Assam - The Purbottar

21 Feb

Naga Students’ Federation Objects to MHA Directive on ‘Vande Mataram’

Sonakshi SarkarAssam

The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has strongly opposed a recent directive issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) mandating that the Indian National Song “Vande Mataram” be played or sung before the National Anthem “Jana Gana Mana” at designated high-level official functions, including in schools. In a press release, NSF president Mteisuding Heraang and general secretary Kenilo Kent termed the MHA’s order an imposition that disregards the historical, political, and cultural realities of the Naga people. While acknowledging constitutional provisions such as Article 51A(a), the federation asserted that no authority could compel cultural or ideological conformity upon the Naga…

21 Feb

Victor Das Freed as Gauhati High Court Strikes Down NSA Detention

Sonakshi SarkarAssam

The Gauhati High Court has overturned the detention of Victor Das, who was apprehended by city police last September under the National Security Act (NSA). The court's division bench identified significant failures by the State Government in upholding constitutional rights as specified under Article 22(5) of the Constitution of India during the detention process. It highlighted an unreasonable and unexplained delay that hindered the petitioner's right to representation before the Detaining Authority, alongside the consideration and resolution of that representation by both State and Central Governments. The government's defense for the detention order cited credible evidence and confidential intelligence suggesting…

21 Feb

Himanta Biswa Sarma: Assam reports a significant 84% drop in child marriages under 18

Banasree SarkarAssam

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that Assam has seen an 84% decrease in child weddings involving girls under the age of 18. He attributed the dramatic decline to persistent enforcement and targeted government engagement. According to the Chief Minister, who shared the X update, the administration's tough stance has started to have quantifiable outcomes. "We made the decision to take action, and the results are showing. We are safeguarding moms, preserving childhood, and guaranteeing accountability via consistent enforcement and unambiguous aim," he added. Sarma claims that the state has also seen a 91% decrease in child marriages between boys…

21 Feb

AKRSU Splits Again: New Central Committee Formed in Gossaigaon Amid Growing Dissent

Sonakshi SarkarAssam

The All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU), formed to demand the creation of a separate Kamatapur state, Scheduled Tribe status, and to address various pressing issues of the Koch Rajbongshi community, has once again witnessed a split despite earlier efforts at unification. After several attempts to bring together the divided factions, a new central committee was constituted on July 29, 2025, at Bongaigaon. The committee was formed with Kshitish Barman as Chief Adviser, Manoj Ray as President, and Balaram Barman as Secretary. However, within a year of its formation, the unified body has fragmented again, leading to the emergence of…

21 Feb

Assam Rifles to Vacate Land for Dimapur Airport Expansion in Dimapur

Sonakshi SarkarAssam

Airports Authority of India (AAI), Dimapur Airport has stated that the Assam Rifles Training Centre and School (ARTC&S) would vacate around 18.9 acres of land for the first phase of the airport’s expansion by the end within a month or so. A total of 129 acres of land still remains to be acquired by AAI from ARTC&S as part of the broader expansion plan for Dimapur Airport. ARTC&S has been given 1950 acres of land at Shokhuvi and has to shift there as per agreement. According to Dimapur Airport authorities, they have received an official letter from ARTC&S recently, outlining…

20 Feb

Jewellery worth crores of rupees looted from showroom in Barpeta district

Paromita EditorAssam

An armed group of robbers looted jewellery worth crores of rupees from a showroom in Barpeta Road of Assam todayPolice said a gang of five robbers barged into Senco Gold & Diamonds showroom, located in the heart of the town, posing as customers. The accused were reportedly armed with pistols and held 9-10 employees at gunpoint and tied their hands with ropes.The robbers allegedly threatened the staff with dire consequences and carried out the loot for nearly half an hour. They are also said to have assaulted some employees and damaged the CCTV cameras before fleeing the scene with gold…

20 Feb

Amit Shah launches the Rs 6,839 crore Vibrant Villages Programme–II in Assam

Paromita EditorAssam

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, today launched Vibrant Villages Programme–II (VVP–II), at a cost of Rs 6,839 crore, in Nathanpur village of Assam's Cachar district.On this occasion, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Union Home Secretary and several other dignitaries were present.In his address, Shah stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken an initiative and made an effort to provide similar facilities in all villages of the Barak Valley and the border districts of Assam, like other villages across India, through the Vibrant Villages- II programme being launched today.He said that there was a time when border villages…

20 Feb

LGBI Airport’s new terminal to begin operations from Feb 22: CM

Paromita EditorAssam

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said the new terminal of the Guwahati airport will commence operations from February 22.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the new terminal of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport (LGBIA) on December 20.''From an open space to a world-class gateway in just a few years. This transformation reflects a clear vision for a more connected and confident Assam,'' Sarma said in a post on X.''Inaugurated by Adarniya Shri @narendramodi ji, the @GuwahatiAirport opens its doors to the world from Feb 22,'' he said.Domestic and international flights are likely to operate from the new…

20 Feb

Priyanka Gandhi Calls on Zubeen Kshetra During Guwahati Visit

riya EditorAssam

Priyanka Gandhi, General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) and Chairperson of the Screening Committee, visited Zubeen Kshetra in Sonapur, near Guwahati, this morning. Accompanied by Gaurav Gogoi, President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), she paid tribute to the late Zubeen Garg, a beloved artiste, at his memorial site, Zubeen Kshetra. Following this, she moved to Rajiv Bhawan where she engaged in discussions with the three Working Presidents of the APCC. Furthermore, she shared perspectives with leaders from various committees and wings of the APCC. This visit marks the conclusion of her two-day itinerary in Assam.

20 Feb

At India AI Impact Summit, IIT Guwahati Unveils Tool to Fix Wikipedia Name Errors

riya EditorAssam

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G) have introduced a novel multilingual and scalable approach to identify and rectify Surface Name Errors (SNEs) on Wikipedia, thereby enhancing information reliability for both human users and AI systems. The method was highlighted at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Wikipedia, a collaborative online encyclopedia, sometimes contains SNEs, which are inaccuracies in the surface names—text used to reference or link entities in article content. A study from the IIT-Guwahati team revealed that 3-6% of entity mentions are prone to such errors, which can undermine credibility and affect machine learning performance, given the…