Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

Inter-state buses not to carry goods banned by UGs: Imphal, Dec 14: The All Manipur Inter State Bus Association has prohibited its members and their employees from accepting cargo containing items ‘banned’ by a particular underground group operating in the state with immediate effect. This was informed by the president of the association, A Budha Luwang, in a press conference held on Friday at North AOC, Imphal. The step is being taken in view of the several recent incidents of torching and destruction of passenger buses found carrying the banned items by the cadres of the underground group. As informed by Luwang, the association, at a meeting held recently, has decided to impose penalties on motor workers, bus owners, or concerned travel agency counters involved in transportation of the `banned` items. Bus drivers and handyman who carry such cargo are to be barred indefinitely from working in any travel agency which are members of the association, according to Luwang. Similarly, bus o...

ANLA graduates to bloodspill: Guwahati, Dec. 13: A bomb in a Rajdhani Express coach, five deaths and suddenly, the minnows among rebel outfits of the region have graduated to the headline-grabbing militant face of the Adivasis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The Adivasi National Liberation Army, which the police are almost convinced is behind the Wednesday night’s Rajdhani blast -- has just come of age. From minor extortion sprees and abductions, the outfit has learnt how to spill blood. Officials here said they suspected the group had triggered the blast, possibly with help from another outfit, but refused to confirm its role. “Prima facie evidence suggest the involvement of ANLA, since the area where the blast occurred has a sizeable Adivasi population and the outfit had carried out a similar blast on the railway tracks few days back just some distance away from last night’s incident,” the officer in-charge of Sarupathar police station, Rohindra Changmai, said. Formed in 2004, al...