Indian troops never crossed into Myanmar; operation took place in Manipur and Nagaland

New Delhi, Sep 16 : The cross-border strike in June to take down insurgent camps never took place in Myanmar, if the gallantry citations of the crack paratroopers who executed the operation are to be believed

While minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore openly stated after the June 9 operation that Indian forces crossed into Myanmar and raided two militant camps, the gallantry award citations of the heroes of the strike make no mention of the neighbouring nation, indicating instead that the operation took place in Manipur and Nagaland.

ET has learnt that the citations for the eight soldiers, including Lt Col Nectar Sanjenbam who led the operation, give an insight into the carefully carried out raid, while blurring out that it took place in Myanmar. Lt Col Sanjenbam, who has been awarded the Kirti Chakra — the second highest peacetime gallantry award — is learnt to have displayed unusual prowess in taking down the sentries at the militant camps that were raided. The officer is cited to have taken down 6-8 sentries, who were guarding the camps, personally in close quarter combat, before blasting his way through the main installations.

Similarly, Hav Tanka Kumar Limbu, awarded the Shaurya Chakra, is also cited as being instrumental in ensuring that the crack commando team sneaked in undetected before blasting away the main compound.The citations indicate that the Indian Army managed to inflict close to two dozen casualties, even though a precise number is not mentioned.

On the eve of Independence Day, the government conferred gallantry awards to eight soldiers of the 21 Para who took part in the strike but kept the citation — or record of the operation — classified. This was an unusual move as in the past, gallantry citations are made public, even for actions in foreign lands. When asked about the citations, an Army spokesperson said:"Please refer to the statement issued on June 9 that says the Army engaged two separate groups of insurgents along the Indo- Myanmar border at two locations, along the Nagaland and Manipur borders." It may be recalled the Indian Army never officially said its troops carried out a cross-border strike.

In a statement issued on the day of the operation, the Army was careful to mention that the operation took place "along the Indo- Myanmar border" and that "we are in communication with the Myanmar authorities on this matter".

Bail For Sensational Wildlife Crime in Mizoram

Aizawl, Sep 15 : Three people who were not even on the list of suspects in the theft of 11 bags of seized pangolin scales from a government godown in Mizoram have applied for anticipatory bail after a person known to them was arrested and questioned.

The trio have subsequently been summoned for interrogation in the high-profile theft that occurred 86 kms away, that too in a different district from where they live, Aizawl.

The May-end theft of the seized pangolin scales (weighing 262 kgs with a total value of Rs 1.7 lakhs) from a godown belonging to the forest department had prompted the state Forest Minister Lalrinmawia Ralte to issue a public statement.

Police investigating the theft at Kolasib town had arrested and questioned a man named Lalrinchhana, suspected to be the driver of a vehicle thought to have ferried the stolen pangolin scales from the godown to traffickers further afield.

Police sources said he refused to divulge his alleged accomplices, and had only said he helped deliver the consignment to a woman in Aizawl. The woman has since absconded, with her house locked from outside. Lalrinchhana’s remand has since expired.

Meanwhile, three people — Lalthlamuana (Lalrinchhana’s elder brother), P C Lianzuala and Lalfakzuali — approached a local court in Aizawl and applied for anticipatory bail in the case.

As their bail hearing continued, police got wind of the development and immediately suspected their involvement and were summoned for questioning.

But they have not presented themselves before investigators, and in the meantime secured anticipatory bail from the court, which observed that “there is no copy of summons showing that the petitioners had received the summons”.

Additional Sessions Judge Vanlalenmawia has however laid down strict conditions for their bail, including the suspect’s cooperation with police and orders for them not to leave the state without the consent of the top magistrate at Kolasib.

Tripartite Meeting on Bru Repatriation Remains Inconclusive

Aizawl, Sep 15 : The tripartite meeting between the Union Home Ministry and the state governments of Mizoram and Tripura held in Delhi today on the issue of repatriation of Brus from six relief camps in Tripura was inconclusive, a senior state government official on Monday said.

Mizoram Chief Secretary Lalmalsawma, who led the state government delegation told PTI over phone the meeting agreed that the Union Home Ministry officials should hold talks with the Bru leaders before holding another meeting.

"Home Ministry officials will hold talks with the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) led by A Sawibunga and Bru Coordination Committee (BCC) led by Elvis Chorkhy," Lalmalsawma said adding, the two Bru organisations were reported to have differences of opinion on the repatriation issue.

While the Tripura government officials insisted that all Brus should return to Mizoram, the Mizoram officials explained that not a single Bru appeared before the officials for identification for repatriation and the state government was trying to implement the Road Map-IV for Bru repatriation between June 2 and August 17 last.

Mizo Party Alleges Land Intrusion

By Nilotpal Bhattacharjee

Aizawl, Sep 14 : The youth wing of the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), a political party of Mizoram, has alleged that villagers of Lailapur in Assam's Cachar district have encroached into the neighbouring state.

The president of ZNP youth wing, Lalmuanpuia Punte, told this correspondent today that the Lalilapur gaon panchayat in contravention to the agreement had allowed a few villagers to cultivate land inside Mizoram territory. "The villagers from Assam also built farm huts on the land, which belongs to Mizoram. Everything was done under the supervision of the Lailapur gaon panchayat," he alleged.

A delegation of the ZNP youth wing yesterday visited the Assam-Mizoram border and took stock of the boundary demarcation between Lailapur and Vairengte in Mizoram's Kolasib district.

Punte said they met Cachar deputy commissioner S. Viswanathan last evening and discussed with him the prevailing condition on the border and briefed him about the reasons behind the frequent inter-state border conflicts. The delegation also met the liaison officer of Mizoram House here.

The ZNP youth wing submitted a memorandum to Viswanathan and urged him to take necessary steps to prevent the violation of the agreement. The memorandum said Cachar and Kolasib deputy commissioners some years back had signed an agreement according to which no activities are to be carried out on the disputed land.

Sources said tension flared up on Wednesday when the Mizoram environment and forest range officer visited the interstate border and destroyed the farm huts built inside Mizoram territory in Vairengte.

The same day the forest range officer of Dholai in Cachar district also paid a visit to the border.

Later, they held a meeting in which the Assam forest officials said they were not aware of the cultivation being done by the villagers inside Mizoram territory.

High Suicide Rate in Mizoram

Aizawl, Sep 14 : At least 75 people committed suicide in Mizoram since January, chairman of the Aizawl-based New Life Charitable Society Zawmsanga Sailo today said.

Corroborating the high suicide rate in the state, Police CID (Crime) unit officials said that 72 people had committed suicide since January 1 till July 31, as against 41 during the corresponding period last year.

Sailo told PTI that suicide was on the rise in Mizoram, which has barely a population of 10 lakh due to increase in the incidence of depression and other mental problems among youths.

Both police officials and social workers described the increase in suicidal death as alarming in a small state like Mizoram.

Mizoram: Students Demand Separate Administration for Tribals

Aizawl, Sep 10 : Mizo, Zomi, Hmar and Thado-Kuki students assembled in front of the Raj Bhawan in Aizawl to express solidarity with Manipur tribals and demanded a separate administration for the community.

In a memorandum addressed to the President and submitted to the Mizoram Governor’s office, student groups of the four communities demanded the deputation of “central observers to Manipur to assess the situation”, “separate political administration for the tribals of Manipur” and the direct monitoring by the PMO of “all talks on political issues of the tribals of Manipur.”

“We… are seriously concerned with the situation of Manipur … as we are culturally one and same with people living in the hill areas who may be commonly addressed as Zo ethnic tribes though they are often called by different names,” said the memorandum signed by leaders of the Mizo Students’ Union, Siamsinpawlpi, Hmar Students’ Association and Thado-Kuki Students’ Union.

Meanwhile, rights-group Amnesty International (India) called upon the Manipur government for “prompt, full and independent investigations into all allegations of human rights abuses related to protests in the state in the past few months, including the excessive use of police force”.

“Authorities in Manipur must demonstrate their commitment to human rights and the rule of law.

They must ensure that they respect the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest while maintaining public order and safety,” said Aakar Patel, the group’s Executive Director, adding “Incidents of violence and vandalism by protestors also need to be effectively investigated, and those suspected of human rights abuses brought to trial.”

“Excessive police force cannot be an answer to violent protests. The police must distinguish between persons engaging in violence and peaceful demonstrators or bystanders. Firearms should be used only as a last resort when less extreme means have failed, and intentional lethal force should be used only when strictly unavoidable to protect life,” Patel was quoted as saying by a statement issued on the group’s website.

Mizoram Govt Directs Women Employees to Wear Traditional Clothes

Mizo dance form Chailam. (Photo: Mizoram Tourism)

Based on a decision made in the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl’s (MHIP) 20th General Assembly, the Mizoram government has sent a notice to its female employees to wear the traditional dress Puan, at least twice in a week.

Government circular. (Photo: The Quint)

MHIP is a voluntary organisation run engaged in social welfare work.

Mizo traditional bamboo dance. (Photo: Mizoram Tourism)

The move came as an effort to revive the traditional Mizo attire of a wrap around skirt, according to the notice.

Puan – Mizoram’s traditional attires – are a colorful set of clothes.
The men, however, do not have to follow any such rule.

According to the MHIP website, there are five kinds of Puan:
Puanchei: a wrap around skirt.

Kawrechi: the blouse generally made of cotton.

Ngotekherh: a wrap around originally meant for men but now worn by men and women alike.
Hmar am : A small hand woven cloth of hand-spun cotton and indigo dye.
Cyhna Hno: An embroidered silk cloth of the native inhabitants of Mizoram, Mara’s.

Source: thequint.com

Mizoram: Retired PWD engineer, secretary in dock for Rs 107 lakh Scam

According to an enquiry by the ACB, Liansanga benefited the most from the alleged scam and pocketed almost the entire amount of Rs 107 lakhs while Lianchungnunga is accused of pocketing a little over Rs 42,000.

Aizawl, Sep 10 :  Mizoram’s Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered criminal and corruption cases in a special anti-corruption court against two top PWD engineers and an accountant for allegedly embezzling Rs 107.67 lakhs from a road improvement project in the state’s northern region.

Liansanga (a retired engineer who was the Engineer-in-Chief of the PWD), Lianchungnunga (PHE and Minor Irrigation Secretary and former Chief Engineer of the PWD’s highways division) and Lalthanpuia, a PWD accountant, have been charged under four sections of the Indian Penal Code and three sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

These include criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and misappropriation.
If found guilty, the trio face up to seven years behind bars.

According to an enquiry by the ACB, Liansanga benefited the most from the alleged scam and pocketed almost the entire amount of Rs 107 lakhs while Lianchungnunga is accused of pocketing a little over Rs 42,000.

The accountant has been charged with fabricating documents, forging another official’s signature and cheating a colleague to help cover up the scam.

Liansanga has also been accused of abusing his position to allocate less than two-thirds of Rs 696 lakhs meant for various PWD projects by the state government, which received the money from the 12th Finance Commission.

The retired engineer is also accused of fabricating records to show 75 kms of a road from from Serkhan village in Mizoram’s Kolasib district to Bagha in south Assam’s Cachar district was re-surfaced while in reality only 19.3 kms was actually re-surfaced.

It was because of the condition of this road despite the improvement works that a complaint was submitted to the ACB by a student union leader named Vanlaltlana back in 2011. The complaint led to an investigation and subsequently resulted in the current cases for the trio.

Liansanga also faces a separate graft case in which he and 15 other government engineers are accused of having swindled more than Rs 900 lakhs while building two mini-hydel projects more than a decade and half ago. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/mizoram-retired-pwd-engineer-secretary-in-dock-for-rs-107-lakh-scam/#sthash.n8x2kaAz.dpuf