When Congress chose Manmohan over Pranab for Rajya Sabha seat from Assam
GUWAHATI: The Congress and former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao chose Manmohan Singh over Pranab Mukherjee to be a Rajya Sabha member from Assam in 1991. That was Singhs maiden stint in the Upper House. He became the finance minister that very year and then, the Prime Minister in 2004. The high point for Mukherjee, who served as a central minister multiple times, came in 2012 when he donned the mantle of President of India. Narasimha Rao Ji had asked sir (former Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia) to bring Manmohan Ji to the Rajya Sabha from Assam. Sir followed that instruction, said Congress MLA and Assams leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia who is the son of Hiteswar Saikia. Assam has fond memories of Singh. During his stint in the Rajya Sabha from Assam (1991-2019), he mentioned his residential address as House No 3989, Ward No 51, Nandan Nagar, Sarumataria, Guwahati in his election affidavits. A narrow road leads to the house which is registered in the name of Dr Hemo Prabha Saikia, wife of Hiteswar Saikia. He visited the house on some occasions but never stayed there. The soft-spoken Singh remained indebted to Hiteswar Saikia for taking charge of him by offering him a seat in Parliament. This was an honour done to me. I would never be able to forget it, he had once stated. He had also expressed gratitude to Hiteswar Saikia and his wife for adopting him as a tenant, thus helping him become an Assam resident. Accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur, Singh visited Guwahati during every election to exercise his franchise at a polling station at Dispur Government Higher Secondary School. As we mourn his passing, we also celebrate the life of a man who will always remain a guiding light for India. May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may his family find strength in this time of loss, Debabrata Saikia posted on X. Manmohan Singh: The most knowledgeable and, arguably, the most transformational Indian PM The Assam Congress wrote, Dr Manmohan Singh, the visionary Prime Minister who steered India from the brink of collapse to a thriving economy. A leader who worked quietly yet profoundly, shaping the nation's future without the clamor we often see today. Truly, the architect of New India. The Assam government announced seven-day state mourning as a mark of respect to the departed leader. During this period, the national flag will fly at half-mast at all state government establishments and all official entertainment programmes stand cancelled, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Coming from humble origins in a post-partition India, he served the nation in several distinguished positions. A generation of Indians will always remember his pivotal role in ushering a free market economy and ending decades of regressive socialist policies. In his demise the nation has lost a great patriot, an exceptional scholar, an unconventional politician and a fine statesman. My deepest condolences to Gursharan Madam, his family and well-wishers, Sarma posted on X.
Guwahati Police bust drug trafficking network; 4 arrested
HT Digital GUWAHATI, Dec 26: In a significant breakthrough against drug trafficking, an East Guwahati Police District (EGPD) team from Dispur Police Station intercepted a truck carrying contraband on GS Road at Khanapara, the city police officials informed on Thursday. Acting on specific intelligence, the team stopped the vehicle bearing registration number AS01RC9841 and conducted []
Two separate road accidents in Guwahati spark public outcry
HT Digital GUWAHATI, Dec 23: Two separate road incidents in Guwahati have sparked public outrage, one involving alleged police misconduct and another resulting in the loss of two lives, as reported in a news bulletin. In the first incident, a vehicle belonging to Dispur Traffic Police (registration number AS01EM7981) collided with a Maruti Suzuki car []
GUWAHATI: Indian Youth Congress (IYC) national president Uday Bhanu Chib was put in preventive detention by the Assam Police since Friday morning ahead of a protest over the death of a party worker two days ago, a top official said. Guwahati Police Commissioner Diganta Barah said that Chib is being held in the hotel where he has been staying. The youth Congress had planned a 'Dispur gherao' programme and Chib has been here to participate in the event. But we cannot allow such a gherao programme. He has been put in preventive detention and explained that he cannot leave the hotel, Barah told PTI. Congress activist Mridul Islam died during a 'Raj Bhawan Chalo' programme on Wednesday against a host of issues, including unrest in Manipur and bribery charges against Adani Group. The opposition party in Assam announced intensified protest programmes across the state, including the 'Dispur gherao' in the capital. Chib had visited the family of Islam along with other party leaders on Thursday.
Heroin worth Rs 1.4 cr seized in Guwahati, 3 arrested
Guwahati: Heroin worth nearly Rs 1.4 crore has been seized and three peddlers have been arrested from Guwahati, police said on Sunday. Acting on a tip-off, the Special Task Force (STF) conducted a raid in Balughat in Basistha police station area on Saturday evening and arrested a drug peddler, Assam Police Chief Public Relations Officer Pranabjyoti Goswami said in a statement. A total of 27 vials containing 36.05 gm of heroin, a mobile phone, a scooter and some cash were seized from his possession, he added. Upon being led by the arrested person, police searched a rented house in Beltola Bazar, Garokuchi Path in Dispur police station area and nabbed two more drug peddlers, Goswami said. From the duo, police seized 102 vials containing heroin weighing 138 gm, and two mobile phones, he added. Further investigation is underway, the CPRO said. Another senior official said that the total value of the seized drugs will be around Rs 1.4 crore as per Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) standards.
Drugs worth over Rs 3 cr seized in Guwahati, 4 held
Guwahati: Drugs worth more than Rs 3 crore have been recovered from Assam's Guwahati and four people, including a woman, have been arrested in this connection, police on Wednesday. The Guwahati police, in a series of posts on X, said that narcotics substances like heroin and 'Yaba' tablets were recovered from a guest house in Hatigaon area of the city. An EGPD team from Dispur PS seized 10,000 'Yaba' tablets, 11 grams of suspected heroin in 5 soap boxes after it carried out a raid, it added. The team from the East Guwahati Police District (EGPD) also nabbed four peddlers, including a 40-year-old woman, and seized four mobile phones along with Rs 5,000 in cash from their possession, it said. A senior official said that the total value of the seized drugs will be over Rs 3.08 crore as per Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) standards. 'Yaba' or 'crazy medicine' in Thai is a tablet form of a mixture of methamphetamine (a powerful and addictive stimulant) and caffeine.
