquor were seized. Cash were also seized including Bangladeshi currency (takas).

3-day Shutdown Affects Life in Mizoram

The strike led by the Young Mizo Association urged people to boycott Wednesday's polling

Aizawl, Apr 8 : Normal life was affected in Mizoram Monday as six NGOs and student groups called for a three-day shutdown and boycott of the April 9 election to the lone Lok Sabha seat from the state to protest postal ballot facility to its refugees living in Tripura, officials said.

A police spokesman said that though normal life was affected, there was no untoward incident anywhere in the state, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The shutdown affected the movement of polling officials across the state, said an Election Commission official.

Offices, shops, markets and other institutions remained closed in the capital city Aizawl. Most vehicles, except those of security forces, were off the roads, police said.

Six voluntary organisations and students' groups led by the Young Mizo Association (YMA) called the 72-hour state-wide strike and urged people to boycott Wednesday's polling.

"We launched the agitation as the Election Commission ignored our demand not to allow tribal refugees in Tripura to cast their votes in relief camps through postal ballot," YMA spokesman J. Lalsailova told reporters.

Of over 36,000 Reang tribal refugees living in seven camps in Tripura for the past 17 years after fleeing their villages in Mizoram, 11,500 were on electoral rolls in Mizoram and 71 percent of them voted through postal ballot.

"In view of a threat given by NGOs in Mizoram to obstruct counting of postal ballot papers in Aizawl, the Election Commission has decided to count them in Kanchanpur (north Tripura) May 16," Kanchanpur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Nantu Das told IANS.

The Reang tribals - locally known as 'Bru' - fled their villages in Mizoram and took shelter in neighbouring Tripura in October 1997 after an ethnic conflict broke out with the majority Mizos over the killing of a Mizo forest official.

In Arunachal, out of 3,77,272 only 6 women in fray for Polls

Itanagar, Apr 8 : The women form the majority of the electorate in Arunachal Pradesh but when it comes to contesting elections the numbers are at the odds with their population, with only 6 of them joining the fray for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls and Assembly elections.

The state has 3,77,272 women electorate against 3,75,898 males, with several Assembly constituencies having more women voters than males.

They are in fray in only six Assembly seats in the state and in none of the two Lok Sabha seats.

Arunachal will hold simultaneous polls for the 60-member Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats in the second phase of voting on April 9.

Congress has this time fielded two women candidates - Karya Bagang (Chayangtajo) and Gum Tayeng from Dambuk constituencies compare to none from the BJP. NCP has fielded Taba Nirmali (Yachuli) and the People's Party of Arunachal has nominated Toko Sheetal for the prestigious Itanagar LS seat.

Yai Mara (Likabali) and Anita Payeng (Lekang) are contesting as independents.

The limited participation of women has irked the chairperson of Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women chairperson Gumri Ringu.


"All political parties before election assure to provide opportunity to women but the real scenario changes when time comes," she said while lamenting that in the male-dominated Arunachalee society, women were always neglected.

She also blamed the fair sex for not coming out of their homes to participate in the electoral process.

National Alliance of Women secretary Jarjum Ete, however, said the sudden dissolution of the house on March 6 was the reason behind the low participation of women candidates.

"The sudden dissolution of the house 6 months ahead of the schedule forced the aspiring women candidates to keep away from joining the fray as they did not get time to gear up," Ete said adding their financial condition also deterred several candidates.

Toko Sheetal, the PPA candidate for Itanagar Assembly constituency agreed that there were few women in active politics.

China describes northeast India as 'Most Neglected'

Earlier, China reacted guardedly to BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's accusation in February, 2014 that it had expansionist mindset.

BEIJING: As India's general elections began on Monday from the northeastern states, Chinese official media described the remote region as the most "neglected" area in the country.

"India's northeastern states — which also include Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland are said to be the country's most neglected region," state-run Xinhua news agency said in its report on the commencement of polls in India.

There was no mention of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as southern Tibet.

Earlier, China reacted guardedly to BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's accusation in February that it had expansionist mindset. Modi had also asserted that Arunachal Pradesh was an integral part of India and will remain so.

Though Modi's comments came up for mild criticism from Chinese media, analysts here view him favourable as he visited Beijing twice as Gujarat chief minister and Gujarat has received maximum Chinese investments in India.

New Book Describes Crimes Against Civilians During Mizo Uprising

By David Lalmalsawma

The two-decade-long Mizo rebellion from 1966 to 1986 remains the only conflict in which the Indian government used war planes against its citizens. Few written records exist on the conflict in which the Mizo National Front (MNF) revolted against the government, trying to establish an independent country.

A new book by a former militant in the Mizo National Army (MNA), the armed wing of the MNF, recounts the air bombings and the government’s “grouping” policy, under which villages in what is now Mizoram state were burned and civilians relocated to guarded centres called Protected and Progressive Villages.

“Untold Atrocity” by C. Zama deals with incidents in which civilians suffered or were allegedly killed by security forces. The book also assumes significance today because the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which allowed security forces an almost free hand in arresting or shooting anyone during the insurgency, is still enforced in Jammu and Kashmir and some areas of India’s northeast.

Zama in this interview talks about the almost unlimited powers the army wielded during the insurgency, and why the Mizoram Accord, which is touted as the most successful peace treaty in India, has not been fully implemented.

Q: Tell us about your time as an insurgent?
A: In 1965, before the violence started, I volunteered as a MNA member while studying in high school … I was in Class VIII when the [armed] movement broke out, so I left home and school and we started living in the forest. We traded fire with Indian soldiers many times – in Mizoram and (East) Pakistan, which is present-day Bangladesh.

In 1974, I was captured twice, but managed to escape on both occasions before reaching prison. In 1975, I was captured again, and this time, I was unable to escape. I was tortured badly and could not walk. After just two nights in jail, I was transferred to a hospital. After two months there, I was transferred back to jail. In 1977, I got out on bail.

Q: So torture was routine?
A: Yes, definitely. And we could not cope with torture so many fighters gave away the location of friends and our camps, gave away guns and revealed the identities of people [civilians] who helped us. But the level of bravery is different for different people, so we can’t really blame anybody in such situations.

Q: You’ve written 19 books in the Mizo language. Tell us some of the incidents you mentioned in your new book in English that you haven’t disclosed before?
A: The two women who lost their sanity after being raped – this book is the first time I’ve mentioned them. Also, the people of Vathuampui [village] where security forces tortured innocent villagers and killed nine people. They [security forces] just came, lined up people and shot them … They did similar things to other villages. Some of the incidents in the book have been rehashed from my earlier books, but there are also quite a few fresh ones I’ve included.

Q: So they shot people without provocation?
A: Yes, innocent people. Also, a havildar [non-commissioned officer] had more power than a DC [deputy commissioner]. For instance, if a soldier shot dead someone, he can simply say the person was an MNF supporter, and that was justification enough. Or if he raped someone, he just says she is an MNF supporter. Nobody could do anything.

Q: So security forces abused their power?
A: They were really bad. There was hardly any village they did not burn down. Even without getting orders from the government, majors on the ground burnt villages on their own volition. In Chhawrtui, villagers were herded inside their houses and locked up. And the major gave the order to burn the houses with all the people in them. But the captain refused and argued with him. They eventually did not burn the houses.

Q: As a former fighter, were you satisfied with the peace treaty?
A: The accord said Mizoram would have a High Court, which has not happened yet. Secondly, the rent for properties and land occupied by security forces, 90 percent has not been paid 27 years [after the peace accord]. And three of our friends still have [legal] cases. They [government] dishonoured the accord in these three instances.

Q: What message are you trying to send with this book?
A: Nobody talks anymore about the hardships we went through during the time of disturbance. If we don’t write about it, the new generation will not know about it. Also, there are some sections who are saying that the air raids never took place.

Q: Was it difficult to interview people on such a difficult phase of their lives?
A: Yes. Some were reluctant to open up, while some tend to exaggerate a bit. So I had to be very careful. Especially in the case of rape, no surviving victim agreed to personally speak about their trauma.

This Election, Mizoram May Not Vote On Polling Day

By Alok Pandey


Aizawl, Apr 7 : The north-eastern state of Mizoram sends just one Member of Parliament to the Lok Sabha. But this election season, the state may witness an unprecedented situation on polling day.

Youth organisations, NGOs and women's groups in the state -- all extremely influential -- are set to enforce a 72-hour-long bandh from Monday morning, which will extend till the polling day on Wednesday, April 9.

In state capital Aizawl, announcements are being made over loudspeakers, urging people not to venture out of their homes till April 10. All government offices are expected to remain shut.

Teams from the Election Commission are scheduled to travel towards polling booths in far-flung and hilly areas of the state from Monday morning, but doing this now seems to be a big headache for both the Mizoram government and the Election Commission.

These organisations are angry over the Election Commission's decision to allow Bru refugees, who escaped from Mizoram to the bordering state of Tripura nearly 17 years ago in the wake of ethnic clashes with the majority Mizo tribe, to cast their votes through postal ballots from relief camps in North Tripura. 

Of the 36,000 Bru refugees living in Kanchanpur and Panisagar refugee camps in Tripura for the last 17 years, nearly 11,500 are listed in Mizoram's electoral rolls and they have already cast their vote through postal ballots this week

Mizo organisations, which are enforcing the bandh across the state, say that all the Bru refugees in Tripura's relief camps should have been sent back to Mizoram ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and asked to cast their vote from the state.

Members of the Bru community left Mizoram of their own free will and failed to return during several repatriation programmes organised by the Mizoram government, they claim.

On their part, Bru refugees in Tripura say the atmosphere in Mizoram is not conducive for their return as they are scared for their lives.

First Train Service in Arunachal Rolls Out

Itanagar, Apr 7 : A passenger train would roll down from Tezpur to Naharlagun through the newly built Harmuti-Naharlagun railway line tomorrow to put landlocked Arunachal Pradesh on the railway map of India, informed Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki.

While fixed wing aircraft from Itanagar airport and intensified helicopter services to improve air
connectivity, power crisis would end with the generation of additional 3,000 MW of hydropower in next five years, he said ILP would be issued online and an all-tribe cultural centre will be set up at Itanagar. Mr Tuki was addressing a Congress road rally at Ganga, near here this afternoon.

The chief minister's Universal Health Insurance Scheme, 24X7ambulance service in the Capital Complex, a Rs 5,000-crore sustainable development project, medical and nursing colleges, medical tourism, single window system to promote investors with the Centre's support, improved banking facilities, one lakh employment generation within five years to channelize the youth energy for state development as mentioned in the manifesto would be fulfilled, Mr Tuki disclosed.

Congress would repeat the history maintained since 1980 to rule Arunachal Pradesh, he said, adding the state is marching to become a developed state, which is the contribution of Congress. 'Haath hamesha aap k saath hai. Vote your hand for your welfare,' Mr Tuki appealed to the people.

'BJP leader Narendra Modi's warning to Arunachal chief minister at Itanagar amounted to insulting the people of Arunachal Pradesh', said Western parliamentary INC candidate Takam Sanjoy and announced 'to launch bhook hartal (Stir) in Delhi after May 16 till Modi tenders public apology' to the applause of the gathering.

Opposition BJP is yet to release manifesto while the Congress did it 10 days go enlisting its vision for the people and the nation, he said, adding 'Congress fulfills its promises unlike other opposition parties'.

Promising to remove the prevailing ills in the society for the rule of law to prevail, Mr Sanjoy spelt out state's approved projects in the pipeline.

Highlighting few developmental projects initiated by Congress rule government, the MP said, these were the outcome of concerted efforts of the state government.

He, however, assured to build a cremation ground for non-Arunachalees and facilitate issue of ILP at the Banderdewa check gate to promote tourism besides completing the capital development agenda, he has initiated, Mr Kaso said in his emotional appeal to the masses to vote.

With Rs 3,500 in Hand, Arunachal Candidate Fights Crorepatis

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Itanagar, Apr 7 : Arunachal Pradesh, which is heading for simultaneous elections to its 60-member state assembly alongside the Lok Sabha polls on April 9, will see a contest among crorepatis in most of the seats. But while 91 of the candidates are crorepatis, there is at least one candidate who has joined the fray with just Rs 3,500 cash in hand and a bank balance of just Rs 40.44.

“I am a poor man. I do get a pension because I am a former MLA. But that is hardly enough for me to survive,” says Bida Taku, former Congress MLA from Seppa in East Kameng district, who is contesting as a People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) candidate from Lekang LAC in Lohit district.

The Rs 3,500 cash and the bank balance of Rs 40.44 are all the assets, movable or immovable, that Taku, 55, has declared in his affidavit. Taku is a former minister (in the Gegong Apang government during 1995-99). At least two of his rivals in the five-cornered contest for Lekang are crorepatis.

“Yes, I have two wives, but they have their own businesses, in which I have no share. The Mahindra Xylo in which I am moving around for my election campaign belongs to one of my wives, who has bought it with her income,” said Taku. Interestingly, Taku is taking on former minister Chowna Mein on the latter’s home turf of Lekang, eyeing the non-tribal votes which constitute an overwhelming majority in the assembly constituency.

Taku said the Lekang assembly seat has over 15,000 voters, of whom over 10,000 are either from Assam or are Deuri tribals whose ST status was withdrawn in the early 1990s.

“I am fighting the polls on two major issues, permanent residents’ certificates for the genuine non-tribals domiciled in Lekang, and ST status for the Deuri and Mishing communities,” Taku said.
 
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Meanwhile, a survey carried out by the Association for Democratic Reforms and Arunachal Pradesh Election Watch has revealed that as many as 91 of the 152 candidates in the frary are crorepatis, who comprise more than 60 per cent of the total contestants.

This, interestingly, is a significant increase against 61 crorepatis (41 per cent) in the 2009 assembly elections — and many of them have become rich after they won the last election.

Voting Starts From Northeast India

New Delhi, Apr 7 : India's general election, to elect 543 members to the 16th Lok Sabha, or the House of People in the bicameral parliament, kicks off Monday, with balloting starting from two states in the northeast, Assam and Tripura.

The nine-phase voting, that will be done in 930,000 polling stations across the length and breadth of this huge nation with a staggering 814 million electorate, will be spread over 36 days from April 7 to May 12.

This election, many analysts say, is different in many ways different from the elections of the past two decades with more focus on individual leaders, wide use of social media and rise of the "aspirational class" and the large number of first-time voters.

Stakes are high for the participants with relatively young leaders leading the charge of Congress and BJP and regional parties, led by leaders nursing national ambitions, threatening to upset the applecart of the established players. Although campaigning has been surcharged, it has so far been peaceful.

The election also raises prospects of a leader born after Independence becoming the prime minister. Bharatiya Janata Party has declared Narendra Modi, 63, as its prime ministerial candidate and Rahul Gandhi, 43, is seen as the de facto prime ministerial candidate of the Congress.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, 45, whose one-and-a-half-year-old party has created a buzz in the political arena on its strong anti-corruption plank, is also aiming for a role in government formation as are a clutch regional players from West Bengal in the east to Tamil Nadu in the south.

Campaigning has been intense but the real battle will be fought for control of the Hindi-speaking heartland where two states, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, ironically among the least developed of Indian states, account for between them 120 (80 from UP and 40 from Bihar) MPs. Delhi goes to the polls on April 10 to elect 7 MPs.

A study last year by Internet and Mobile Association of India and IRIS knowledge foundation had said that there were 160 Lok Sabha constituencies in which social media would be a critical tool to influence people's voting choices. Almost 68 percent of the country’s 1.2 billion population is estimated to be below the age of 35.

Political parties are making special efforts to woo the youth by talking of issues of economic growth and jobs.

Successive opinion polls have forecast that BJP-led NDA would be the prime contender for power. But despite a grim forecast about its prospects, due to a stagnant economy and allegations of corruption during five years of United Progressive Alliance II, the Congress is making a determined bid to get another mandate from people.

The Congress is banking on its welfare initiatives including rights-based legislations to woo the poor and subaltern classes. Its leaders have also asserted that an unprecedented 14 million people have been brought out of poverty in the last 10 years.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the party's campaign, has been targeting BJP and Modi over "divisive politics". Gandhi is slated to address nearly 100 meetings over the next few weeks.

The BJP is riding on the perceived popularity of Modi, who is slated to address around 150 rallies across the country in over a month. Modi has been seeking to tap into the apparent discontent over UPA's performance by promising a brighter future to the people with greater security and enhanced growth.

BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that real issues for the party were development, good governance, employment, and national security.

“We are fighting the election on economic issues. Congress is trying to communalise it,” Naqvi told IANS.

Political analyst Rizwan Qaiser, who teaches at Jamia Millia Islamia University, said that the 2014 Lok Sabha election was “extraordinary” as stakes were very high for the political players.

“Stakes are particularly high for the BJP. The way candidature of Modi is being projected, one person has overshadowed the party, which was did not happen earlier,” Qaiser told IANS.

He said stakes were also high for the Congress as Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the party's campaign, has "not been able to capture imagination of people".

“The regional parties are becoming assertive. I think these parties need to be watched carefully,” he added.

The number of voters has risen since the first election in 1951-52. It was about 173 million in 1951-52 and nearly 814 million in 2014.

A.S. Narang, a professor of political science at the Indira Gandhi National Open University, said the election was getting centred around an individual.

“It happened during Indira Gandhi years and then to some extent when Rajiv Gandhi was in the fray. Now it is being fought (by the BJP) in the name of an individual (Modi)," Narang said.

He said youth participation is expected to be large and they were showing keen interest in election.

Displaced Mizo refugees cast postal ballot in Tripura

A woman from the displaced Bru community casts her vote through postal ballot at a refugee camp in Tripura on Tuesday. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Displaced persons of the Mizoram Reang tribe kicked off the 16th Lok Sabha elections here on Tuesday, exercising their franchise by postal ballot.

Of the 11,243 eligible voters, around 2,500 participated in the first day of the three-day voting exercise set up for the evacuees — thousands had taken shelter in Kanchanpur in North Tripura district, in the wake of the 1997 ethnic violence in Mizoram’s Mamith district — housed in makeshift camps.

“The polling started at 8 a.m. at designated centres of the camps, but picked up in the afternoon. Even after the time limit of 5 p.m. passed, voters were in the queues,” Kanchanpur sub-divisional magistrate Nantu Ranjan Das told The Hindu.

At 5 p.m., he said, 2,269 votes were polled and another 250 “enthusiastic” voters remained in the queues.

Dismissing the Mizoram government’s objections and street protests in the State capital Aizawl, the Election Commission went ahead with the conduct of the postal ballot for the displaced Reangs, who are also known as Bru.

The Mizoram government had wanted around 35,000 refugees to return to the State and vote in its lone Lok Sabha constituency as normal voters. Three candidates are in the fray.

Massive security arrangements were in place in and around the camps.

The Mizoram Displaced People’s Forum — apex body of the refugees — extended support and cooperation for the smooth conduct of the poll, officials said.

6 Northeast Residents Beaten By Mob in Gurgoan

By Sanjay Yadav & Maria Akram

The victims said the mob shouted racial slogans and targeted northeast people in the area after a Manipuri student had an altercation with his landlord. 

NEW DELHI/GURGAON: In another brutal racial attack in the National Capital Region, a mob of 15-20 locals beat up six persons from the northeast with hockey sticks and iron rods in Gurgaon's Sikanderpur village on Saturday night, leading to two of the victims losing their hearing.

The victims said the mob shouted racial slogans and targeted northeast people in the area after a Manipuri student had an altercation with his landlord. Money and mobile phones were also allegedly stolen from the victims in the area known as mini-Munirka as it is popular with northeasterners.

The student, Seigoulal Kipgen, said the violence started after he asked his landlord, who had come to his room, to wait as he was on the phone. "This got him so angry that he started beating me," Kipgen told TOI.

Police said an FIR had been registered at the DLF Phase-I police station but no arrests had been made so far.

Two of the victims have allegedly lost their hearing after being beaten up. One of them, Rinmaso Huishuwo, now uses a hearing aid and is undergoing treatment. His roommate, Prem, told TOI his that Huishuwo was bleeding when he returned and despite taking pain killers, was in severe pain.

Another victim, Bruce K Thangkhal, said he was in his room when he heard two men arguing on the street. He opened his window and saw the landlord and his son abusing a Manipuri student. "Soon they came to my room and starting beating me up. They took away my phone and wallet," he said.

Mereiyer Keishing was driving back to Delhi with his friend when he was stopped and waylaid. "I had gone to meet my friends in Sikanderpur and while returning we saw a northeasterner trying to stop us for help. He was bleeding and within seconds after getting down from the car, some locals with sticks charged at us." Keishing has a few fractured ribs and has bruises on his back and legs.

An FIR has been registered at DLF Phase-I police station and the cops have now deployed security personnel at 'sensitive' points. This isn't the first incident reported from this area. Residents say racial profiling and snide remarks are a part of the life.

Chakshang Siro, general secretary of Tangkhul Naga Students Union, narrated more horrific tales. "There are more than 500 northeasterners living in this area. The locals keep harassing us. Most of us here are professionals. But it is the first time that a mob has attacked us."

Northeasterners say they are now afraid to move out alone. Athot Singhal, a member of the union, said, "Our brothers and sisters are living in rat holes. Finding a house is very difficult and when we manage to do so, safety is a big issue. Which politician can ensure our safety? We are also humans."

The victims claim that an FIR was registered only after several unions from Delhi rushed to the place. When they tried to call the cops around 10.30pm on Saturday, there was no response. "By the time the cops arrived, it was very late," said Keishing.

Police have slapped charges under sections 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 323 (assault) of the IPC and various sections of the SC/ST Act against unknown persons. However, with no arrest till Monday morning, the victims approached Gurgaon Police chief Alok Mittal, asking him to step in.

"The FIR has been lodged and our teams are conducting raids to nab the accused," said assistant commissioner of police Rao Dalbeer Singh.

Times View

Repeated attacks on those from the northeast are clearly adding to their sense of insecurity in the national capital region.

The government cannot sit back and watch this happen or even treat it as isolated incidents.

The pattern must be recognized and dealt with. Unless such cases are dealt with firmly and exemplary punishment is meted out to those indulging in such violence and ethnic profiling, others with a similar mindset will get emboldened.

It is the duty of the state to send out a clear message - anybody who tries to intimidate residents of any part of India, irrespective of where they are from, will face the wrath of thelaw.