15 houses burnt in Manipurs Kamjong, three injured in gun attack
In a statement, police said a joint column of the Assam Rifles, the Border Security Force and Kamjong Police had been deployed in the affected area to bring the situation under control
JEE Main Registration 2027 LIVE: Application Form Details, Documents Required, Exam Dates
JEE Main Registration 2027 Live Updates:The exam is expected to be conducted in thirteen languages, i.e., English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
From Assam to Bihar, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Sikkim, West Bengal and more we check the full list of states that announced DA and DR hikes for employees and pensioners in 2026.
Confident NorthEast United face Kerala test at home
GMCH doc faces probe over sexual harassment
Guwahati IED case: NIA chargesheets Baruah, four others
Police shot at dacoity gang mastermind during escape bid at Rangia
HC quashes Assam University VCs appointment for failing eligibility norms
Vendors return to Fancy Bazar to cash in on shopping season
Durga walks into Dhubri streets with flood story
Kuki-Zo man killed, four injured in Manipur ambush
9-year-old girl dies after e-rickshaw hits her in Dhubri dist, driver arrested
Assam reclaims 300 hectares of forest land, evicts 500 families across 3 districts
Assam celebrates Maha Saptami with traditional rituals, themed pandals
As landslides threaten Mizoram, state turns to NBCC for tech help
Mizoram records 2,051 drug-related deaths since 1984; IDUs at 12,839
Member of banned KCP (MFL) held with LMG, M4 rifle, mortar in Manipur
Assam tops NATGRID use, new criminal laws implementation ranking
3 more die after consuming spurious liquor in Mokokchung
Meghalaya speaker recognises merger of UDP MLAs with BJP
Tripura gets rail supply of buffer onions ahead of festive season
Assam begins electoral roll revision, draft rolls to be out Nov 12
Assam has started the Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls to enhance accuracy and accessibility. The draft electoral rolls will be published on November 12, followed by a period for claims and objections. Polling stations will be rationalized to ensure no elector travels more than two kilometres to vote. The final electoral rolls are scheduled for publication on January 4, 2027.
Hyderabad: Man from Assam dies by suicide
Hyderabad: A 19-year-old man from Assam died allegedly by suicide in his rented room in Siddiq Nagar, Madhapur, on Friday, October 16, after he was reportedly questioned over suspected theft of pesticide chemicals from the company where he worked. The deceased, Anzar Hussain Balooch Ria, a native of Katlicherra village in Hailakandi district of Assam, Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
Himanta Biswa Sarma And Wife Congratulate Son On Completing Law Degree
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, congratulated their son on completing his law degree from the National Law School of India University (NLSIU).
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 | Ton-up Vihaan keeps Punjab in the hunt against Assam
With the second new ball just two overs old, Assam will walk out on the fourth morning with its tails up, hoping to find a crack in the nagging sixth-wicket partnership between Salil and Emanjot
Digital Desk | New Delhi/Hyderabad, Oct 17 (IANS) Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy has connected India's long-unresolved border enclaves with Bangladesh to the ongoing protests in Delhi against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, adding that the past territorial anomalies enabled illegal migration that still affects voter lists today. In a video explanation circulating widely, Reddy described the pre-2015 situation as one of the most bizarre international borders in existence. India had 111 enclaves inside Bangladesh while Bangladesh had 51 enclaves inside India. In some places the complexity ran deeper: second-order enclaves existed where a Bangladeshi pocket lay inside an Indian enclave that itself sat inside Bangladesh, and vice versa. These territories, left over from the Partition era, created service-less zones in which residents lacked reliable access to administration, identity documents and clear citizenship pathways for decades. The anomalies were finally settled through the 2015 Land Boundary Agreement, negotiated and passed by the Parliament under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Under the swap, residents were given the choice of citizenship and the last remaining pockets of foreign territory on either side of the border were eliminated. Reddy presented this resolution as the closure of a long-standing irregularity that had facilitated unchecked movement across the frontier. Such stupid borders were designed for political interests... and they continued from the day of Partition till recently, till 2015 until the Narendra Modi government came, the Telangana BJP MP said. He then linked that history directly to the current protests in the national capital. Demonstrators have opposed the Election Commission's SIR exercise, which critics claim has removed more than 130 million names from the electoral rolls, Reddy added. Supporters of the BJP MP's video said that the voter revision is a necessary housekeeping measure to identify and delete illegal or ineligible entries. Protesters, by contrast, said that large numbers of genuine eligible voters have been wrongly struck off and have demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Reddy framed the voter revision exercise as a logical continuation of earlier efforts to regularise citizenship and prevent infiltration from distorting democratic processes. He contended that porous borders and political patronage in certain states had previously allowed illegal migration to continue as a form of vote-bank politics, naming the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the Congress in Assam and elsewhere, with effects felt as far as Hyderabad, Delhi, Bihar and Odisha. In related remarks, the Telangana BJP MP broadened the charge. He alleged that recent protests and digital campaigns form part of a coordinated international effort aimed at regime change against Prime Minister Modi. According to Reddy, a diverse coalition of opposition parties and fringe groupsincluding the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK and extreme organisations, together with external actorsshare a single objective: to unseat the government. They (Opposition) do not have a common cause. The common cause is not NEET, not the UPI payment system, not the Election Commission... The common cause is to defeat PM Modi, regime change, he said, insisting that leadership change in a democracy must occur only through elections, not through orchestrated street agitation. Reddy also claimed large-scale manipulation of social-media metrics. Referring to an independent political figure associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, the Telangana BJP MP described a sudden surge of millions of Instagram followers as 100 per cent fake, 100 per cent paid, contrasting the online numbers with the modest physical turnout at the early stages of the protests. He also warned of multifaceted external pressures targeting India's economic stabilitycurrency volatility, disruptions in oil trade, and potential impacts on the information-technology and pharmaceutical sectors. In his view, strong leadership under PM Modi has so far enabled India to navigate these challenges while preserving strategic and economic autonomy. The discussion has added a historical dimension to an already polarised debate over electoral integrity, citizenship verification and the legacy of Partition-era borders. While the 2015 agreement resolved the enclave problem on paper, questions about migration, documentation and the accuracy of voter lists continue to surface. As protests persist in Delhi, interpretations of the SIR remain sharply divided; one side sees it as a safeguard against illegal entries, the other as an overreach that disenfranchises citizens. Reddy's intervention has injected the story of the old enclaves into that contemporary argument, presenting the current clean-up of electoral rolls as the unfinished business of regularising who belongs on India's voter lists.
Assam Leads Nation in Implementation of New Criminal Code, CM Sarma Vows to Strengthen Law and Order
Assam ranks first in implementing the new criminal code, showcasing the governments commitment to law enforcement and public safety. Assam Leads Nation in Implementation of New Criminal Code, CM Sarma Vows to Strengthen Law and Order
Major Drug Bust: 3 Women Held With Rs 2 Crore Brown Sugar Raw Material
Three women were arrested by Government Railway Police at Old Malda station after 1.28 kg of raw materials allegedly used to manufacture brown sugar, valued at nearly Rs 2 crore, was seized from their possession. The women, residents of Assam, were travelling on the Vivek Express and were reportedly promised Rs 15,000 each for transporting the materials.
Tura writer Nirmal Koch honoured with Sahitya Award in Assam
Shillong, Oct 17: Noted poet, writer and researcher Nirmal Koch of Tura has been honoured with Sahitya Award 2026 by Sahitya Charcha Kendra, Assam, for his lifelong contribution to literature and efforts to preserve Koch language, literature and cultural heritage. The award was presented at the 9th annual literary festival, Sharatar Duporiya, held at Schemio [] The post Tura writer Nirmal Koch honoured with Sahitya Award in Assam first appeared on Highland Post .
Ahead Of New Zealand Tour, Shubman Gill To Turn Out For Punjab In Ranji Trophy Second Round
The Ranji Trophy: India's Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill will turn out for Punjab in their Ranji Trophy second round match against Chhattisgarh in New Chandigarh, starting on Sunday. The development comes at a time when Gill is eyeing to get some red-ball game time under his belt before departing for the New Zealand tour. Gill, 27, has been drafted into the squad at the eleventh hour, with Uday Saharan to continue to lead the side. India's ODI series in New Zealand runs from November 4 to 15, but Gill will play only the first three matches. He will then hand the 50-over captaincy to Shreyas Iyer and shift his focus to the two-game Test series that follows. An India A side will be touring New Zealand at the same time for three unofficial Tests against New Zealand A. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul have been named for all three games. Gill, however, will not be a part of it, as he was originally expected to turn out in one of those India A. But that plan has fallen through as the third four-day game, scheduled from November 7 to 10 in Lincoln, clashes with the second and third ODIs. The Ranji Trophy outing, therefore, offers Gill a timely chance at long-format practice before the Tests. Gill is likely to bat at number four for Punjab, which could see Jashanpreet Sidhu left out of the playing eleven. Punjabs batting will be further bolstered by the return of wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh, who missed the season opener against Assam last week due to India A duty, where he made 39 and 17 against Australia A in the 2-1 50-over series defeat in Puducherry. Punjab began their campaign on a positive note by collecting three points from that game against Assam courtesy of a first-innings lead. Vihaan Malhotra, Emanjot Chahal and Salil Arora all struck hundreds in the contest. The match was also significant for veteran India pacer Umesh Yadav, who made his first-class comeback after a gap of more than two years. Umesh, who switched from Vidarbha to Punjab ahead of the domestic season, marked his return with figures of 5-70, his 16th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. With Gill, Prabhsimran and the three centurions from the opening game, Punjab will field a formidable batting line-up as they look to build on their early points against Chhattisgarh in front of their home crowd at the New PCA Stadium. The Punjab-Chhattisgarh match will be broadcasted on JioHotstar and Star Sports Khel, while Karnataka-Saurashtra and Kerala-Odisha clashes will be live-streamed on JioHotstar. With Gill, Prabhsimran and the three centurions from the opening game, Punjab will field a formidable batting line-up as they look to build on their early points against Chhattisgarh in front of their home crowd at the New PCA Stadium. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Article Source: IANS
Joint Operation by Assam Rifles and Police Leads to Arrest of Five UNLF Suspects in Manipur
A joint operation in Manipur results in the arrest of five suspected members of the UNLF, highlighting ongoing security concerns in the region. Joint Operation by Assam Rifles and Police Leads to Arrest of Five UNLF Suspects in Manipur
Guwahati, October 17: A doctor at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has been detained by Bhangagarh Police following allegations of molestation by a young woman who visited the hospital to show her medical reports on October 15. According to the complaint, the doctor allegedly touched the woman inappropriately, including her private parts, inside... The post Assam: Gauhati Medical College Doctor Detained After Woman Alleges Sexual Misconduct During Consultation first appeared on Northeast Today .
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, a global body involving 72 national governments and other stakeholders, maps telecommunication towers across five States
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 | Denish and Sibsankars centuries propel Assam to 373
The duo rescues the visitor from a precarious 23 for three with a 168-run stand; Sarupam chips in a with a half-century; Umesh scalps five wickets for Punjab
Anti-Encroachment Drives Launched In Three Assam Districts To Clear Over 300 Hectares Of Forest Land
Guwahati, Oct 17: Authorities in Assam conducted eviction drives across three districts on Saturday to clear encroachments from reserved forest land, reclaiming more than 300 hectares. The operations, carried out in Golaghat, Nagaon, and Hojai districts, affected over 500 families, officials confirmed. Excavators were deployed to demolish structures, though most residents had already vacated... The post Anti-Encroachment Drives Launched In Three Assam Districts To Clear Over 300 Hectares Of Forest Land first appeared on Northeast Today .
WAMUL Assistant Recruitment 2026
West Assam Milk Producers Cooperative Union (WAMUL) has announced 9 vacancies, including Assistant-IV (Dairy) and Assistant-I Dairy (Operator) posts. The online application process will begin on 17 October 2026, and the last date to apply is 05 November 2026. Candidates can apply through the official website, recruitment.purabi.coop.
Agartala (Tripura) [India], October 17 (ANI): A 72-hour blockade of the Assam-Agartala National Highway, called by the surrendered militant groups of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) under the Kaulajoy faction, was effectively foiled by the swift action of the police administration on Saturday. Although tensions arose in the Chandra Sadhup para area of Baramura over the proposed blockade, vehicular movement along the national highway is currently normal. According to reports, as per their pre-announced programme, members of the surrendered militant groups associated with the Kaulajoy faction of the NLFT and ATTF arrived at Chandra Sadhup para in Baramura on Maha Saptami to participate in the 72-hour highway blockade. Upon receiving the information, police officials, accompanied by a Deputy Collector and Magistrate (DCM) from the Jirania Sub-Divisional Administration, reached the spot. The officials held discussions with the protesters a...
Tripura police foil 72-hour Assam-Agartala highway blockade; two officers injured
The News Mill
ECI orders Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three UTs
The Election Commission (ECI) has ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 States and three Union Territories with the 1st of January next year as the qualifying date. These states and UTs are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, []
'He insisted on examining me': Woman accuses Gauhati doctor of sexual harassment
The News Mill
Gauhati HC directs Assam varsity VC to vacate post over alleged UGC norm violations
Guwahati The Gauhati High Court has directed the Vice-Chancellor of Assam University, Silchar, Rajive Mohan Pant, to vacate his post The post Gauhati HC directs Assam varsity VC to vacate post over alleged UGC norm violations appeared first on Bilkul Online .
Video: 7-Foot Durga Idol Made With 50,000 Safety Pins Becomes Major Attraction In Assam
An artist in Assam's Dhubri district has created a seven-foot-tall Durga idol using 50,000 safety pins, combining creativity with a message on women's dignity and safety.
Assam To Publish Draft Electoral Rolls On November 12, Final Voters
Guwahati, Oct 17: The Chief Electoral Officer of Assam announced on Friday that the state has begun a Special Summary Revision (SSR) of its electoral rolls. As part of the exercise, draft rolls will be published on November 12, while the final voters list is scheduled for release on January 4. Officials stated that the... The post Assam To Publish Draft Electoral Rolls On November 12, Final Voters List On January 4 first appeared on Northeast Today .
NIA Chargesheets Five Accused In 2024 ULFA (I) IED Recovery Case In Assam
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against five individuals in connection with the recovery of an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by the proscribed terrorist organisation ULFA (I) in Guwahati, Assam, on August 15, 2024. The chargesheet was submitted before the NIA Special Court in Guwahati. According to the NIA, those... The post NIA Chargesheets Five Accused In 2024 ULFA (I) IED Recovery Case In Assam first appeared on Northeast Today .
Guwahati, Oct 17: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday alleged that anti-national forces were attempting to overthrow the government through street protests and seize power by what he described as anarchist and undemocratic means. He claimed that those unable to secure the peoples mandate were now seeking to engineer a regime change. In... The post Assam CM Accuses Anti-National Forces Of Plotting Regime Change, Prashant Bhushan Defends Call For Government Change first appeared on Northeast Today .
NIA chargesheets five accused in 2024 ULFA (I) IED case in Assam
The News Mill
Assam Chief Minister Inaugurates New Assam Bhawan in Bengaluru
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma opens Assam Bhawan in Bengaluru, aiming to boost job opportunities and strengthen ties with Karnataka. Assam Chief Minister Inaugurates New Assam Bhawan in Bengaluru
Assam CM throws open Rs 71cr Assam Bhawan in Bengaluru
Gandhi Shilp Bazaar in Vijayawada showcases rich heritage of crafts, handlooms
Around 70 artisans and weavers from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and other States showcase a wide range of traditional crafts and region-specific products
Tamil Nadu to Assam: 5 states on govt radar for new university townships
TN, Assam, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha will submit proposals once guidelines on the framework are issued
Women protest against Motha min in Khowai; highlights rift in party
Mizoram Police headquarters adopts e-office system to streamline workflow
Chatribari Pandal holds up the mirror to Assams indigenous tribal heritage
BTC launches Rs 13.9-crore TipkaiSapatgram road project
FIR against forest official, others over Rs 1 lakh bribe demand
Idol crafter from food grains to grab eyeballs
Large crowds spill onto Agartala streets
Relief distributed to 250 households after Pungro violence
4-yr-old among 4 killed in road accidents across Barak, 3 injured
Siang project row deepens as Cong questions consent, safety
Akoijam to challenge JNU dismissal over sexual harassment charge
Assam voter roll SSR from Nov 2, final list on Jan 4
EC orders SSR for poll-bound Manipur to enrol left-out, young & 1st-time voters
Five film critics from Assam featured in FIPRESCI India
When a regions cinema is taken seriously by the countrys most respected film journal, it is a sign that a conversation is maturing. The July to September 2026 issue of E-CineIndia (Vol. XXXI), published by FIPRESCI India, carries 39 entries, and five of its authors are from Assam. For a state whose film culture is [] The post Five film critics from Assam featured in FIPRESCI Indias E-CineIndia journal appeared first on NorthEast Now .
Zubeen Garg death case: Gauhati HC grants bail to suspended DSP Sandipon Garg
The Gauhati High Court has granted bail to Sandipon Garg, the suspended Assam Police DSP, linked to the controversial death of his cousin, Zubeen Garg. Arrested by the Special Investigation Team, Sandipon follows Amritprava Mahanta, the first accused, who also received bail. Additionally, the Supreme Court emphasized the need for an expedited trial for festival organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta amidst discussions on the nature of Zubeen's deathaccidental or conspiratorial.
Has BJP Finally Breached Assams Muslim Fortress?
The most striking feature of the Nagaon verdict is Mr Ajmals defeat. For years, the AIUDF chief cultivated a political constituency by presenting himself as a defender of minority interests. The Congress, meanwhile, relied heavily on minority support to remain electorally competitive across several parts of Assam
Assam Bhavan in Bengaluru to strengthen Karnataka-Assam ties: Himanta Biswa Sarma
The construction of Assam Bhavan began in 2016 but was stalled due to certain issues involving the Karnataka governments Revenue Department.
Bodo Student Union Raises Alarm Over Removal of Bodo Language Sign in Assam
The All Bodo Students Union warns of renewed demands for a separate Bodoland state following the removal of a Bodo language sign in Assam. Bodo Student Union Raises Alarm Over Removal of Bodo Language Sign in Assam
Zubeen death case: HC grants bail to singers suspended DSP cousin
Silchar, Udharbond light up as revellers flood pandals
Vigilance Raids Vaikom CI Over Alleged Bribery Network
Kerala's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted a surprise inspection at the Vaikom Circle Inspector's office following allegations of bribery. The officer is accused of using a bank account opened in an Assam native's name to receive illicit payments from the soil mafia, lorry operators, and criminal accused, with Rs 2.28 lakh reportedly credited within a month.
The Elephant Ownership Exception: A History of Protection and Possession
In 1963, private forest owners in Malabar challenged provisions of the Kerala Forest Act, 1961 (Act IV of 1962). The question before the Court was whether the State could deprive forest owners of their existing right to capture and own elephants found on their land. In Kuppathode Madhavan Nair v State of Kerala (1963), the Kerala High Court sided with the owners. Applying common-law principles inherited from the colonial period, it held that ownership of land conferred a qualified right over wild animals found there ( ratione soli ), including the right to capture them and claim them as private property. Within a decade, the Indian Parliament would enact a national conservation law and the Constitution would soon expressly recognise duties towards forests, wildlife ( Article 48A ) and living creatures ( Article 51A(g) ). Even though the elephants legal status would change profoundly as both a Schedule I animal in law and a National Heritage Animal, a symbol of the country itself, the owners place in her life would prove much harder to dislodge. Elephants, forests and capture The Malabar litigation belonged to a much longer history in which protecting elephants and putting them to work were closely connected. In Elephants and Kings: An Environmental History (2015), Thomas R. Trautmann, a historian and anthropologist, explains how the military value of elephants gave Indian rulers an interest in preserving wild populations and the forests that sustained them, even as they continued to capture individual animals. Academic Natasha Nongbris 2003 study of nineteenth-century Northeast India shows how colonial authorities regulated capture of elephants through licences, leased grounds and royalties. The forest was not simply a place where elephants lived. It was also the source of successive generations taken into captivity. Preserving wild elephant populations and capturing individual animals became part of the same policy which gave birth to the Elephant Preservation Act, 1879, a national law modelled on the regional Madras Wild Elephant Preservation Act, 1873. It was arguably the first national law on Elephants in British India enacted with the ostensive realisation that a live elephant was more valuable than dead. The policy as preservation, not conservation, was instrumentalised to preserve the source the elephant in the forest, to allow for its simultaneous extraction from it to feed the rising demand for captive elephants. Among the important establishments in this system were Dacca, now Dhaka, and Mysore , both associated with khedda operations in which wild elephants were driven into stockades and subdued with the help of trained elephants. The Dacca establishment drew upon the Garo Hills and other northeastern forests, while the Mysore operations captured elephants from the forests of southern India. These regional systems of capture existed alongside wider networks of trade. The Sonpur fair in Bihar , already an important elephant market in the nineteenth century, connected elephants captured in the Northeast with buyers from elsewhere in India. Against this background of an extensive elephant trade, the forest-owning timber merchants in Kuppathode Madhavan Nair asserted their right to capture elephants and put them to work within a legal order that still accepted their removal into human service. The shift in constitutional law The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 introduced a national framework for conservation, prohibiting the hunting of the most protected species. Yet the elephants initial classification revealed how much of the older world remained. She appeared in Schedule II, Part I as special game, whose hunting which included capture could be licensed, while Section 2(6) included domestic elephants, curiously for a wildlife law, in its definition of cattle. The changes of the next five years gave the law a different direction. The Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976 , passed during the Emergency, is remembered for weakening fundamental rights and curbing the powers of the courts. Yet it left a curious and enduring legacy in the protection of the environment and animals. Even during the darkest period of Indira Gandhis leadership, her concern for the natural world found expression in the Constitution. The amendment inserted Article 48A, directing the State to protect the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife, and Article 51A(g), making it the duty of every citizen to protect the natural environment and to have compassion for living creatures. These duties gave constitutional weight to the responsibilities we owe to the non-human world. In October 1977, months after these provisions took effect, the elephant was elevated to Schedule I , bringing her capture within the highest level of statutory protection. In 1986, amid growing concern over the killing of elephants for their tusks, Parliament prohibited domestic trade in Indian elephant ivory. In 1991, following stronger international restrictions under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna, it extended the prohibition to imported ivory, which traders had been using as a cover for selling ivory from poached Indian elephants . That year, Parliament also removed the Acts definition of cattle, which had included domestic elephants. It introduced livestock in its place, expressly excluding protected wild animals. Yet these changes did not bring private ownership of elephants to an end. Under Sections 4042, people in lawful possession of elephants could declare them to the authorities and obtain certificates recognising their ownership after an inquiry. Even as the law strengthened protection for elephants and restricted the trade in their ivory, it continued to recognise that a living elephant could remain someones property. The 2002 amendment: live elephant ownership exception and the prohibition on sale A 2002 amendment to the Act (which became effective from 2003) tightened restrictions on private ownership of protected captive animals. However, it expressly exempted live elephants. Although the newly introduced Section 43 prohibited transfers for any commercial consideration, a person could still acquire an elephant and pass her to another owner with the necessary permissions. This left an opening for sales disguised as gifts. In the years that followed, animal protection organisations documented how this distinction enabled trade to continue. At the Sonpur Mela in Bihar, where elephants had long been bought and sold, transactions were now presented as gifts. Researchers even recorded owners carrying blank gift deeds to transfer possession. These practices formed part of the challenge brought to the Supreme Court in 2014 by the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC) and others in W.P.(C) No. 743 of 2014. Still pending twelve years later, the WRRC case has become a central proceeding through which the Court supervises the treatment and regulation of captive elephants. Although the Court imposed no blanket prohibition, the continuing proceedings, notices to forest departments in every State with captive elephants, and numerous interim orders largely halted the trade. These included a nationwide census and checks on ownership certificates , welfare inspections at tourist resorts in Goa , and an order blocking Keralas attempt to regularise 289 elephants held without ownership certificates and restraining their transfer. The Courts scrutiny of ownership papers and transfers had made the trade harder to carry on. A 2021 case in Guwahati High Court confirmed the concerns raised by WRRC before the Supreme Court in 2014. In April 2021, forest officials at Doomdooma in Assams Tinsukia district intercepted two elephants travelling from Arunachal Pradesh to Odisha, ostensibly for religious purposes. Their investigation went beyond the ownership certificates and transport permissions. In a recorded statement, the claimed owner described bank payments of 9 lakh and 17 lakh from an intermediary who had also arranged the documents. He could not identify the receiving religious institution. In State of Assam v. Sri Chow Sonjit Pomong (2021), the Gauhati High Court found prima facie evidence of a commercial sale and set aside the order releasing the elephants to the claimed owner while the investigation continued. The elephants were reported to be in the Forest Departments custody at Kaziranga National Park. The 2022 amendment: religious and other purposes In December 2021, the Central Government introduced the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 , which went considerably further than the amendment eventually enacted. It proposed exempting transfers of live elephants by ownership certificate holders from Section 43 altogether, subject to government permission and prescribed conditions. This would have removed the prohibition on commercial transfers for those elephants, allowing them to be openly bought and sold again. The pressure for change came particularly from Kerala, where temple authorities and private elephant owners associations were seeking easier acquisition and interstate transfer of elephants. In my view, the elephant provision in the 2022 amendment must be understood as an attempt to loosen the practical restraints that the Supreme Courts scrutiny in the WRRC case had helped impose. Following objections from conservation and animal protection organisations, the Parliamentary Standing Committee chaired by Jairam Ramesh recommended deleting this proposal. In April 2022, it suggested a narrower provision allowing transfers of existing captive elephants for religious institutions, with additional safeguards. The version Parliament ultimately enacted extended this to transfers for a religious or any other purpose , subject to conditions prescribed by the Central Government. The prohibition on commercial consideration remained. Non-commercial transfers were already possible under the elephant exception introduced in 2002. An amendment was therefore unnecessary merely to allow an elephant to pass from one private owner to another as a gift. In this respect, the new provision largely reaffirmed the existing position, while creating a specific framework for central rules governing transfers . Its practical significance lay in giving renewed statutory backing to transfers at a time when litigation and enforcement had made them increasingly difficult. The words any other purpose were particularly troubling because they offered no meaningful limit of their own. For those of us who had worked to curb the use of elephants for begging, entertainment, circuses and timber logging, the concern was that this broad wording could encourage attempts to revive practices we had spent years challenging. The safeguards governing these transfers consequently became crucial. On March 14, 2024, fifteen months after the amendment, the government notified the Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules (2024 Rules). These attempted to place meaningful safeguards around a difficult accommodation. By limiting transfers to elephants whose ownership certificates predated the Rules and to their offspring, and by requiring registration of genetic profiles, they offered a means of confining transfers to an identifiable population already lawfully in captivity. Read together, these provisions seek to break the logic of the khedda , in which the forest continually supplied elephants for human use. Putting this into practice is a demanding exercise. The State must build a reliable genetic record of the captive population, then verify each claimed captive birth through a DNA match with the mother and records establishing that she was lawfully held. Each new addition must be traceable to this legally recognised population, closing off the forest as a continuing source of captive elephants. Yet the government was still struggling to identify the population it sought to regulate. In August 2026, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change placed the proceedings of the Captive Elephant Healthcare and Welfare Committee (formed under Project Elephant) for the month of February before the Supreme Court in the WRRC case . These recorded that the profiling exercise remained incomplete and that, among 2,075 samples analysed, 40.5 per cent of elephants had unknown origins and 25.4 per cent were documented as wild-caught. Nearly two-thirds therefore fell into these two categories. The continuing exception These concerns have become urgent with the September 2026 movement of five young elephants from Assam to Tamil Nadu temples: Durga, Rupsing, Shiva, Hiralal and Bijuli. More than fifty organisations have sought an independent investigation into their origins, ownership documents and the possibility of sales disguised as gifts. The pace of the transfers shows how readily decisions that will shape decades of an elephants life can be made while fundamental questions remain publicly unanswered. In my account of Durgas transfer , the sequence from the request for a health certificate to her departure from Manas took three days. Her ownership certificate was issued in October 2025, after the 2024 Rules came into effect, so her transfer depended on a claimed captive birth to a mother covered by them, yet her mothers identity and lawful captive status remained publicly unverified. A five-year-old elephant is not a remnant of pre-conservation law; she is another generation entering a system that can determine almost her entire future. These journeys follow years of large transfers from the Northeast to Vantara in Jamnagar, where reporting in 2024 documented convoys coming in from Arunachal Pradesh and the private wildlife facility hosting more than 200 elephants. Vantara describes its work as rescue and rehabilitation, and in September 2025 the Supreme Court accepted an investigation reporting no legal violations. Its transfers and those to temples have different stated purposes, but their scale raises a very important question: how should a constitutional commitment to wildlife, and to compassion for living creatures, govern the continuing movement and concentration of elephants in human institutions? Elephants leaving the Northeast in convoys is not very dissimilar from the old geography of the khedda , when the forests of the Garo Hills supplied elephants to distant establishments and markets. Trautmann and Nongbri show that the forest sustained a system in which wild populations were protected in part because they supplied animals for capture. The question is whether the modern ownership regime has truly broken that relationship. In his Study on Illegal Sale and Transfer of Live Elephants from Assam , Chaturbhuja Behera, then a regional official of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, described illegal sales and transfers, accounts of wild calves being captured, and weaknesses in records used to establish captive birth. Findings such as this make it difficult to treat an ownership certificate, by itself, as an answer to where a young elephant came from. The 2024 Rules thus return us to the contradiction the law has carried since 1972. Once again, the government is trying to make its core commitment to protection coexist with private ownership, a relationship that subordinates an elephants life to the purposes of her owner. The safeguards are necessary, but they cannot resolve that contradiction while the exception is effectively allowing institutions to replenish their captive populations for generations to come. The demand for young elephants must be supplied from somewhere. The historical answer is in front of us: it is the forest. The forest is the breeding ground from which elephants have long been taken to replenish captivity. The exception leaves open the route by which demand for elephants in captivity can be met through illegal capture in the wild, disguised as captive-born. More than sixty years after the Malabar owners defended their right to capture elephants for timber in Kerala High Court, the law is yet to confront the continuity between that older system and the present one.
Gold, silver prices stay steady amid strengthening rupee
New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) Gold and silver prices stayed steady in the national capital on Friday, offering little respite after a volatile week, as a strengthening rupee capped recovery in the precious metals. The 99.9 per cent pure yellow metal remained unchanged at Rs 1,49,900 per 10 grams, inclusive of all taxes. Silver also held steady at Rs 2.15 lakh per kilogram, according to local traders. Gold prices declined Rs 4,500, or 3 per cent, during the week, while silver shed Rs 13,500 or 6 per cent, in the local market. The precious metals attempted to claw back losses
Two Rare Turtles Rescued In Assam
Guwahati, Oct 16: Two rare turtles were rescued in Assams Tinsukia district, Minister for Environment and Forests Jayanta Malla Baruah announced on Friday. One of the turtles was spotted moving along the DigboiTingraiDoomdooma road, where it faced the risk of being struck by vehicles. Local residents, with assistance from the Doomdooma forest department, intervened to... The post Two Rare Turtles Rescued In Assams Tinsukia District first appeared on Northeast Today .
Bail Granted To DSP In Zubeen Garg Death Case
The Gauhati High Court has granted bail to suspended Assam Police DSP Sandipon Garg, an accused in the mysterious death case of singer Zubeen Garg. Garg, charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, is expected to be released after the Durga Puja holidays. This follows earlier bail grants to other accused in the high-profile case, even as investigations continue despite conflicting findings from Singaporean authorities.
Nearly 50 people die annually in Mizoram due to drugs: Official
Digital Desk | Aizawl, Oct 16 (IANS) An average of around 50 people die every year in Mizoram due to drug-related causes, with a total of 2,051 deaths recorded between 1984 and October 7 this year, officials said on Friday. Mizoram Excise and Narcotics Department (END) Joint Commissioner, Peter Zohmingthanga, while addressing a drug abuse prevention awareness campaign organised in collaboration with the Mizoram Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (MBOCWWB), highlighted the prevalence of drug abuse in the state and its harmful consequences. He stated that, from 1984 to October 7, 2026, a total of 2,051 people had died due to drug-related causes in Mizoram, comprising 1,799 males and 252 females. He also referred to the Survey Report on Drugs and Children in Mizoram 2022, which indicated that middle school students in the 10-14 age group in the state had already started using cannabis (ganja), highlighting the need for early intervention and awareness among children and adolescents. Highlighting the initiatives undertaken by the state government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to combat drug abuse, Zohmingthanga explained the various steps students could take individually to stay away from drugs and contribute towards building a drug-free society. Addressing the event, Mizoram Excise and Narcotics Department Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar said that one of the major reasons behind the prevalence of drug abuse was the high demand for and consumption of drugs. He remarked that although Assam had previously served as a route for drug trafficking, its people had generally not been inclined towards drug use. The Minister particularly urged the students of Government Champhai College to stay completely away from drug abuse and lead a healthy life free from addiction. North Eastern Council (NEC) Secretary, Satinder Kumar Bhalla, praised the Mizo tradition of tlawmngaihna (volunteerism and selfless community service)', describing it as exemplary and commendable. Referring to the serious drug-related challenges faced by his home state of Punjab, Bhalla emphasised that for India to become a developed nation by 2047, people must give up drugs and other harmful practices and channel their thoughts, energy and abilities towards national development. He encouraged students to acquire skills that would enable them not only to earn a livelihood for themselves but also to create employment opportunities for others, thereby contributing to the country's economic growth. Mizoram and Manipur have emerged as major drug-trafficking corridors in the Northeast because of their long and porous International Borders with Myanmar and their proximity to the Golden Triangle, one of the world's major illicit narcotics-producing regions. The Golden Triangle, comprising parts of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, has long been associated with the illicit production and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The region's proximity to India's Northeastern states has posed persistent challenges for security forces and drug enforcement agencies working to curb the cross-border smuggling of narcotics. Six districts of Mizoram and five districts of Manipur share a 910-km-long International Border with Myanmar, much of which remains unfenced, making the region vulnerable to cross-border smuggling and other illegal activities involving narcotics and contraband goods. The substances and items trafficked across the region include highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, heroin, foreign-made cigarettes, fertilisers and other contraband products.
'Regime change' row escalates': Assam CM Himantas blunt message to CJP, Congress
Who is Samyak Chakrabarty? Meet the co-founder of Navya Naveli Nanda's Nimaya Foundation
Samyak Chakrabarty, co-founder of Nimaya Foundation with Navya Naveli Nanda, works at the intersection of AI, entrepreneurship and social impact. A Jai Hind College alumnus, he has served as a Senior Fellow at Ashoka University, founded Workverse and The Smart Fellowship, and worked at DDB Mudra Group. He recently met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with Nanda to propose expanding the GenAI Ready Naari programme for young women.
Assam Police Seized Drugs Worth
Assam Police seized drugs worth approximately 13 crore and arrested five people in two separate operations, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday. Guwahati Police seized 1.056 kg of suspected narcotics worth 8 crore and arrested two people, while Nagaon Police recovered 1.023 kg of cocaine valued at 5 crore and apprehended three... The post Assam Police Seized Drugs Worth 13 Crore, Arrest Five In Anti-Drug Operations first appeared on Northeast Today .
High Court Directs Centre, Assam To Trace Woman Expelled To Bangladesh
The woman - Mumtaz Begum, a resident of Dhing in Nagaon district - was taken into custody on May 30 and expelled to Bangladesh about two weeks later.
APSC District Museum Officer Interview Schedule 2026 Out - Check Interview Dates at apsc.nic.in
APSC District Museum Officer Interview Schedule 2026 has been released on 15 October by the Assam Public Service Commission for District Museum Officer Grade-I (Gazetted) posts under Advertisement No. 34/2025. The interview will be held on 30 October 2026 at 9:00 AM in Guwahati. Candidates can download their intimation letters from 26 October 2026 and check the official interview schedule, venue, reporting time and required documents here.
ONGC Assam Asset Recruitment 2026
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Assam Asset, has released the notification for 20 vacancies, including Associate Consultant and Junior Consultant posts. Eligible candidates can send their applications by email till 12 November 2026.
NID Assam Senior Assistant Recruitment 2026
National Institute of Design Assam (NID Assam) has published the Recruitment 2026 notification for the post of Senior Assistant (Finance & Accounts). The online application process will be conducted from 15 October 2026 to 15 November 2026. Eligible candidates can apply through the official website, nidj.ac.in.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has praised Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Assam Police for their relentless crackdown on narcotics, describing it as a decisive strike against drug networks. In a post on X, Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision for a Nasha Mukt Bharat and reaffirmed that the fight against... The post Union Home Minister Amit Shah Praises Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Police For Anti-Drug Crackdown; 945 Arrested first appeared on Northeast Today .
National Institute of Design, Assam (NID Assam) has published the Recruitment 2026 notification for 4 vacancies, including Associate Senior Design Instructor, Design Instructor, and Technical Instructor posts. The online application process will be conducted from 16 October 2026 to 16 November 2026. Eligible candidates can apply through the official website, nidj.ac.in.
Kids and teens are going to AI chatbots for advice. How can parents make sure this is safe?
Canberra, Oct 16 (Conversation) Last week, Australian Federal Police commissioner Krissy Barrett warned artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are not a sufficient replacement for human support for children. The comment was in response to a recent Adelaide University study that found more than one in three Australian children turn to AI chatbots for support when they are sexually victimised online, or otherwise tell nobody at all. While there can be benefits to children using AI, such as help with learning, or practising social skills, there is also a risk they will go to AI chatbots and assistants for emotional support over
Assams Chief Minister Praises Women Forest Guards as Forest Durga Protectors
Assams CM Himanta Biswa Sarma honors female forest guards in Kaziranga, calling them vital protectors of the states wildlife heritage. Assams Chief Minister Praises Women Forest Guards as Forest Durga Protectors
