The Namsai police on Tuesday arrested one Birbal Tanti (29) and two others for the rape and murder from a tea garden in Chongkham circle. The fourth accused is still absconding. “Prima facie, it looks like the child has undergone sexual assault. However, we are yet to receive medical reports of the same,” the SP said, adding that “the accused admitted to the crime during interrogation” and a case has been registered against him at the Chongkham police station.

According to sources, this incident took place somewhere between 15 and 16 September, and the parents filed a complaint with the police only after her dead body was found near a stream by a fisherman.

Following this, the body had been sent to a local hospital for post-mortem, and the body was handed over to the family for burial. “We gathered all required evidence before handing over the body to the family,” the Superintend of Police had said.

However, it has been more than 5 days since the body was found and the SP informed that they were waiting for the Post-Mortem report of the murder. Given that the victim is a minor, the case would have been taken on priority anywhere.

Local Women’s Organizations from the Village and members of All Arunachal Pradesh Gorkha Youth Welfare Association – Namsai Unit are following up on the case with the police and have promised to fight the case until the perpetrators are punished for their actions. The community has assured all possible help for the victim’s help.

What is worrisome is that a few weeks earlier, there was another report of two-minors being raped at Namsai District. The Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW) had vehemently condemned after a team visited and spoke to the SP there yesterday. As per reports, the girls were of 12 and 13 years and five alleged accused were booked under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

What is most baffling about the whole issues is that despite repeated gruesome incidents of rape coming to light at Namsai, the administration seems to be asleep.

Three minors being raped in a month, in a small population concentrated place like Namsai district is not something that the local administration and police officials can overlook. Our correspondent tried to call the office of State Commission for Women to ascertain whether the commission is aware of the incident but could not reach them on the phone.

The post 6-Year-Old Gorkha Girl Raped and Murdered in Arunachal Pradesh appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

While Pema Khandu kept the key PWD department besides other portfolios, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein got finance and investment, as well as power and non-conventional energy resources, an official release said.

Senior cabinet minister Wangki Lowang has been allocated public health engineering and water supply, while Honchun Ngandam got the Rural Works department.

Bamang Felix, who held the RWD department in the previous government, has been handed another important portfolio of Home and Inter State Border Affairs, besides Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, and Parliamentary Affairs, the release said.

Tage Taki, a first-time minister, has been allocated the portfolios of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Dairy Development and Fisheries.

Another first-timer Mama Natung got the Water Resources, Sports and Youth Affairs departments.

Two other new-comers — Nakap Nalo (Nacho constituency) and Taba Tedir (Yachuli) — were also inducted in the council of ministers.

The ministers were sworn in the presence of CM Pema Khandu on May 29 in Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar.

It may be reminded that The BJP has won 41 seats in the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly. This is the first time BJP is forming an elected government in the state.

As many as 20 first timers won the Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh this time with a majority of them from the BJP.

Arunachal Pradesh has a 60-member Assembly. Eleven of the first timers are from the BJP, six from the Janata Dal (United), two from National People’s Party (NPP) and one Independent.

The JD(U) and the NPP contested the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections for the first time. The border state has a legacy of electing first timers.

In 2014 Assembly polls, altogether 19 new comers were elected in this remote  northeastern state while in the 2009 polls 17 new entrants tasted luck.

The figure was encouraging in the 2004 Assembly elections where 24 new faces were elected.

[Via: PTI]

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2014 was a game-changer for the country’s political landscape in many ways. BJP’s convincing win proved that the country has shed its Congress-centric governance and bureaucratic system. More importantly, it was the rise of Narendra Modi’s development-centric politics that sought to provide an alternative to the change-starved youngest democracy of the world.

The rise of Narendra Modi as the solution for India’s socio-economic problems also changed the political narrative of the NorthEast region, which traditionally shares very little of mainstream India’s political concerns or narrative. Since independence, politics in this region has mostly found itself aligning to the powers in Delhi. Very few had anticipated such an overwhelming response to Modi wave given to his affiliation with BJP. Today, the BJP is in power or coalition with almost every state, except for Mizoram.

However, the shift of power, one must remember, is not an ideological shift but a convenient arrangement for a promising future. And true to the promises of Modi’s development agenda, more people today have access to gas connections, electricity, better roads, than ever before. However, the recent protests against the government on the controversial CAB Bill, NRC issue of Assam, ILPs, and the reaction of the government against political dissent raises several questions as to what is it that the NorthEast wants?

Are the problems of Northeast just limited to economic concerns? Or is there something more than the economic aspect? Protests here, unlike the rest of the country, are very intense and sees wide participation from every section of the society. What is it that Delhi doesn’t understand about Northeast?

The Delhi Dilemma: Trivializing Local Issues over National Interest

Historically, the Northeast had never been emotionally integrated with the larger Indian union, and the region passed onto India’s hand because the British didn’t know anything else to do. By the time, the Japanese fighters crossed into India through the North-east, the region has already established itself as a strategic point for India’s security. It was that hot piece of bread the new Indian Union put in its mouth, but couldn’t chew because of the heat, nor could it spit out.

The new Indian bureaucracy, which simply took over the reins from the British didn’t have much idea about the region or its complex political dynamics. All decisions were made in Delhi and simply executed through the army in the region, most of the time without any understanding of the ground situation. Any political dissent was labelled an act of separatism and the army had a free hand to deal with dissent, both social and political.

The high-handedness of Indian bureaucracy and Delhi’s myopic views about the region pushed the region to a corner from where the only option to fight back was retaliation against India (symbolized by the army). Things have definitely changed over the past few decades, but the bureaucracy is still hung-over Delhi, for whom local concerns do not matter much in the wake of national priorities or interest.

Policy makers, seating in Delhi think that the problems of the North-east is purely economic. They are convinced that with development and economic progress, problems facing the region will simply vanish into thin air. Nothing can be further from the truth that such naivety. For the policymakers seating in Delhi, it is only the beautiful landscape, cultural uniqueness, and the hospitality of the people that stands out. No wonders, tourism is the most heavily promoted industry from the region and all ideas of economic prosperity woven around tourism.

Land and Belongingness: The Crux of the Issue

‘Land Rights’ and ‘Territorial Jurisdiction’ are perhaps the most important keywords that explain the underlying political current of the region. Be it the insurgency problems, ILP issue, CAB, NRC, anti-immigrant, citizenship, and every other US v/s THEM issue is a by-product of the land-rights related issues.

• Manipur: With over 40 different armed groups, the ‘fight for independence from occupation’ or to defend one’s community from external threats is a strongly territorial phenomenon. To this day, the insurgent groups are a huge stakeholder in the social, economic, and politics of everyday life in Manipur. The state holds the record for the longest highway blockade when the Naga and Meitei communities had their disagreements with regards to the territorial jurisdictions of each. The Nagas in Manipur were also engaged in a bloody civil war against the Kuki community during the 1990s because one community alleged the other one of encroaching upon their ancestral land. With three major stakeholders claiming territorial rights over the tiny state, the ‘land’ is an integral part of the ethnic identity and no amount of free gas connections, development projects, and free aids will stand in comparison when it is the question of the land.
• Nagaland: The Naga issue began with the idea that the ‘Naga people’ are different from India and have a unique history and culture. The ongoing Peace Process is part of Nagaland’s everyday socio-political narrative. Beginning with the bloody civil war waged by the NSCN and other Naga armed groups against India in the 1960s, the Naga freedom movement has been the torchbearer of all armed conflict in the region. Most other secessionist movements in the region owe their allegiance – ideologically, logistically, and arms supply. The effect of the movement is directly felt in the Naga-inhabited regions including Assam, Manipur, Arunachal, and even in Myanmar territories. Today there is peace in the Naga areas, only for the hope that the NSCN and Government of India are approaching a peaceful resolution to the long pending issue. Any threat to the peace process threatens to disturb the peace, not just in the Nagaland but across the Northeast region.
• Mizoram: The Mizo National Front in the 1960s, waged one of the bloodiest civil wars against India and seeking its own independence. The Indian Airforce carried out bombing across Mizoram to quell the uprising. While the Mizos dropped came forward for peace and reconciliation after the bombing, it went into a reclusive state trying to cope with the post-traumatic stress. In its isolation, it has emerged as one of the most forward thinking and peaceful state in India. However, the issue of land rights, fear against outsiders, and cultural issues have become ingrained in the psyche of the people. Mizoram is one place that doesn’t shy away from bringing up the secession topic as we recently witnessed in the protest against CAB Bill. Brus and Chakma refugee issues are already a huge political issue here.
• Tripura: Tripura is often cited as an example of what happens when migration is unchecked. The indigenous people, having outnumbered by migrant population, are today seeking greater autonomy and self-rule calling for statehood for the indigenous tribes.
• Arunachal: A border state, Arunachal is heavily militarized and have suffered the wrath of the Chinese during the 1962 invasion. A state with the Inner Line Permit system is implemented since independence, Arunachal has strict rules prohibiting any outsiders from purchasing property, applying for jobs, and getting welfare benefits. The government’s decision to grant permanent residence certificates to a few ethnic communities living there for decades had created social unrest, leaving 3 dead and several injured during violent protests.
• Meghalaya and Sikkim: The most popular states among tourists, Meghalaya and Sikkim strictly implement the 6^th schedule act that prevents any outsider to buy property in the state. While Sikkim has its unique history of accession into Indian Union, Meghalaya as the capital of erstwhile Assam State has seen its fair share of influxes, riots, and ethnic problems in the 1980s.
• Assam: As the ‘big brother’ of Northeastern states, what happens in Assam today follows across the region tomorrow. Be it the ‘Bhumiputra Aandolan’ of the 1980s, ULFA’s ‘freedom struggle’, or the citizenship issue, Assam has been the torch-bearer for the region’s political consciousness. Having suffered the onslaught of unchecked migration right from Sylhet referendum to Bangladesh Liberation War, and until this day, people in Assam are very sensitive towards issues of Land Rights, Citizenships, and external Migrations.

The point here is that the individual concerns of each state in the Northeast are paramount when it comes to local politics. The issue gets even more complex with the huge ethnic diversity within every state, village, and district. Yes, the region is lagging behind the rest of the country in terms of development and industrialization. But, at no point in history has the region voted only for development. This is a major reason why national parties do not flourish much in the region and local/regional parties are integral to any government that is formed. 

It is high time that the central government learn to take off its Delhi lenses and look at the region’s problem in isolation, understand the complexities, and do not trivialize their concerns as merely a development or economic issue.

The post Dear Government, All’s Not Well on the Eastern Horizons appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

It was only recently in 2019 that Sunita found some old documents of her father which suggests that Goray Thapa was originally from Sitalu Basti in Kurseong. “My parents met around 1986-87 in Shergaon, West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. Papa worked as a Driver with the Dept of Horticulture. Both my elder brother and I were born and brought up in Arunachal Pradesh” says Sunita in her message.

Born and brought up in Arunachal Pradesh, the wife and children didn’t know much about Thapa’s connection in Kurseong. Even his wife only knew that he has a brother and sister, somewhere in Darjeeling Hills. His wife tells that Goray Thapa’s brother was a popular local footballer of his time and used to limp a little when walking due to a football related injury.

Though there is very little information about the whereabouts of AK Thapa, the family is trying hard to connect with the help of social media. They have been asking for details and sharing information through different individuals and groups.

We hope that Sunita is able to reach out to her family and request our readers to message us (Inbox)  with any information relating to Goray Thapa or his other families.

The post Finding Lost Connections: Daughter seeks help to Locate Father’s Family from Kurseong appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Adding another feather to his cape, Arunachal’s first IPS (AGMUT) Cadre Robin Hibu has been promoted as Additional Director General of Police on December 28.

Hibu is 1993 batch of AGMUT cadre and presently posted at Rashtrapati Bhavan as IGP since 2017. He will take charge as ADGP, Special Commissioner of Police in Delhi.

Hailing from Ziro Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, ADGP, Robin Hibu has not only served the nation in various capacity but also in United Nation as well as active in social work under Helping Hand NGO.

He is consistently working for the welfare of the NE people. And always lending helping hands to distress and discriminated NE people in different cities of mainland India.

Corresponding with TheDC, he said, “I am looking forward enthusiastically to give my best remaining 10 years of career as IPS officer for my country and for fellow distress folks specially youth from north eastern states in cities.”

He has worked very closely with the Gorkhas, and it was his personal push that got the Gorkhas and people of Darjeeling added under special provisions of the Delhi Police for North East People.

Congratulations sir, and we are glad to be working with you on issues concerning North East and, especially the Gorkha people.

Robin Hibu, IPS

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IGP Robin Hibu of Delhi Police informed us that, “The family members of the deceased have been informed of the tragedy, and they are on their way to retrieve the dead bodies.

If there is anyone from our region in Dehradoon, please extend help to their friends who are in a state of panic.”

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the two.

The post Breaking: Two Arunachal Students Killed in Road Accident in Dehradoon appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Miss Jenti Bellai (photo uploaded here ), believed to reached Delhi from Tezu to meet her Facebook boyfriend at Delhi, who promised her good job in Delhi is missing since 28.11.17, no contact to her family nor friends, her mobile is switched off, her Facebook is inactive.

– Though crime branch ( missing person ) unit has been alerted and on the job, so also her back home police, her relatives. Police also registered a case. Dcp Crime branch has been personally appraised by me for immediate help.

– Relatives are doubting that she might be push forcefully in flesh trade or kept as captive forcefully in secret location by her Facebook boyfriend, she might have been brutalized etc in cities. So they have asked our help to trace her out.

– Photo of Arunachal missing girl Miss Jenti Bellai is uploaded along with her elusive Facebook boyfriend Ahtar Hasan from Delhi.

Any information about them, please inform at 1093 NE Helpline, or 011- 26569656, or inbox me at 9710083486.

Thanks.

IGP Robin Hibu IPS
Delhi .

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