North East Rising

Guwahati, 19th October: A moving truck caught fire on National Highway 54(E) in Assam’s Hojai district.

According to the reports, the truck was coming from Nagaon towards Silchar and it caught fire at Doboka area.

The truck driver and locals tried to douse the flames and also informed fire service and police.

Later, firefighters had managed to control the situation.

There is no report of any human casualty in the incident.

Guwahati, 19th October: Tension prevailed along Assam-Mizoram border following violent clashes broke out between two groups and injured several people.

Deployment of heavy security personnel have been made in the tense bordering areas of Assam and Mizoram following the incident.

Police said that, the overall situation is under control and security personnel have been deployed along the bordering areas under Assam’s Cachar district and Mizoram’s Kolasib district.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday apprised the Prime Minister’s Office and Union Home Ministry about the prevailing situation at Assam-Mizoram border over phone.

Sonowal also telephoned his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga and talked to him about the incident that took place at the border.

During the talk, Chief Minister Sonowal stressed on taking productive measures and joint efforts to address the border issues.

He also advocated amicably settling the border dispute and to work with cooperation for maintaining peace and law & order at the inter-state border.

Sonowal said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, northeast is experiencing rapid progress on Sunday. However, to maintain the momentum, there is a need to maintain peace and boosting relations between the states.

“There might have differences but all differences must be settled through dialogue,” Sonowal said.

Mizoram CM Zoramthanga assured Chief Minister Sonowal to maintain peace at the inter-state border and working with cooperation.

Reports said that, several people were injured during a clash between two groups of Assam and Mizoram broke out at Lailapur area in Assam’s Cachar district on Saturday evening.

Miscreants had torched several houses near Lailapur area along the inter-state border.

Guwahati, 17th October: Schools and colleges in Assam are all set to reopen from November 2 and the state government has directed all educational institutions to reopen the institutions by following COVID-19 protocols.

Assam Education Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the schools and colleges in the state will be reopened from November 2.

“The schools will be reopened for the students of Class 6 to 12 and no decision has taken so far for reopening nursery to Class 5. For the universities and colleges, they would be allowed to reopen and they have to follow all COVID-19 protocols, guidelines issued by government,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

“We have issued the protocols to reopen schools and colleges. Hostels will be reopened from December 1. Schools will be reopened from November 2. We have divided sections and days in a manner so that, the institution doesn’t become overcrowded. There will be two shifts morning 8-30 am to 12-30 pm and evening shift 1-30 pm to 4-30 pm. All students are not required to come every day. We have also given an option that if some parents or school authorities don’t want to open school, they want to carry on online classes they can do that,” the Assam minister said.

He further said that the state government will be not insisting on mandatory attendance this year, this is a voluntary participation.

According to the guidelines issued by the state government, the students of Under Graduate (UG) first semester will have their classes on Monday and Thursday, students of UG third semester will have their classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, students of UG fifth semester will have their classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

“College may continue with online classes along with offline classes. For Post-Graduate classes, the college will follow the guidelines of the parent university/UGC. All teaching and non-teaching staff are to attend to their duties regularly from November 2 and government engineering colleges, polytechnics are allowed to reopen for face to face class from November 2,” said in the government guidelines.

Guwahati, 17th October: After the decision taken to close down all state-run Madrassas in the state, the Assam government has now planning to bring the privately run Madrassas under a state regulation.

Assam Education Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the state government are bringing a regulation to run the privately-run Madrassas in the state.

“We have no intention of closing private Madrassas in the state. First of all, the student has to be clearly told that why they are in Madrassa. They have to introduce Science, Mathematics in curriculum. They have to register with the state, various constitutional mandate of Right to Education etc. has to be respected. But they can retain the character of Madrassa. They have to be registered, students have to be informed. It has to be choice exercise by the student and parents, not under the influence of anybody,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The Assam minister also said that the state government will issue a notification to close down the state-run Madrassas in November.

He said that there are 610 state-run Madrassas in the state and the state government has spent Rs 260 crore annually for it.

“We have decided that Madrassa education will be closed in Assam based on certain research. During the research questions have been asked to the Madrassa students that what is your aim in life and most of the Madrassa students said that, I want to be doctor, engineer, professor, lecturer etc. According to me, experience in Assam shows that this is a decision taken by the parents or maybe by the local influenced people to put students in Madrassa. The Madrassa students of Class 9, 10 they are not even aware that they are studying a particular stream which actually closed for their growth, career. Most of the students have not entered into the Madrassa thinking that they will be religious pressure. So our decision is based on solid research and as when the people challenge our decision, I am 100 per cent convinced that we will be able to stand the scrutiny of law. The research was also done by a Muslim person,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The Assam minister also said that the state government is going to ban the Madrassas education where complete education is primarily based on religion and these are governed under the director of Madrassa education.

“We spent Rs 260 crore annually for Madrassa education and 610 Madrassas will be closed,” the Assam Education minister said.

Himanta Biswa Sarma also said that earlier Congress government had issued a notification that even if you take a degree from Madrassa, you will be treated as per with the student who passed the general education.

“Both certificates are treated as equal. So that has created panic among the general students. Earlier, people were not aware. When people started knowing that, the government has declared equivalence – the same status of a Madrassa certificate and the certificate from a general school, there are anger, frustration. So we have to address that and that is why we have said that, we will disband the Madrassa Board, withdraw the notification granting equivalence and finally we are converting all the state-run Madrassas into the general schools,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The Assam minister said that, the Sanskrit Tols also have a problem of giving equivalence and the state government doesn’t want to continue that.

“All the Sanskrit Tols will be handed over to Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit University and they can run the Tols as their centres. But, we will not allow to run the Tol education,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Guwahati, 17th October: Along with other parts of the country, the Navratri began at historic Kamakhya temple in Assam’s capital city Guwahati by following all COVID-19 protocols.

Amid COVID-19 pandemic, the festival of Navratri is starting from Saturday.

Along with other parts of the country, the Navratri began at historic Kamakhya temple in Assam’s capital city Guwahati by following all COVID-19 protocols.

Hundreds of devotees thronged to the Kamakhya temple as the nine-day long Navratri began from Saturday.

The Kamakhya temple complex was reopened for devotees on October 11 after a gap of almost seven months.

The main doors of the temple – leading to the sanctum sanctorum remained shut, but devotees turned up for the parikrama of the temple.

The famous Shakti shrine located atop of Nilachal hills in Guwahati remained closed since March 20 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The temple management committee has allowed a limited number of devotees to perform parikrama of the temple.

Before entering the temple, the devotees will have to undergo Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for COVID-19 and whole body sanitization in the sanitization chambers set up at the entry gate of the temple.

Kabindra Prasad Sarma – senior priest of Kamakhya temple said that the festival of Navratri has begun at Kamakhya temple by maintaining all COVID-19 protocols.

“The devotees will have to under COVID-19 test before entering the temple for parikrama. They have to follow COVID-19 protocols,” Kabindra Prasad Sarma said.