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Assam : Torture of detainees by Dimasa militants shocks Parlia¬ment |
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Shocked by the gory images of torture of detainees by Dimasa militants, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on August 31 sought Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil’s intervention calling for immediate action by the Centre.
The story of the torture meted out to three persons who were abducted by suspected militants somewhere in Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills district has stunned Members of Parliament. A Hindi TV news channel had been carrying the story for two days since August 30, showing images of the abducted persons being brutally tortured. The abductors reportedly demanded a Rs 15-crore ransom.
Images of three blindfolded victims, one of whom shown as being tied upside down from a tree branch being aired since Aug. 30, led Swaraj to approach the Home Minister the next day.
Patil on hearing about the story requested Swaraj to provide him with a copy of the CD, promising that he would order strong action.
The BJP leader later told newspersons that she has request¬ed the TV news channel to provide a copy of the CD to the Home Minister.
“I am shocked by the sight of the three screaming youth, allegedly abducted by Dimasa militants,” she said.
“The sight was very disturbing and I have requested the Home Minister to act,” she added.
AGP elections : Brindaban re-elected president, but clout eroded
Brindaban Goswami was on August 31 unanimously re-elected president of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), but it was a pyrrhic victory for the veteran Opposition leader.
Goswami had to accept the humiliation of sacrificing virtu¬ally all that he had enjoyed, thanks to the compromise formula that was hammered out after a night of high drama. Party workers vandalised the venue of the presidential elections even as lead¬ers worked through the night to avert a direct contest for the party chief’s post.
Challenger Phani Bhusan Choudhury has been accommodated by creating a post of working president, thereby eroding much of the clout of the party chief. The AGP went to the extent of amending its constitution to create the post.
Goswami also stepped down as leader of the Opposition in accordance with the formula worked out by five representatives of each of the two contenders. The AGP Legislature Party is sched¬uled to elect its new leader within a week or so.
Going by the provisions of the compromise deal, a senior legislator from the anti-Goswami camp - Chandra Mohan Patowary - is tipped to get the coveted post.
The new executive of the party will be jointly formed by the president and working president to give equal representation to both camps.
“We will work together to make the party stronger,” Goswami said after his election, referring to the power-sharing arrange¬ment with Choudhury. He claimed that the party has sent out a strong signal of unity by being able to reach a consensus.
Choudhury said he had withdrawn from the race for the sake of party unity and that this spirit would be reflected in the party’s performance in the forthcoming panchayat elections.
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