Mizoram Vineyards To Manucature Wine

Two months after end of prohibition, Mizoram town’s vineyards enter industry-made liquor map

Radiant Manufacturers CEO Bheeshma Chand said the grape juice concentrate will be used to make red sparkling wine.

By Adam Halliday

Aizawl, May 15 : Just two months since the lifting of prohibition in Mizoram, an eastern town has entered the industry-produced liquor map by supplying 16,000 liters of grape juice concentrate as an initial consignment that will be used to make a well-known regional wine brand of the North-East.

The consignment, produced by the Champhai Grape Grower’s Society and loaded into two trucks, was flagged off by Mizoram’s Horticulture Minister P C Lalthanliana from Champhai town on Thursday.

The grape juice concentrate is headed towards the Guwahati distillery of Radiant Manufacturers, which has for close to a decade been making and selling the Vihno Porto port wine brand through the North-East region and Bhutan.

The company entered into an agreement with the CGGS, which is made up of 279 families that own vineyards, back in January.

According to the agreement, the society will supply 3.6 lakh liters to the alcohol manufacturer per year.

Radiant Manufacturers CEO Bheeshma Chand, 29, said the grape juice concentrate will be used to make red sparkling wine and, in the future, perhaps brandy.

Chand said his company has been using grape juice concentrate sourced from Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka for their wine brand, but said the quality of grapes grown in Mizoram is of a better quality. The proximity between his facilities and the raw material (road travel by truck between Champhai and Guwahati is roughly three days).

Champhai and the nearby village of Hnahlan, about 54 kms away, host the first and only vineyards in the whole of India’s North-East region.

Both places set up wineries in the late-2000s and have been manufacturing two brands of port-wine under the brand names Zawlaidi and Zowine, which were and continue to be sold locally. They were for more than half a decade the only legal drinks available in Mizoram because of prohibition.

But CGGS assistant-secretary C Zohmingliana admitted that with the lifting of prohibition in July last year and the formal opening of outlets this March, the brands have suffered a hit since perceived better IMFL brands from elsewhere began entering the state legally.

He pegs the reduction in demand for their wine brands since then as more than half of what it used to be before.

Curfew Imposed in Imphal, 8 Members of Banned Outfit Held

The two masons died when they were taken "into custody" by the underground group during interrogation by the cadre members.

Children play near a vehicle torched in Imphal, Thursday.

By Esha Roy

Imphal, May 15 : Eight cadre members of the Kuki Revolutionary Front (KRF), a banned underground group in Manipur and a Suspension of Operation signatory with the Indian government, were picked up on Wednesday by a joint team of the Imphal West and Imphal East police commandos for the murder of two masons after a search operation was conducted in Thingsat village and its surrounding areas.

The two masons died when they were taken “into custody” by the underground group during interrogation by the cadre members. A furious mob turned violent on Thursday in light of these deaths in Patsoi village, where both the victims hailed from. They allegedly attempted burning a Church last night and today beat a Kuki driver to death. The violence has taken a communal turn as the masons belong to the majority Meitei community and there have been sporadic attacks on Kuki tribals travelling in the area. The Manipur police has imposed a curfew in the areas and has stopped movement on the Imphal-Jiribam highway where the village is located.

The two victims, both 20-years-old – Moirangthem Dayananda and Maibam Premananda – were working in Needy Home Academy, a residential school located at Maipou Khullen village. They, alongwith a 12-year-old Class 6 student Konthoujam Bishal, were picked up by the KRF cadre members who suspected them of being informants to another Meitei underground group. They went missing Sunday morning. On Tuesday, May 12, Bishal was handed over to his family by the KRF who also informed them that Dayananda and Premananda had “died during interrogation”. Bishal is presently being treated at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences.

The police have since recovered Abung and Premanandas bodies. Furious Patosi villagers have been blocking the national highway with human chains and tree branches and boulders and burning tyres at various points on the national highway. Police teams have been deployed along the highway to control the situation. They have imposed a curfew in the area and the Joint Action Committee formed by the family members of the deceased and villagers have called a 24-hour general strike from midnight tonight till midnight tomorrow.

The villagers have tried to burn a Church at Patsoi village last night. Five passenger vehicles were halted today and the passengers were made to disembark. The passengers, all belonging to the Kuki tribe, were beaten up – some severely. The five vehicles were then set on fire by the irate mob. A Shaktiman driver, another Kuki tribe members, was also beaten up by the mob. He succumbed to his injuries as he was being rushed to the hospital by the police. Sources said that there have been sporadic attacks on anyone being identified as belonging to the Kuki tribe.

The JAC has demanded an explanation from the KRF as to why these boys had been killed. They have also demanded that the government take action against the group and provide “befitting punishment’’ to the arrested cadre members. They have contended that such incidents do take place every once in a while but the government has not only failed to take action in the past but proper investigations are also not conducted into such incidents.

Tremendous Potentiality Among Youth of North East: Sonowal

Kohima, May 15 : Union minister of state (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports, Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said there is tremendous potentiality among the youth of the northeastern region in every field, but due to lack of skill development, the potentialities are not shining.

"The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has therefore taken up Skill Development Scheme throughout the country and appealed to the people of the northeast region to take advantage of the scheme to develop their skills in every field," Sonowal said, addressing the 26th General Conference of the Naga Students' Federation (NSF) at Khonoma village, 24km in Western Angami Region of the state capital here.

The Minister recalled sporting icons from the northeast, including Olympian footballer Dr T Ao and Olympian archer Chekrovolu Swuro of Nagaland, among others.

He informed that he has already instructed the office of the Sports Authority of India to take up Skill Development Scheme in the region for the sportsmen to improve their ability and talents.

He further assured all possible help for the construction of multi-disciplinary sports project at Dimapur.

Sonowal also recalled the history of Khonoma, which was the first village of Nagaland to fight and resist the British.

Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang, in his address, maintained that without solution to the Naga political issue, there will be no development in the state.

He said the state has potential in many areas but investors are not willing to come amid so many insurgent and other extortionist groups.

Zeliang said that the people of Nagaland also cannot bear the burden of so many insurgent groups and appealed all to come forward to join hands with the state government to press the Centre to resolve the Naga political problem.

Once that is done, it will open developmental activities for all and investors will also come without fear, he said.

Zeliang appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for various schemes for the needy sections of the society and the Skill Development Scheme, which stresses the need for creating a large pool of skilled work force that would turn the country into a "Skilled India" and would help in realising his slogan "Make in India".

He also challenged the younger generation to become skilled work force so as to do away with outsiders coming into the state and doing the skilled works.

Aizawl Bomb Blast Accused Acquitted

By Adam Halliday

H D Lalhmangaiha and Lalringthanga were arrested in the first week of August 2014 for their roles in setting off five blasts in various parts of Aizawl that caused damages worth several lakhs but which led to no human casualties.

Aizawl, May 13 : As the Mizoram Police continues to slap up to a dozen additional charges against three arrested HPCD militants — including it’s “Army Chief” Lalropuia Famhoite and “Finance Secretary” Norbar Sanate — it has emerged that two men who admitted to planting and exploding at least five bombs that rocked state capital Aizawl on the militant group’s behest last year have been acquitted on a technicality and the state government has not yet appealed against their acquittal.

H D Lalhmangaiha and Lalringthanga were arrested in the first week of August 2014 for their roles in setting off five blasts in various parts of Aizawl that caused damages worth several lakhs but which led to no human casualties. Their arrests prompted Home Minister R Lalzirliana to announce the police action at a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence on a Sunday afternoon.

The duo were, however, acquitted by an Additional District and Sessions Court Judge on March 24 because the prosecution did not include the District Magistrate's prosecution sanction along with the charge-sheet, which is required for two of the charges they faced; section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act (causing explosion endangering life or property) and IPC 120 B (criminal conspiracy).

District Magistrate Dr Franklin Laltinkhuma meanwhile said he never rejects requests for a sanction to prosecute and he had granted one in this particular case as well, while Public Prosecutor R C Thanga said he has prepared and submitted a note to the state’s IGP and the Aizawl SP furnishing the grounds for an appeal against the acquittals in the High Court, citing two Supreme Court rulings that say prosecution sanctions can be filed later.

He said the state government has not yet filed an appeal, however.

Lalringthanga, who designed and planted the bombs, had told a court soon after his arrest that he acted on behalf of the HPCD, and that he procured 80 sticks of gelatin to engineer the bomb blasts — one exploded near the state Assembly building, another outside Parliamentary Secretary for Home Lt.Col (retd) ZS Zuala and two others near Sinlung Hills Development Council chairman Hmingchungnunga’s residence. A fifth exploded in Aizawl’s main market area late in the night.

This is not the first time HPCD cadres or those alleged to be working for the group have been let off or given bail on technicalities; the group’s top leadership including “chairman” Zosangbera, “army chief” Lalropuia, “deputy army chief” Lalbiaknunga and “finance secretary” Norbar Sanate have at various times in the past been allowed bail on different grounds, chief of which has been the police not wielding CrPC section 41A, which requires that a police officer serve a notice of arrest to the accused.

Interestingly, the HPCD’s top leadership were by and large represented by lawyer J Lalremruata Hmar, who heads the legal cell of the main opposition Mizo National Front, a party that has taken aim at the Congress government for allegedly having links with the Lalhmingthanga faction of the HPCD, a rival of the the HPCD faction led by Zosangbera and Lalropuia.

Mizoram Gets Its Seventh Governor Within a Year

By Alok Pandey

Patna:  Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma has been transferred and appointed the Governor of Mizoram. He will be serving till his term ends in 2018. He is the seventh Governor the state saw in a year.

The frequent changes in Mizoram governorship began in July 2014, when V Purushothaman resigned after being transferred to neighbouring Nagaland, saying he was not consulted.

The next in office was Kamla Beniwal, who was earlier the Governor of Gujarat. Her tenure was marked by several clashes with Narendra Modi, who had been the Chief Minister of the state.

With just four months left in her term, the government transferred 87-year-old Ms Beniwal from Gujarat to Mizoram.

But days after she took charge in August 2014, Ms Beniwal was sacked on the allegations of gross impropriety, including misuse of state machinery.

Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan was appointed in her place, but he resigned, refusing take up the assignment.

Over the next few months, former bureaucrat V K Duggal and former Delhi Police Commissioner KK Paul held additional charge of Mizoram.

In December 2014, Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi was transferred to Mizoram, but in March 2015, he too, was sacked. Mr Qureshi has dragged the NDA government to court over the issue.

Till now, West Bengal Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi was holding the additional charge of Mizoram.

During a visit a few days ago by BJP president Amit Shah to state capital Aizawl, many had greeted him with posters and banners saying the constant juggling of Governors in the state was not good in a democratic system of governance.

Behind Mizoram’s Recent Drug Busts, A Remarkable Community Effort

The Young Mizo Association has a member in virtually every Mizo home, and combines aggressive social activism with counselling for addicts.

At their small office in Aizawl, YMA volunteers speak to an addict, asking him to come for counselling, and to try and wean himself off heroin. (Source: IE photo by Adam Halliday)

Aizawl, May 12 :  Mizoram’s largest voluntary organisation, Young Mizo Association, has re-activated an anti-narcotics team after nearly a year and a half. In the first three weeks, 36 volunteers of the SRS or Supply Reduction Service have combed much of the state capital and its outlying areas, confiscating heroin estimated to be able to give a high to 1.5 lakh users.

The SRS has caught roughly 400 g of heroin, 500 g of marijuana, and 19 strips of the pharmaceutical preparation alprozelum, the most widely-abused drugs across the state. Their achievement measures up well against the combined successes of various official law enforcement agencies in the first three months of the year: 1,050-odd g heroin, 33 kg marijuana, 221 strips of alprozelum.

In the same 3-week period, the SRS also rounded up 221 addicts, peddlers and sex workers linked to the drug trade, and committed more than 200 individuals to counselling to wean them off the habit with the informed consent of families and relatives.

The YMA is a remarkable organisation, with members in virtually every household. Established eight decades ago to replace the Zawlbuk or traditional tribal bachelors’ barracks, it has remained an integral part of society, a voluntary force that is activated both in times of crisis — disasters, mishaps, deaths — and at happy times such as tribal festivals.

The group has always been opposed to intoxicants — but it set up formal anti-narcotics units for the first time only in 2005, and has since complemented the work of official law enforcement agencies.
The official death toll from drug abuse in Mizoram stands at over 1,300 since 1984. The number of addicts today is estimated at 25,000-30,000. That’s a big number for a state with a population of just over a million.

YMA-backed teams such as SRS, Demad Reduction Service and Central Anti-Drugs Squad have sometimes attracted controversy over violent incidents — yet, their voluntary anti-narcotics movement has caught the attention and appreciation of various entities including the union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which in 2013 bestowed upon it the first national award for helping prevent alcoholism and substance abuse.

However, with a change in the YMA’s top leadership in the last months of 2013, the anti-narcotics movement quietly lost thrust. Coincidentally, this came around the same time as the street price of heroin dropped by a fourth, and an accelerated growth in better-organised smuggling operations, particularly of pseudoephedrine, used by some of Myanmar’s ethnic armies to manufacture the world’s top drug, methamphetamine.

The anti-drug movement revived on April 11 — after numerous requests from families of addicts, according to YMA leaders. The organisation chose the new SRS team’s members carefully, and its head Vanlalrema Rokhum has said it will tread carefully to avoid any controversy this time.

How do law enforcement agencies look at YMA’s activities? Senior officials say the laws that bind them often do not apply to the YMA, for which reason the volunteer group is able sometimes to pose a bigger threat to smugglers, dealers, addicts, and even conniving officials.

Mizoram: Nation’s Emerging Soccer Power

Guwahati, May 12 : Mizoram has a tremendous track record in national football championships. They won the sub-junior national title (Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy), junior national title (Dr BC Roy Trophy) and most importantly the Santosh Trophy in 2014. All eyes are now on Mizoram for their soccer talent.

Now a team from the tiny State, Aizawl Football Club, have qualified to play in the National I-League, after emerging top at the national B Division I-League. In the two-leg championship held at Siliguri and Assam, the Mizo outfit confirmed their title on May 6 at Golaghat after defeating their statemate Chandmari Football Club 4-2. After the penultimate tie they scored unassailable 31 points and in the match of academic interest on Saturday, they trounced Mohammedan Sporting Club of Kolkata 4-2 to raise their points to 33.

It was a historic achievement for Mizoram. The team will now play in the top tire of the I-League next year. It is the fourth team from the north-eastern States to play in the I-League. Three teams from the NE – Shillong Lajong FC, Royal Wahingdoh and Rangdajied Unite FC – all from Meghalaya have qualified for the elite tournament of the Indian football.

Mizoram has a tremendous set-up at the grass-root level. They now have three artificial football pitches, two at Aizawl and one at Lunglei. The fourth one is coming up at Champhai. Secretary of the Mizoram Football Association (MFA) Lalnghinglova Hmar seems to be a very energetic man who works from dawn to dusk for the cause of Mizoram football.

The MFA has introduced the Mizoram Premier League in 2012 and the highly competitive championship has been instrumental in producing a batch of graded players. Till last year, 85 Mizo footballers were playing in I-League and now the numbers will be much more.

Ask FIFA’s regional director Shaji Prabhakaran, the man who oversaw the implementation of the successful Vision Manipur, one of the first pilot programmes of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the country. He said Mizoram’s triumph, (winning Santosh Trophy in 2014) is a success for the programme.

“The rise of North Eastern football started with Vision Manipur in 2005. It was highly successful as they were able to put together a strong purposeful league. Now Mizoram will inspire more and more smaller States,” Prabhakaran, who was the director when Vision Manipur was implemented, told IANS in an interview last year.

Mizoram dominated the Subroto Cup football tournament which is regarded as one of the nation’s football nursuries. The youngsters of the Mizoram school teams play very fast football. They are accurate in every skills of the game and it proves that the organisers and coaches at the grass-root level are very much keen in making the kids perfect in basics.

It is high time for the Assam Football Association (AFA) to take out a leaf from the success story of their Mizoram counterpart. The AFA will launch the new format of the Assam State Premier League tomorrow which should have been far ahead. The infrastructure in Assam is also far from adequete. The Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium has became the star attraction for football organisers. It was developed by the Reliance Group last year for the Indian Super League. Now almost all the tournaments are organised on this venue. If things go on like this, the renovated ground will get its old form soon.

Mizoram: Court Rejects Alleged Militant’s Bail Plea, Police Slap Additional Charge of Extortion

Alleged "private" Ngurthantluanga Sanate had moved a bail plea on grounds that he was not a member of the HPC-D.
Aizawl, May 12 : A court on Monday rejected the bail plea of an alleged “private” of the Hmar People’s Convention Democratic (HPCD) who was arrested along with the Manipur-based militant group’s “army chief” Lalropuia Famhoite and “finance secretary” Norbar Sanate near south Assam’s Silchar town on April 16.

The Mizoram Police has meanwhile slapped an additional charge of extortion against the three arrested men, who currently face up to a decade behind bars if they are convicted of the more than ten charges against them, including extortion, issuing death threats, kidnapping, mischievous use of explosives and criminal intimidation, among others.

Alleged “private” Ngurthantluanga Sanate had moved a bail plea in the Aizawl District Court on grounds that he was not a member of the HPCD.

The Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Manipur’s Churachandpur town, Emmanuel Fimate, and the village head of Ngurte, also within Churachandpur district, had written to the Mizoram government testifying to Ngurthantluanga’s good character and that he is not a member of the militant group.

The court however rejected the bail plea by citing a previous Supreme Court order based on “public interest”.

The Mizoram Police meanwhile slapped an additional charge of extortion against the three men and produced a written note demanding Rs 5000 from the heads of Palsang village back in 2013. The note bears Lalropuia’s alleged signature.