Rifleman’s Death Mizoram police tells Defence Ministry it was Suicide

Ajeet Kumar Rai, 25, was a rifleman with the 39th Assam Rifles and was posted at the battalion’s camp at Mimbung in eastern Mizoram.

By Adam Halliday

Aizawl, May 19 : The Mizoram police has told the Ministry of Defence the 25-year-old Assam Rifles rifleman who died from gunshot wounds to the head while on sentry duty last August committed suicide and was not murdered as his relatives are alleging.

“The deceased had committed suicide due to depression arising from family and work since investigation could not revealed (sic) concrete evidences of murder and conspiracy,” concludes a report submitted by Champhai district SP R P Meena to Jay Prakash, Additional Private Secretary to the Defence MoS.

Ajeet Kumar Rai, 25, was a rifleman with the 39th Assam Rifles and was posted at the battalion’s camp at Mimbung in eastern Mizoram.

His elder brothers Ajai Kumar Rai and Atul Kumar Rai (Atul is also a rifleman with the Assam Rifles and who was posted in Lunglei, also in Mizoram, at the time of his brother’s death) allege Ajeet was murdered by his colleagues after an altercation. They officially filed an FIR on September 8 in Champhai town.

The police at Ngopa, which hosts the nearest police station from Mimbung, were meanwhile unable to examine the body immediately after the tragedy since the Assam Rifles had brought it to Aizawl for post-mortem and for it to be dispatched home to UP by flight the following day. Police had subsequently registered a case of unnatural death and began investigations.

The SP’s report says the Investigating Officer collected the rifleman’s service rifle, an AK-47, as well as 27 live ammunition in it, two empty cartridges and one live ammo still loaded in the gun’s chamber.

The dead man’s finger-prints were also lifted, it said, adding these were among the items forwarded to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Aizawl along with photos of the dead body taken from different angles (the report however says “chance finger prints could not be developed because of oily surface of the firearm”).

The IO examined Rai’s two elder brothers, three men they accused of killing the rifleman as well as more than 20 personnel posted at the Mimbung camp.

Ajeet’s mobile handset was also seized and a Call Detail Report also obtained from which police found Ajeet had spoken to his ex-wife Vineeta Rai just before he died, the report says.

Vineeta was contacted over phone and she told police Rai had told her he wanted to resign from service because of an argument he had had with this colleagues, and mentioned his elder brothers were arranging for him to be married to another woman soon, the report says.

The SP’s report says Vineeta told police Ajeet told her “his brothers were arranging a marriage with another girl he did not want as he still loved her” and also that Ajeet and Vineeta divorced because of pressure from his brothers.

The Assam Rifles had from the beginning said Ajeet killed himself because of problems at home while his family maintained they suspected murder because Ajeet had told them on the day of his death that he had been in a serious argument with his colleagues, claiming some of his colleagues also corroborated their suspicions.

Dimapur lynching: Judicial Panel Asks People To Give Written Statements

Syed Sarif Khan, who was arrested following an allegation of rape, was dragged out from the central jail by a mob and lynched.

Syed Sarif Khan, who was arrested following an allegation of rape, was dragged out from the central jail by a mob and lynched, following which his body was left hanging in the City Tower on March 5. 

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Guwahati, May 19 :  A judicial commission into the Dimapur lynching began its inquiry on Monday, asking people to submit written statements in connection with the ghastly incident.

A public notice issued by the judicial inquiry commission headed by retired Gauhati High Court judge Justice BD Agarwal issued a public notice in Dimapur seeking written statements in order to ascertain the causes and circumstances leading to the incident of vandalism and forcible entry into the Dimapur Central Jail by a mob and killing of an under-trial prisoner and another person in the ensuing violence.

Syed Sarif Khan, who was arrested following an allegation of rape, was dragged out from the central jail by a mob and lynched, following which his body was left hanging in the City Tower on March 5. Another person called Inito Swu, who was reportedly amid the crowd, was killed when police opened fire on the mob after Khan was done to death.

The inquiry commission, through the public notice specifically asked local dailies/media fraternity, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU), Naga Council Dimapur (NCD), Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU), Dimapur Chamber of Commerce (DCC), Western Sumi Students’ Union (WSSU), Naga Mothers Association (NMA) Dimapur, Survival Nagaland (SN), Naga Spear, Naga Blog (NB), GBs’ Federation Dimapur, GBs Union Dimapur, Principals of different schools and colleges of the town, as well as family members of the victims to file written statement before it.

The inquiry commission, which also has retired district and sessions judge Veprasa Nyekha as a member, has been also asked to ascertain the person/persons, group/groups responsible for the incident, lapses of dereliction of duty on the part of government officials and public authorities, a press release issued by the state IPR department in Kohima said.

Large Cardamoms from NE Pose Stiff Challenge to Kerala Growers

Kochi, May 19 : Kerala, which has lost out to Karnataka in terms of domination in pepper production, is now slipping in cardamom too. North Eastern variety of large cardamom, which commands nearly double the price of Kerala’s small cardamom, is likely to outstrip Kerala production in coming years, going by the Spices Board’s effort in NE region.

The Spices Board has plans to set up a Centre of Excellence in large cardamom research, common facility centre, training centre and quality testing lab in 25 acres of land in Arunachal Pradesh. The board also plans to set up cardamom auction centres in Namsai and Kimin in Arunachal Pradesh.

States like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram are suitable for spice farming, experts point out.

“Compared to other parts of the country the North East India is underutilised in terms of spices production. The potential to cultivate large variety of cardamom is huge there. The NE region has the potential to grow as a major hub of cardamom production in the country. Bulk of production in the area is consumed within India,” said Spices Board Chairman A Jayathilak.

The price of small cardamom, which is available in Kerala, now trades in the range of Rs 620-870 per kg. Whereas the price of large cardamom is in the range of Rs 1,650-1,750 per kg. For the Kerala variety the price at the same period a year ago was Rs 750-1,030/kg.

Interestingly the price of large cardamom, which is the major variety produced in the North East, was in the range of Rs 1,275-1,350 per kg last year. The prices have increased by almost 30 per cent for the large variety this year mainly due to low availability and increased demand.

The cultivation of cardamom comes under the mandate of Spices Board. It is estimated that around 75,000 hectares of land in India is under cardamom farming. The major areas are Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu (small cardamom) and Sikkim, West Bengal (large cardamom).

'Tripura Tribal Council To Be Made Model Autonomous Body'

There are 16 autonomous district councils (ADCs) in northeast India, facilitating the socio-economic development of tribals, who make up 28 percent of the region's total population of around 45.58 million.

Agartala, May 19 : The Tripura tribal council will be be made a model autonomous body in the northeast India, ensuring alround development of tribals, its new chief Radhacharan Debbarma said on Monday.

"TTAADC (Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council) would be made a model and best council in the northeastern region by achieving alround development of the tribals," the council's new Chief Executive Member (CEM) Radhacharan Debbarma told reporters.

"Already our council became one of the best tribal autonomous bodies in the northeast India," he said.

"The other tribal autonomous bodies of the northeastern region have earlier taken lessons from the TTAADC for their alround performances and welfare of the tribals."

There are 16 autonomous district councils (ADCs) in northeast India, facilitating the socio-economic development of tribals, who make up 28 percent of the region's total population of around 45.58 million.

Of the 16 ADCs, mostly formed under the Seventh or Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitutions, six are in Manipur, three each in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram and one in Tripura.

Tripura's ruling Left Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in the May 3 elections to the 30-member TTAADC retained the tribal autonomous body for the third consecutive term.

Elections were held for the 28 seats of the 30-member TTAADC, which has jurisdiction over two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 square km territory. The government nominates the remaining two members.

All the 28 seats were won by Left candidates, with the CPI-M sweeping 25 seats. Its allies Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Forward Bloc won one seat each.

Radhacharan Debbarma, a veteran tribal leader of the CPI-M, along with eight executive members on Monday assumed office at a colourful function at TTAADC headquarters in Khumulwng (25 km northeast of Agartala), where Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, his council of ministers, senior political leaders and top officials were present.

Tripura law department secretary Data Mohan Jamatia administered the oath of office and secrecy to the nine executive members, including 54-year-old Radhacharan Debbarma, a most vibrant face among CPI-M tribal leaders.

The CPI-M replaced Ranjit Debbarma, another veteran tribal leader, by Radhacharan Debbarma in the key post of CEM.

Debbarma would be the chairman (like speaker of the state assembly) of the council subsequently.

Since its formation in 1982, the Left Front has controlled the TTAADC except on two terms -- 1990-95 and 2000-05. In 1990-95, the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samity, a tribal party now defunct, controlled the TTAADC.

The tribal-based local party Indigenous People's Front of Tripura ran it in 2000-05.

The CPI-M enjoys substantial support among the tribals and non-tribals in the state.

After the formation of The TTAADC 33 years ago under the seventh schedule of the constitution, its authority was upgraded in August 1984 to protect and safeguard the political, economic and cultural interests of tribals, who constitute one-third of Tripura's 3.7 million population.

In Mizoram, Facebook Groups Take Readers Where Newspapers Fail To Tread

By M Rajshekhar

Why read a paper when you have organic sources of local news on the internet? Is this the future for all of us?

“Have you seen the papers here?” asks PC Zosangzuala.

The 28-year-old and I are sitting in a tiny tea shop off Aizawl’s old Zodin theatre. It is Saturday evening. The city is slowly shutting down for Sabbath. And I have just asked him how he accesses news.

He doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, Peecee, as his friends call him, asks the young girl behind the counter if she has a copy of the day’s paper. She doesn’t. No matter. He leans forward on the table, blinks earnestly, and says, “Have you seen the papers here? The first page has local and state news. The second page is national news. The third is notifications. The fourth has articles by Mizo writers. The fifth is ads. And then the last three pages are sports. Why should I read a paper like that when I can get much more news on the internet?”

His answer echoes what I have heard elsewhere in Mizoram. For a state with 11 lakh population, it has a crowded newspaper industry. There are three English papers – Highlander, Newslink and Mizoram Post – and three Mizo papers – Vanglaini, Aizawl Post, and Zozam Times.

However, most of these are small four- or eight-page affairs with limited local news. Mizoram Post, for instance, the biggest English paper with a claimed circulation of around 60,000, is published from the town of Silchar in neighbouring Assam. Apart from a part of the front-page, it has just one page for news from Mizoram. The biggest selling Mizo paper, Vanglaini, has a circulation of 45,000 but it, as its joint editor Lalnghinglova Hmar concedes, is a moderate paper with little investigative reporting.

The other papers are smaller. Some have proprietors with political leanings. “Also, there are TV channels,” Peecee goes on. “The paper can tell us that there was a riot at Vanapa Hall [one of the venues for public meetings in Aizawl] in a small story the next day. But the TV channel can show it to us. No offence but it is the old people who do not know how to use the internet who read the papers.”

But the TV channels, again, have limited time and space for news programmes.

And so, in the last three years, Mizoram has seen the rise of a new beast in the journalism space – “Mizo Only” discussion groups on Facebook. Aggregating news and disseminating updates and opinions from readers, these have grown rapidly. One of the biggest groups, Special Report, has 1.34 lakh members. Another, called Chanchinthar, has over 80,000 members.

At present, every town in Mizoram has its own Facebook group, said Familia Fanai Laltansanga, one of the administrators of Special Report. In all, he said, the state will have over 20 such groups.

Familia Fanai Laltansanga.

In my days in Mizoram, I found most locals subscribed to one or more of these. The groups, curating news reports from the dailies and getting updates from their members across Mizoram, provide more granular information about the state than its papers do. As a result of this, more people are sourcing news from social media than traditional media. And in that sense, Mizoram is closer to the future the rest of us are still plodding towards.

The growing hardware

The couple sitting at the table behind us pay and leave. Three of the four tables in the shop are now unoccupied. The girl managing the store starts tidying up the fridge.

What does it look like, this journalistic enterprise in Mizoram?

It runs, almost entirely, on mobile phones. In the last three years, the state has seen the arrival of cheap smartphones. One day, I walk into Millennium Centre, the biggest mall in Aizawl and see smartphones that start from Rs 2,500. Some of these are Chinese knockoffs of iPhones, called iPhenos, and Nokia (now Windows) Lumias.

The 'iPheno' in a mobile shop in an Aizawl mall.

Zosangzuala uses a Rs 13,000 Asus. He was, he tells me, about to buy a Rs 3,000-4,000 Android when his uncle gifted him Rs 10,000 for a phone. He is interested in computers and wondering if he should do a Master’s in computer application or pitch an offer to government departments to maintain their computers in return for an annual fee. He finally bought Asus.

The journalistic enterprise is aided by the 3G network that covered the entire state by last year.

If smartphones and 3G provide the means for getting information to the members, Facebook provides the platform. To find out more about these groups, I met Familia Fanai Laltansanga, one of the administrators of Special Report. The group had been set up by Vanneihthanga, a journalist with LPS, one of the two biggest cable networks in Mizoram. Special Report was initially created as a private group, to share articles of interest among Vanneihthanga and his friends, but as word spread, it found itself awash in membership requests.

Listening to Familia, a primary school teacher in his fifties, it seemed the founders too had been taken by surprise by the response to the group. “The mistake made at that time was that Special Report was created as a secret group. People searching for it couldn’t find it. Even so, it grew fast. We have created a new group called Mizo Special Group. This has 80,000 members now and is increasing day by day.”

Spirit of Tlawmagaihna 

The reason Special Report took off lies in the unsated demand for information. Who joins as a member, I ask Familia. “There are so many young people from Burma who are now in other countries,” he replies. “They are lonely. They have no news of their part of the world. Or news in their language. A lot of those people have signed up on Special Report. There are about 70,000 Chin people all around the world. In our case, of our 130,000 subscribers, about half will be outside India.”

In some ways, the structure of the group is similar to that of Wikipedia. It works through administrators, about 12-15 of them. “Some of us are missionaries, others are housewives, some are school teachers. We work as volunteers.” This is where the Mizo spirit of Tlawmagaihna or selfless service meets the internet ideals of collaboration and user-generated content. Says Maya Ganesh, a digital technologies researcher at Tactical Tech, a Berlin-based that pushes the use of digital technologies by civil society organisations as a strategic tool, "It's like a traditional philosophy and the user-net have met."

The administrators have three functions. One, the administrators approve memberships. They also approve what people want to post. Only comments go live unscreened. Three, administrators like Familia also write posts. “I have a background in science. I used to read Time, India Today, etc, and that is how I developed my understanding of the world. So I write about the world,” he says. “Every morning, I get up at 4.30am and read BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Time and Burmese news like Irrawaddy.”

This forms the base for what he calls research-based writing where he discusses developments in Mizoram and elsewhere. Apart from this, there are local updates. Members can report on developments in their vicinity.

The biggest plus of such a journalistic enterprise is it enables information to flow up as easily as it can flow down. Being almost entirely in Mizo, it democratises information. The elite and the poor have access to the same information.

Churn in media universe

At the same time, the groups have two weaknesses. One springs from their Mizo-only nature. They cannot touch certain topics. Says Familia, “When we write on Chakmas – a local Buddhist minority that is not regarded as locals by Mizos – our readers get very angry. We get a lot of negative comments.” This makes the groups operate as an echo chamber of likeminded people.

Two, some of the updates posted by members are incorrect. “People feel they can say whatever they feel,” points out Lallian Chhunga, an assistant professor in the political science department at Mizoram University. “One girl posted about a rape in her village when there was actually none. Another girl reported a vehicle accident in southern Mizoram. The police went there and found the information was wrong.”

Some of this is about people being unversed in a new technology and not knowing the risks and responsibilities it comes with. And some of it is to do with people going out to incite.

Says Vanneitluanga, who oversees programming at Zonet, one of the leading cable networks in Mizoram, “There was an instance where someone posted a photo of a man burnt alive, saying this is a pastor being burnt alive in Nepal. But that came from Ecuador. And it was not a pastor. I went online, looked for that photo, and then wrote back to the people saying they are misinformed. The only thing to do is educate people.”

In some of these cases, people have been booked under the Information Technology Act. A youngster who said on Facebook that he was in favour of killing unborn infants was summoned by the state children’s commission.

It is to avoid such comments why, Familia says, administrators like him put up locals’ updates only after checking them. It is not clear, however, if all groups do this. “If people hear anything on another group, they come to us to verify if that is correct.” Or, he adds, they go to the papers. “The papers are slow with their news. But they are seen as reliable.”

This is then the emerging construct of newsgathering in Mizoram. Cash-strapped papers with limited resources. And quick (and sometimes unsubstantiated) updates from the field on the internet. Whether, and how, these develop any synergies in the future remains to be seen. For now, Special Report is planning to create a website and a magazine. The magazine will be available as a print copy and in pdf format. “We are thinking of it as a 96-page magazine,” says Familia. “For this, we might start a reporting team.”

Even as the churn continues in Mizoram, the state government is yet to start taking the groups seriously. “Right now, we have more reach than the local newspapers,” says Familia. “But we are not recognised by the government. It doesn’t invite us for its press conferences.”

source: scroll.in

CNCI Decries Proposed Chakma Census by YMA

Aizawl, May 18 :  Chakma National Council of India has reiterated its strong opposition to Mizoram's largest NGO Young Mizo Association's plan to conduct a census on Chakmas in Mizoram.

''To single out the Chakmas as a community for subject to census without genuine ground and that also by a non-state entity is but a humiliation and assault to their dignity as human being,'' Mizoram committee of CNCI said in a statement yesterday.

Chakmas are equal citizens of Mizoram and they deserve equal treatment in all respects from the state government, it said.

The CNCI viewed that it is quite normal for a duty bound citizen to get alarmed by any events/incidents of abnormal nature. ''However, it does not legitimise someone or for that matter any non-state entity to take the law into their hand. What the rule book warrants is to approach the concerned legitimate authority and urge them to address the issue.''

The CNCI demanded the Mizoram government come up with a clear stand on the resolve made by CYMA to go ahead with their 'illegitimate' exercise to conduct census on the Chakmas who are also equal citizens of Mizoram and whether Mizoram government is not duty bound to enforce the rule of law.

Time and again the Chakma issue has reared its ugly head and yet there has been a conspicuous lack of action and policy to resolve the issue once and for all on the parts of the government, the CNCI stated. The Chakma body observed that this has resulted in mistrust between Mizo and Chakma communities which is not healthy for the overall development of the state.

Refuting Mizo NGOs allegations of ''abnormal growth'' of Chakma population in Mizoram, the CNCI referred to an information booklet published by the state directorate of economics and statistics titled Mizoram at a Glance 2001 in which the growth of Chakma population normal compared to that of other tribes in Mizoram. According to this booklet, the Chakma population in Mizoram was 71,283 in the 2001 Census figure, against the NGOs claim of 1,50,000 people.

Despite such strong evidence against the perceived notion of Chakmas growing abnormally, if the CYMA set on to continue with its resolve to conduct census on the Chakmas it will be but very unfortunate on the part of such a highly regarded NGO of the country which has been known for their service towards the society, the CNCI said.

Google and Arunachal Pradesh government in talks for Chromebooks in schools

Google is in discussions with the Arunachal Pradesh government to run a pilot for deploying Chromebook laptops for school students. Chromebook is a laptop running Google’s Chrome Operating System. The devices are designed to be used primarily while connected to the internet with most applications and data residing “in the cloud”.

The pilot is proposed to be run in schools in two cities  – Itanagar and Ziro.

“We are in discussions with Arunachal Pradesh for giving Chromebooks to students as part of our focus on the education sector. Chromebooks along with Google Apps for Education can play an important role in helping students create, collaborate and learn,” Google Global Product Manager Chrome OS Smita Hashim told PTI.

Also, with Chromebook Management Console, administrators can manage the Chromebooks from a computer or phone, and over a period of time, reduce school’s maintenance and software costs, she added.

The company is also in discussions with other states for similar partnerships. Hashim, however, declined to offer further details. Asked how the device will work in remote corners of the country where connectivity is a major hindrance, Hasim said since launching Chromebooks in India, Google has been working on the issue.

“We have been working to ensure that Chromebooks work in an environment where connectivity can be spotty and many people’s first experiences with technology are through a phone rather than a laptop,” she added.

Hashim said a lot of applications like Google’s Drive and Gmail as well as others like VLC player are being made available offline so that they can be used without being connected to the internet. Google announced the launch of a Chromebook range in the country targetted at the education sector. The XOLO Chromebook will be available in the next few days on Snapdeal at Rs 12,999 while the Nexian Air Chromebook is available on Amazon at the same price.

In the coming months, Chromebooks from ASUS (Chromebook Flip and C201) and Samsung will be available on local retailers. Google on Friday also launched Chromebooks for businesses and Chromebox for meetings.

Chromebox for Meetings brings together Hangouts, Google Apps and easy-to-manage Chromebox to allow companies conduct high?definition video conferences. The device from Asus will be priced at Rs 90,000.

Arunachal Govt Slams Social Media

By Ranju Dodum

Itanagar, May 18 : The Arunachal Pradesh government will no longer stand by silently on social media updates targeted at influential personalities in the government, an official statement said.

Over the last few years, various Arunachal-based online groups on Facebook have become popular forums for people to voice out their grievances and reach out to political leaders of the state. However, the state government now feels that updates on Facebook sometimes cross the lines of decency and must be kept in check.

A press statement issued today by the state government spokesperson Bamang Felix said such posts are "disturbing the communal harmony of the state and targeting individuals for the sake of maligning their images and status".

The statement added that the government would "take serious action" against Facebook users.

Referring to a recent post on an online group, Voice of Arunachal, where one user had written that Felix resigned from his post as IPR parliamentary secretary, he said such statements are made to "to create chaos".

While Felix claimed that the post was made by "a fake account holder", he also lodged a complaint with the police.

The statement added that "social media is not at all a tool to promote communal hatred, malign the image of individual or organisation or spreading rumours".