First Khasi And Mishmi Books For Children

By Kanika Sharma

Make most of two unique re-tellings of folktales from the North-East — the first children’s books in the languages of Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya

Chennai-based children’s publishing house Tulika Books has introduced two picture books on International Literacy Day (September 8) — Race of the Rivers and Hambreelmai’s Loom. Khasi writer Esther Syiem has retold the folktale of Ka lew and Ka Ngot, two friends who love to play on the hilltops of Meghalaya. Syiem, an English literature lecturer and author is known for her study of folk literature.

Hambreelmai’s Loom, retold by Mamang Dai, pictures by Kalyani Ganpathy, Tulika Books, Rs 150. Available at leading bookstores. 

Hambreelmai’s Loom, on the other hand, has been narrated by Mamang Dai echoing the beautiful sounds of the Mishmi language from Arunachal Pradesh. The story’s protagonist is Hambreelmai who is the first weaver taught by the goddess Matai. Mamang Dai is a Padma Shri poet and novelist, who is currently a part of the Arunachal Pradesh Service Commission.


Race of the Rivers, retold by Esther Syiem, pictures by Benedict Hynniewta, Tulika Books, Rs 150. Available at leading bookstores. 

Both books have been meticulously illustrated by Benedict Hynniewta (for Race of the Rivers) and Kalyani Ganapathy (for Hambreelmai’s Loom).

As is Tulika Books’ norm, the two picture books have been published in nine languages. However, given the special status of these two books, they are also being published in their local languages making them the first Khasi book for children and first Mishmi book ever. Explore the incredulity of the North-East exposing your child to enigmatic tales for life by grabbing these books now.

Chinese Woman Publishes First-Ever Travelogue On India

Chinese travel writer Hong Mei at the India-Pakistan border at Wagah with her American husband Tom Carter.

The author Hong Mei called it a transformative journey about India's rich and diverse culture

A brush with Bollwood stars, encounters with Maoists besides exposure to election campaigning enlivens the narrative of a rare backpack Chinese woman's transformative journey to the nooks and corners of India. Hong Mei, 34, who travelled India for several months in 2009 along with her American husband, Tom Carter released her travelogue book in Chinese language titled "The further I walk, the closer I get to me", stated to be the first such account by a contemporary Chinese about India.

In many ways it is a transformative journey about India's rich and diverse culture, she told PTI

During the visit, she participated in festivals and events like Kumbh Mela, Pushkar Camel Fair, Holi besides the general elections campaigning in 2009.

Pushed by Tom, who had done a pictorial book along with her on all the 33 provinces of China highlighting its diversity, Hong had relatively comfortable travel in India as she was mostly mistaken as someone from India's North-East provinces or from Japan.

Travelling with a budget of about USD 20 a day, the twohad a good exposure to Indian way of life in the North, South and Western regions.

Tom was chosen as 10th batsman in a cricket match scene in the Bollywood movie Dil Bole Hadippa.

While in Mumbai, Hong had an insightful exposure to 2009 elections as the candidates canvassed in a festive spirit.

For someone hailing from country with a One-Party-rule (Communist Party), it was a spectacle of political harmony.

Both had an enduring experience feeling the heat travelling in areas where Maoists are active in Orissa.

Significantly Hongs accounts of elections as well as her Maoist encounters were edited out of book as authorities in China were cagey about such narratives influencing the Chinese.

Hong Mei poses with a tribal child in Odisha.

The two had close calls travelling to India’s border areas with Pakistan in the Kutch region of Gujarat as well as the Wagah border point on the Indian side of Punjab.

Her best moments in India were taking part in the cultural festivals like Holi and the worst part was she missed her regular intake of food due to excess exposure to vegetarian food in India while Tom fell sick grappling with poor immune system.

Hong said her ground breaking backpacking journey to India illustrates a growing trend among new Chinese middle classes to quit their jobs to hit the roads abroad.

Indian travels in a way impacted her as she says the religious fervour in India had left a mark of influence as she turned spiritual.

She is also thinks that despite trying conditions, Indians appeared happier compared to their Chinese counterparts despite their material success.

Manipuri Woman Stabbed in Dwarka By A Driver; Accused Held

 New Delhi, Sep 10 : A Manipuri woman paid the price for being upright and exposing wrong deeds of an employee of her company. The man was sacked and he decided to take revenge.

 

Since he was aware of her residence, he stabbed her in the market. A 31-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a Manipuri woman Monday evening near her house in Dwarka Sector 22 in southwest Delhi.

 

The accused identified as Rohit Francis had attacked the girl with an associate.

He was a driver in the construction company in Gurgaon where the victim Silvia Vaiphei (30) used to work.

"Vaiphei worked in the accounts department of the company and she had caught Francis submitting false bills to the office. On her complaint, he was sacked. The man held a grudge against her for this and attacked her last night to take revenge," said a police official.

Francis knew her residence as he had dropped her there several times. Vaiphei had also quit the job sometime later.

Vaiphei, who lives with her sister and brother-in-law in Dwarka Sector 22, had gone to the market around 6 pm when the two men stabbed her and fled the spot.

Francis has been booked for attempt to murder and efforts are on to nab his associate, police said.

India Set to Import 100,000 Tonnes of Rice From Burma

Burma will supply 100,000 tonnes of rice to India, to meet the need for the commodity in the states of Mizoram and Manipur (PHOTO:wikicommons).

By BINNY MARY PAUL

India, the largest rice exporter in the world, is set to import around 100,000 tonnes of rice from Burma, which was once the largest exporter of the commodity.

The move is a result of logistical bottlenecks that will hinder the transportation of rice to the northeastern states of India. The rice import is a preventive measure to avoid a supply crisis in the states of Manipur and Mizoram, where a railway construction project is underway.

In the absence of feasible transport routes to connect Mizoram and Manipur with the rest of India during this phase, the Food Corporation of India will import rice from Burma, which is well connected by road to these northeastern Indian states, according to a report in the Indian daily, The Economic Times.

Though what seems like a temporary arrangement, the move seems to further calibrate India’s “Look East” policy, in which bilateral relations with Burma have always been prioritized to combat Chinese monopoly in the region.

All efforts to increase India’s bilateral trade with Burma are viewed as an essential and natural strategy to increase Indian influence within a country that it shares much with, including a colonial history and a 1,009-mile border.

The decision to import rice from Burma, even despite surplus production at home, fosters a mutually inclusive economic understanding between the two countries, which are both competitors in South Asia for rice export.

The rice import also provides an opportunity for India to explore and identify the potential capacity of the northeastern states, volatile with secessionist and insurgent groups, but also shares an extensively vast percentage of its borderlines with regional neighbours. According to a report published by Gateway House, an Indian think tank, the exchange of commodities between India and Burma via its northeastern terrain will aid India in tapping into the hitherto neglected role that northeast can play in further strengthening the trade possibilities between the two countries.

At present, it is unclear whether the trade route will be via the Chittagong port or via land routes, although The Economic Times suggests the latter. Interestingly if the trade is to be via road, it will be carried out across the commonly disputed borderlines of Burma and India. The landscape of northeast India, which merges relatively seamlessly into Burmese territory, has been a belt of narcotic activity and arms trading, and is also infested with insurgent rebel groups on either side of the border.
Former Indian military commander, Rahul Bhonsle, who spearheads Security-Risks.com/South Asia, explained to DVB about the need to buckle up security at either ends of the trade routes. “In the case of the land route being used, adequate checks [must be implemented] to ensure that the [rice] transportation is not used by the criminal and militant nexus operating across the borders to their advantage,” said Bhonsle.

The increasing importance of transport routes via India and Burma as a priority was emphasised at the fifth annual Indo-US strategic dialogue. The strategic importance of building transport trade routes via Burma serves a twofold purpose for India: increasing trade connectivity; and serving as a strategic entry portal into Southeast Asia.

For Burma, the export deal with India comes at a time when the rice industry faces stiff competition from its neighbours; the Myanmar Rice Federation demanded tangible rice policies earlier this year to match the level of surplus production of other rice-exporting countries.

The latest five-year national export strategy, unveiled by the Burmese government on 5 September, has accredited rice exports to be of “highest importance” in 2014-15, reported Oryza, a leading rice industry publication..

“The [Burmese] government is planning to explore newer markets for its rice exports,” it said, part of a strategy to revive Burma’s once famed rice export legacy.

With this deal underway, India will be importing rice after almost three decades.

Passport Seva Kendras For All Northeast Indian States

Agartala, Sep 10 : To overcome the growing backlog of passport- seekers, all the North-Eastern Indian states will get their own Passport Seva Kendras by Mar 31, a top Indian minister has said.

All the state appreciated the move which will help in further improving the relation between the people of this part of India with its neighouring like Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand.

"Before the next financial year, that is March 31, we will open Passport Seva Kendras in all the North-East states," announced Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a press conference in Indian capital.

At present there is only one regional passport office at Guwahati of Assam in the region that caters to the 96 districts of six North-Eastern, while Tripura comes under the Kolkata office.

Earlier, there was provision of a special permit which later took the shape of India-Bangladesh Passport issued by the political department of Tripura.

This was for people who were keen to travel to only Bangladesh for family or business reasons but not to elsewhere in the world.

However, recently due to security related issues, this system has been stopped leading to a major problem in getting passport for those who often goes to Bangladesh for various reasons.

Swaraj also announced that the Centre has agreed to double the production of number of passport booklets published per year keeping in mind the recent demand of passports.

"Around ten million booklets used to produced annually, which led to a great shortage of passports. When I was made the External Affairs Minister, I found that the shortage of passport booklets to be more than six lakhs. Thus now, we have decided that the number of booklets produced shall be increased to two crores annually," she said.

The India External Affairs Minister further said that there was a plan to start passport camps, where the people would be able to get their passports made.

"We want to start passport camps, where people can come and get their passports made for those who find it difficult to travel to Passport Seva Kendras. We want to open a passport camp in every district in the country," she said.

As of December 31, 2013, the number of valid passport s in the country was 5,19, 29,132.

Ukhrul Ambush: Commando Killed

By Khelen Thokchom
Imphal, Sept. 9: The Manipur government’s move to offer an olive branch to sponsors of the indefinite bandh in Naga-inhabited areas by withdrawing additional security forces from Ukhrul town took a hit this morning when suspected NSCN (Isak-Muivah) militants sprung twin ambushes in Ukhrul district, leaving one police commando dead and two injured.

The deceased was identified as Haoreiyo. He succumbed to his injuries on the way to Imphal while the other two personnel, Khumukcham Amuthoi, 33, and Naminthang Namsong, 27, were admitted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences here. Amuthoi’s condition is said to be serious. All the three are constables.

The security personnel were returning from Ukhrul town, 65km northeast of Imphal, following orders issued last evening by the state government on the suggestion of Union home minister Rajnath Singh to create a conducive situation that could lead to lifting of the six-day-old bandh called by the United Naga Council (UNC).

Though no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, police suspect the hand of the NSCN (I-M) because the sites of the ambushes are stronghold of the group, which is in ceasefire and talks with the government. The truce is not applicable to Manipur, but both the central and state forces avoid action against the outfit in view of the ongoing peace talks between the group and Centre.

Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and deputy chief minister Gaikhangam, who is also the home minister, briefed governor V.K. Duggal on the law and order situation in the wake of today’s ambush. Before meeting the governor, Gaikhangam reviewed the situation in Ukhrul with Congress legislators elected from the district.

Police said militants, lying in wait on hilltops ambushed the two convoys almost simultaneously at 9.30am at Mahadeva, 20km from Imphal, and Hundung, 40km from Imhal, on the Imphal-Ukhrul road. The first convoy to come under attack at Mahadeva was a team of police commandos sent from Imphal to Ukhrul as road-opening patrol for the convoy returning from Ukhrul. The commandos returned fire and the exchange lasted for about 10 minutes.

As the exchange of fire was on, another group of militants sprung an ambush on a combined team of police commandos and India Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel returning from Ukhrul at Hundung, about 20km east of Mahadeva. Haoreiyo was injured in the second ambush.

The combined team of commandos and IRB numbering about 500 was being led by deputy inspector-general (Range-1) Bilchandra Sharma and was on its way to Imphal.

These forces had been deployed after the killing of Ukhrul Autonomous District Council member Ngalangzar Malue, 65, by suspected NSCN (I-M) cadres in Ukhrul on July 12. The UNC, apex body of the Nagas, called an indefinite bandh in the Naga areas from Thursday demanding withdrawal of the state forces and prohibitory orders.

The bandh has affected supplies of essential commodities to Manipur as the two key highways connecting the state to the outside world pass through the Naga-inhabited areas.

Though both security forces and the prohibitory orders were withdrawn, the UNC was yet to take a decision on calling off its bandh.

The government has not decided whether to do a rethink on the pullout after today’s twin ambushes. The chief minister is expected to review the situation with security agencies before taking any decision.

Official sources said the government was prepared to take up the issue of NSCN (I-M)’s activities in Manipur with the Centre for possible flush-out operations.

Intelligence sources said cadres of the outfit were operating in the district in the absence of any ceasefire.

Sources said though the army, Assam Rifles and state forces carried out operations from time to time against other militant groups numbering more than 30, they were avoiding action against the NSCN (I-M) lest the talks are jeopardised.

Manipur govt had pulled out forces after centre’s nudge

April 9, 2014: Suspected NSCN-IM cadres ambush Deputy Speaker M.K. Presho Shimray in Ukhrul on voting day for Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency. Shimray escapes unhurt

July 12, 2014: Suspected NSCN-IM militants ambush Ukhrul Autonomous District Council member Ngalangzar Malue, killing him on the spot

Nov. 13, 2011: Suspected NSCN-IM cadres ambush education minister D.D. Thaisii in Senapati district. He escapes unhurt

April. 15, 2011: Suspected NSCN-IM rebels ambush Independent MLA Wungnaoshang Keishing in Ukhrul. Six Manipur Rifles personnel escorting the MLA and a driver killed on
the spot

What Prohibition Meant in My Home State Mizoram

How do you feel about prohibition? Would you rather risk dodging vigilantes and drinking spurious alcohol in a dry state or dealing with sometimes-violent addicts in a wet one? As Mizoram prepares to lift prohibition with the passing of a new law in July, our writer takes us through the 17 years of prohibition and what they meant for him.

By Vanlalruatkima

Bottles at a Bar_. Photo by Edwin Land via CC BY 2.0

Everybody knows that Gujarat is a dry state. But few are aware that other states in India are as well – full or partial prohibition exists in Nagaland, Manipur and Lakshadweep. For 17 years, Mizoram has been under prohibition, but in July this year, the Assembly scrapped the MLTP Act and passed the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition and Control) Bill 2014, or the MLPC Bill. Under the new rules, sale of alcohol will still be restricted to a degree, but wine shops can open under strict regulations, and people over 21 will be allowed to drink. The MLPC Rules 2014 will soon be sent to the Law Department for final approval. In layman’s terms, here’s what it will mean: bye-bye prohibition, hello inebriation, no more adulteration.
Ironically, that’s exactly what the MLTP Act managed to cause – it increased the amount of adulterated liquor in the black market.

In Gujarat, there are Special Economic Zones (SEZs) where you can purchase and drink liquor. Apart from that, permits are given to foreigners, NRIs and “patients”, and I’m sure many of us have our fair share of Gujarati friends who often boast about knowing where they can easily get alcohol in Gujarat.

In Aizawl (the capital district and the most populous one, constituting around 37 percent of the population of Mizoram, going by Census 2011 data) the only places where you can illegally purchase authentic liquor, usually under the cover of darkness, are from the Army and paramilitary camps (the Assam Rifles, the Border Roads Organization and the Army Medical Corps) as they do not come under state law. Only people with good “contacts” can get them on days it is available; for those less fortunate, practically every bootlegger in Mizoram either sells home-made hooch or adulterated alcohol smuggled from across its borders, whether the domestic borders with Tripura, Assam and Manipur, or its international borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar. The three autonomous districts of Southern Mizoram – Chakma, Lai and Mara area are not affected by the MLTP Act. In towns and villages along the porous “international” border of Myanmar, imported alcohol as well as Myanmar brands can easily be obtained.

But smuggling alcohol into the state isn’t an easy affair, and that’s why such a large percentage of liquor in Mizoram is adulterated. It is difficult to transport alcohol via road from Assam, because the staff at the Vairengte check post are extremely vigilant, and they will look through all your baggage and search your vehicle thoroughly (unless you happen to know the right people in the right places, pointing to the alarming factor prevalent in any place where prohibition exists – the nexus between bootleggers and police, and the differential treatment of the “haves” and “have-nots”).

Even after Vairengte check-gate, there is the Kolasib check-gate, aka "Inchhirna kawn". The literal translation of this nickname is "place where everybody regrets!" You either managed to smuggle alcohol past Vairengte check-gate and got caught at Kolasib check-gate. Or you didn't smuggle in any alcohol for fear of being caught but weren't checked at Kolasib check-gate because nobody was on duty there. Either way, plenty of regret.

Air travel is a different story. In India, we’re allowed to carry up to 5liters of alcohol in our check-in luggage on domestic flights, and no airport authority will stop you from carrying alcohol just because your destination is a dry state – that is the responsibility of your destination’s law enforcement agency, not theirs. And yes, those arriving at Lengpui Airport in Mizoram are usually not checked upon arrival. But then again, 5 liters is not a large quantity, especially when all your friends, relatives and the Facebook friends you don’t even know exist suddenly ask you to bring a bottle home for them the moment they know you’re flying home, so happiness doesn’t last very long during vacations. I once had all five bottles of mine confiscated by the airport authority in Kolkata because in order to lighten my luggage, I had transferred the alcohol from their original heavy glass bottles to plastic ones. I learned the hard way that even though we’re allowed to carry up to five bottles of alcohol, we aren’t allowed to tamper with the seal of the bottles! I’ve never been that grumpy during a flight in my entire life.

Since alcohol in Mizoram is in such short supply, profits on smuggled alcohol can easily be maximized by adding ethyl alcohol or other dangerous additives to increase the quantity of liquor available. And that poses a serious threat to health: earlier this year, The Telegraph reported that according to records with Mizoram’s Excise and Narcotics Department, illicit liquor was responsible for 90 deaths in the past 17 years.

Spurious alcohol can mean either locally brewed alcohol, or smuggled Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) that has been adulterated beyond recognition. To give you a taste of what it’s like to consume adulterated alcohol, here’s my personal experience. I live in Mumbai, and I’m a loyal fan of Old Monk rum. During one of my vacations back home, I was invited to a dinner party, to which one of my friends brought a bottle of Old Monk (a plastic one) bought from a bootlegger. The moment I drank it, I choked and nearly vomited. The taste of chemicals in it was overwhelming, and I could feel my stomach constricting immediately. Sadly, none of my friends seemed affected because they were accustomed to the taste of that stuff.

Historically, alcohol (different varieties of rice beer) has been very much a part of our Mizo culture. Back during the days when we were warring tribes fighting amongst ourselves under different clans, when we were Animists long before the missionaries came, we drank at every village festival, danced around the bonfire under the crystal blue moonlight, drunk and carefree with no regard for the future or the number of Facebook friends we had.

There were different types of alcohol for every occasion. Some types of alcohol like zupui were served only on special public occasions such as weddings, a successful hunt, or a successful raid on another village. Others like zufang were consumed at home (even the kids got to drink it!) and served to visiting guests. And there were special zufang served to important guests such as the chieftain of the village or a pasaltha (a warrior who had proven his courage during a hunt or raid). Other types like rakzu (also called tinzuin some regions) were consumed for leisure within the village.

All that changed when the Welsh missionaries arrived in Mizoram in 1894 during British colonization. Along with Christianity, they gave us a script, taught us how to read and write, educated us and abolished some social evils such as the practice of slavery, animal sacrifice, raiding villages and the tradition of proving one’s bravery by beheading somebody from a rival clan in order to become a pasaltha. It is thanks to their relentless effort that even though we had a late start on the literacy scene, Mizoram is now one of the most literate statesin India, second only to Kerala.

But the missionaries also made us do away with other practices, such as our consumption of alcohol (terming it a sin) and the way we would sing in unison with drums (which was, ironically introduced into our Church rituals years later). Christianity remains a major legacy of the British in Mizoram to this day. When India got Independence, Mizoram was known as the Lushai Hills District. It became a Union Territory in 1972 and finally India’s 23rd state in 1987. Census data indicates that in 2001, around close to 90 percent of the population of Mizoram was Christian. Presbyterian and Baptist are the two largest denominations in the state. Consumption of alcohol continues to be considered a grave sin.

Church pressure on the government to enforce prohibition has been tremendous: it was church influence that resulted in the Congress government passing the MLTP Bill. While all church denominations in Mizoram are for prohibition, the Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod, which has the largest following, has been the most vocal about it. They have held mass prayers, protested on streets in large numbers, and put up posters all over the city opposed to the lifting of prohibition.“Total prohibition has been beneficial in ridding Mizo society of various social evils. […] We are against any change in the 1995 Act as it would make people more prone to alcoholism. The state is already plagued by widespread drug abuse,” Robert Halliday of the Synod told Tehelka.

The same Congress government, back in power since 2008 and voted in for a second consecutive term in December 2013 in a landslide win, introduced what a newspaper called “a bold move that defied influential churches” when it passed the new liquor law this July. Ironically, Mizoram’s Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, who is now serving his fifth term as CM and has been elected to the state Assembly nine times since 1978, was in June 2014 caught on camera allegedly drinking beer with his wife. No action was taken against him, but he did earn himself the nickname ‘Alco-Hawla’.

According to the state’s Minister for Excise and Narcotics R Lalzirliana, the primary reason behind the decision to lift prohibition was to stop the harm done by spurious liquor.

The former Mizoram Governor Vakkom Purushothaman once described Mizoram as “the wettest dry state”. In January 2011, a special study group formed with the help of Mizoram University’s Department of Psychology studied the problem of prohibition and alcohol abuse, and a year later submitted a report recommending changes to the MLTP Act. A growing sentiment among the Mizos is that the restrictions on alcohol has led to an increase in drug abuse among the youth. And then there was the worrying rise of vigilantism from groups like the dreaded Supply Reduction Service (SRS), which was finally disbanded in 2008 due to public pressure. The SRS were infamous for violating human rights, beating up and on occasion, causing the deaths of alleged drug peddlers and bootleggers. The SRS was a purely voluntary association like its parent body, the Young Mizo Association (YMA), and was created as a special unit to combat bootleggers and drug peddlers. The YMA organizes community initiatives such as functions, funerals, helping the needy or relief efforts for natural disasters. While the YMA isn’t sponsored by the state, nearly all Mizos are part of it, including our politicians and police force. So, for that matter, am I.

It feels good to know that amending the MLTP Act may prevent the consumption of spurious alcohol. But at the same time, many are skeptical about how this will affect our society. The Church and its loyal devotees are afraid this will lead to a rise in immorality and decline in spirituality, and even from a non-Christian-doctrine perspective, people are worried about the deterioration of law and order. To an extent, it is reassuring to know that under the new law, those creating a nuisance after drinking will be punished severely and could be imprisoned for up to two years. Drunken driving could invite the same punishment.

Growing up, my home in Mizoram was right opposite what used to be one of the most popular taverns in Aizawl before the prohibition days began in 1997. Before the Congress government at the time brought in the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition (MLTP) Act in 1995, which was enforced fully only two years later, drunk men would knock on our door every day, asking us for money because they had run out of cash. Some of them would demand that we pay for their drinks. There were drunk men fighting outside our house almost every night, making it unsafe for me and my three older sisters to venture out after dark, and there would occasionally be one or two people passed out inside our gate in the morning. Even when we complained to the police, all they did was post a few cops around our house for a few days; things would be peaceful for a bit before it would all start once again. Sometimes it was even the cops themselves who asked us for a little “show” – a Mizo way of asking another person to treat them to a drink.

Those incidents traumatized me as a child. But when prohibition came, all of that changed for us: the next 17 years brought us peace and quiet. So even though I drink, I support the Church’s stand and remain a skeptic about this new change. Is our law enforcement really capable of maintaining law and order once this act comes into place? Only time will tell.

One of the reasons cited for lifting prohibition (although the Congress government is keen to emphasize that it is not the most important reason, an allegation made by churches) is the potential for revenue alcohol has in terms of sales tax. One of the key examples that anti-prohibition lobbyists cite is Kerala, which has the highest per capita alcohol consumption in India. Kerala brought in over Rs 8,000 crore in the last fiscal year from liquor sales alone; this was probably what hammered in the last nail on the MLTP Act coffin. And in an ironic twist of fate, just as Mizoram is freeing itself from prohibition, Kerala is now slowly heading towards it.

Vanlalruatkima (better known as Kima in the real world and ‘Mizohican’ in the online world) is an avid blogger from Mizoram, who has been blogging about the North East for nearly a decade. He is currently located in Mumbai and heads his own mobile games development company.

Mizoram Cops Seek Sanction To Question Army Men

By Adam Halliday

Aizawl, Sep 4 : Ajit Rai on August 18 died of gunshot wounds at the paramilitary camp in Mimbung in Mizoram.

Mizoram Police have asked for sanction to question all men stationed in the 39th Assam Rifles camp at Mimbung in connection with the suspected murder of a rifleman Ajit Rai there last month.

Senior police officials said about 30 men are posted there, and questioning would enable them to establish the sequence of events leading to the death.

An officer with the 39th Assam Rifles, however, said, “The investigation is over from our side. The police themselves and the postmortem report are saying that it is a suicide.”

Rai on August 18 died of gunshot wounds at the paramilitary camp in Mimbung, located in Mizoram’s eastern Champhai district. His elder brother Atul has alleged Ajit was killed by his seniors.