[Assam] PM Singh, pray watch show movie 'The Killing Fields' to India act on Assam.
Goswami wants withdrawal of Army from Assam[ Sunday, February 19, 2006 12:39:25 pmPTI ] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1420328.cms NEW DELHI: Jnanpeeth award winning Assamese writer Indira Goswami, who has been mediating between the Centre and banned outfit ULFA, has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting the withdrawal of Army from Assam to help carry forward the ongoing peace process. Goswami, a member of the ULFA-selected Peoples Consultative Group, which had two rounds of peace talks with the government, including one with the Prime Minister, in her letter apprised Singh about the prevailing situation in Upper Assam where eight people were killed in police firing and one in alleged Army custody. "I humbly request you to kindly consider the removal of the security forces from the affected areas to ease the prevailing tension. I sincerely believe that such a step would help us to carry forward the peace process towards a positive end," Goswami said in her letter which she sent on Saturday. She said that such a move would be considered a "great gesture" from the government for the people of Assam. "The ongoing peace process is a historical step. People of Assam would remain grateful to you and your government," Goswami said in her letter. .Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger Download today it's FREE! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Prafulla, are you wearing the Indian Tilak smearing Assamese blood on yourself?
Mahanta: Seeks exemption Guwahati, Feb. 18: Former Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta today sought to be exempted from deposing before the Justice K.N. Saikia Commission, which is probing the so-called secret killings that occurred during his tenure at Dispur. Mahanta argued that he has been made a party in a public interest litigation (PIL) which has been filed in the apex court to seek a CBI probe into the killings. He contended that since the Supreme Court has issued a notice to him on the PIL, the matter is now sub judice and so he should be exempted from appearing before the one-man inquiry commission till the apex court disposes of the PIL. Mahanta presented his plea when the commission was hearing government witnesses in connection with the attempt on the life of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad leader Ananta Kalita by "secret killers" in 1999. Apart from Mahanta, the Supreme Court has also issued notices to the Centre and the Assam government. "During counter-insurgency operations, many persons were killed either by the security forces or by militant groups. The term secret killings is baseless and politically motivated. Neither the Centre nor the state government is involved in the killings of the family members of Ulfa militants," Mahanta told mediapersons. He claimed that the Tarun Gogoi government succumbed to political pressure and rejected the interim report of the J.N. Sarma Commission that give him a clean chit after probing the "secret killings". "The issue of secret killings is now being used to ruin my political career as Saurav Baurah, the man behind Aalok, the NGO that filed the PIL in the Supreme Court, is a Congress man," Mahanta said. He again came out in support of the demand for a CBI inquiry, as sought by the NGO. Pranab Goswami, political secretary of Mahantas party, the Asom Gana Parishad (Progressive), pointed out that the party president had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a CBI probe into the secret killings. So far, Dispur has constituted three inquiry commissions to probe the killings, but they have not succeeded in finding out the truth. Don't just search. Find. MSN Search Check out the new MSN Search! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Prafulla, are you wearing the Indian Tilak smearing Assamese blood on yourself?RP
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060219/asp/northeast/story_5865297.asp Please visit the link to see the Photograph relevant to the posting. Mahanta in PIL excuse A STAFF REPORTER http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060219/asp/northeast/story_5865297.asp Mahanta: Seeks exemption Guwahati, Feb. 18: Former Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta today sought to be exempted from deposing before the Justice K.N. Saikia Commission, which is probing the so-called secret killings that occurred during his tenure at Dispur. Mahanta argued that he has been made a party in a public interest litigation (PIL) which has been filed in the apex court to seek a CBI probe into the killings. He contended that since the Supreme Court has issued a notice to him on the PIL, the matter is now sub judice and so he should be exempted from appearing before the one-man inquiry commission till the apex court disposes of the PIL. Mahanta presented his plea when the commission was hearing government witnesses in connection with the attempt on the life of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad leader Ananta Kalita by "secret killers" in 1999. Apart from Mahanta, the Supreme Court has also issued notices to the Centre and the Assam government. "During counter-insurgency operations, many persons were killed either by the security forces or by militant groups. The term secret killings is baseless and politically motivated. Neither the Centre nor the state government is involved in the killings of the family members of Ulfa militants," Mahanta told mediapersons. He claimed that the Tarun Gogoi government succumbed to political pressure and rejected the interim report of the J.N. Sarma Commission that give him a clean chit after probing the "secret killings". "The issue of secret killings is now being used to ruin my political career as Saurav Baurah, the man behind Aalok, the NGO that filed the PIL in the Supreme Court, is a Congress man," Mahanta said. He again came out in support of the demand for a CBI inquiry, as sought by the NGO. Pranab Goswami, political secretary of Mahantas party, the Asom Gana Parishad (Progressive), pointed out that the party president had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a CBI probe into the secret killings. So far, Dispur has constituted three inquiry commissions to probe the killings, but they have not succeeded in finding out the truth. Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger Download today it's FREE! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Assamese Lullabies
Hearty congratulations Rajib. Hope mama and baby are doing fine. At 1:53 PM -0800 2/18/06, Rajib Das wrote: I need lullabies for my 3 week old son. Can anyone point out the most favorite Assamese lullabies? Would really prefer those that are essentially folk songs. Would doubly appreciate if someone has digital audio versions and can share. __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Prafulla, are you wearing the Indian Tilak smearing Assamese blood on yourself?RP
Title: Re: [Assam] Prafulla, are you wearing the Indian Tilak sm That was an interesting picture: Of Prafulla Mahanta's forehead smeared in red. Did he turn into BJP? At 11:28 AM + 2/19/06, Bartta Bistar wrote: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060219/asp/northeast/story_5865297.asp Please visit the link to see the Photograph relevant to the posting. Mahanta in PIL excuse A STAFF REPORTER http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060219/asp/northeast/story_5865297.asp Mahanta: Seeks exemption Guwahati, Feb. 18: Former Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta today sought to be exempted from deposing before the Justice K.N. Saikia Commission, which is probing the so-called secret killings that occurred during his tenure at Dispur. Mahanta argued that he has been made a party in a public interest litigation (PIL) which has been filed in the apex court to seek a CBI probe into the killings. He contended that since the Supreme Court has issued a notice to him on the PIL, the matter is now sub judice and so he should be exempted from appearing before the one-man inquiry commission till the apex court disposes of the PIL. Mahanta presented his plea when the commission was hearing government witnesses in connection with the attempt on the life of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad leader Ananta Kalita by secret killers in 1999. Apart from Mahanta, the Supreme Court has also issued notices to the Centre and the Assam government. During counter-insurgency operations, many persons were killed either by the security forces or by militant groups. The term secret killings is baseless and politically motivated. Neither the Centre nor the state government is involved in the killings of the family members of Ulfa militants, Mahanta told mediapersons. He claimed that the Tarun Gogoi government succumbed to political pressure and rejected the interim report of the J.N. Sarma Commission that give him a clean chit after probing the secret killings. The issue of secret killings is now being used to ruin my political career as Saurav Baurah, the man behind Aalok, the NGO that filed the PIL in the Supreme Court, is a Congress man, Mahanta said. He again came out in support of the demand for a CBI inquiry, as sought by the NGO. Pranab Goswami, political secretary of Mahantas party, the Asom Gana Parishad (Progressive), pointed out that the party president had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a CBI probe into the secret killings. So far, Dispur has constituted three inquiry commissions to probe the killings, but they have not succeeded in finding out the truth. Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger Download today it's FREE! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] The Real Kakopothar Story
I have rarely seen a better written report. Please share with those you know or are interested: cm *** Bloody Friday A Preliminary Report on the Killing of Innocent Protestors in Tinsukia district (Assam) in February 2006. By Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS) For further information contact: Mr. Lachit Bordoloi MASS Central Office Opposite Pub Guwahati High School Jyotinagar Guwahati 781 021 Assam. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Event On the February 10, 2006, eight people were killed by bullets of the armed forces and Assam Police at Kakopathar in Tinsukia district of Assam. Six of them were protesters and two were residents of Kakopathar hit by stray bullets from the indiscriminate firing. The protesters were among the thousands of residents that poured out from villages in and around Kakopathar and took to the streets demanding justice for the custodial death of Ajit Mahanta, a 37 years old resident of Dirak Goxaingaon in Kakopathar. Ajit Mahanta was picked up by personnel of the 13th Gorkha Regiment of the Indian Army stationed in the area. The incident took place on February 4, 2006. At about six in the evening, seven people came to Mahanta's bamboo and thatched house where he lived with his mother, wife and two children. Five of the people were in uniform and the other two wore civilian clothes. They asked for Mahanta and his wife replied that he had gone to a neighbour's. The military personnel went searching for him and picked him up from the way. The Army later took his body to the Assam Medical College and Hospital claiming that he died in a fall. This happened on February 6, 2006. Following the incident on February 7, 2006, the residents of the area and other neighbouring villages came out in protest. Thousands of people blocked the National Highway 52 in protest against the killing. They demanded the guilty to be punished at once. However, no action was taken against the military personnel responsible for the death of Mahanta. This led to the increase in protests and number of protesters. People started protesting at various other places like Chabua, Pengeri and Doomdooma. However, the administration turned a blind eye to the situation and did not take the case seriously even after increasing protests. On February 10, 2006, people gathered at Dirak Chariali and started marching towards Kakopathar. Police tried to stop them, but the protesters edged on. Then the police started firing tear shells and bullets in the air. When the protesters showed no signs of fear, the police and armed forces started indiscriminate firing resulting in the death of the following persons: 1. Kunjalata Moran (Female - 19), protester, of No. 1 Tejigaon village, Kakopathar. She was a student of Higher Secondary 1st year. 2. Anandita Munda (Female - 23), protester, Kalakhua village in Tangana. She was ill and had come to Dirak to visit her sister and get medical treatment. 3. Beauti Gohain (Female - 20), protester, No. 2 Dirak village, Kakopathar. 4. Madhurjya Gohain (Male - 25), protester, No. 2 Dirak village, Kakopathar. 5. Dipon Moran (Male - 20), protester, Bordirak village, Gosraguri, Kakopathar. 6. Pokhili Bora (Female - 45), protester, Dirak Goxaingaon village, Kakopathar. 7. Gopal Bailung (Male - 75), Kakopathar resident hit by stray bullets. 8. Wahida Ahmed (Female - 30) Kakopathar resident, mother of 6 and a half years old daughter. She was hit by stray bullets. 9. Mandira Moran (Female - NK) Khukhani suk under Kakopathar PS. The firing also resulted in serious injuries. Some of the injured are: 1. Prashanta Gohain Male-34 2. Sumi Baruah, Female-27 3. Pabitra Baruah, Male-11: 5th standard student. Sustained critical bullet injuries in right leg, right arm and right eye. 4. Monica Moran, Female-19: Sustained four critical bullet injuries in her body including one in the chest. 5. Loknath Handique, Male-22 6. Dibya Moran, Male-18 7. Phuleshwer Chetia, Male-17 8. Diganta Gohain, Male-23 9. Sanjay Dutta, Male-23 10. Hemanta Moran, Male-19 11. Bhanu Moran, Female-25 12. Jitamoni Moran, Female-25 13. Murgeshwer Moran, Male-35 14. Hemalata Moran, Female: Both legs are riddled by bullets. 15. Tuleshwer Chetia, Male-25 16. Nijara Kakati, Female-19 On the same day, police resorted to lathi charge on protesters in Chabua. Curfew was imposed immediately after the incidents in Kakopathar and Chabua and other adjoining areas as well as those considered sensitive. The Army was called in. Military forces started flag march barring any resident to venture outside. This created major obstacles for families of the deceased and the other protesters in getting information about their loved ones. The district administration and the police had taken
[Assam] Amend the Indian Constitution to allow PLEBESCITES for secession first.
BJP asks ULFA to fight pollsGuwahati | February 19, 2006 6:15:06 PM ISThttp://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=254099n_date=20060219cat=India The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday called on the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to shun the path of violence and contest the upcoming assembly elections in Assam. "It will be better for the ULFA to first shun violence and then contest the assembly polls and come to power," senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan told a rally in Assam's main city Guwahati. Mahajan and BJP president Rajnath Singh were here to kick-start the party's campaign for the elections expected in April-May. "But we are not going to accept ULFA's demand for an independent homeland," he said. ULFA is a rebel group fighting for an independent Assamese homeland in Assam since 1979. The group last year threatened the BJP not to invite party leaders from outside the state to campaign. The BJP had then said it would not be cowed down by such threats. During the last assembly elections, a BJP candidate was shot dead by ULFA rebels in eastern Assam's Dibrugarh district. FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar MSN Toolbar Get it now! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Assamese women storming traditional male bastions -HT/Asian News Intl
This is really encouraging. One of Alpana's friends is running a very successful clothing/embroidery store. Her husband too passed away many years ago, but she has taken upon herself not to let that hold her back. _ Women in Assam are slowly taking on the domain of men, and becoming entrepreneurs. Asha Bora is one of the several such women who through their initiative are changing the face of Assam, charting a course for themselves and the state. Greenwood Bakery is part of the Greenwood Resort that Asha Bora established a couple of years ago. She has single handedly guided and nurtured her maiden business venture for the last two years, and today it is one of the leading bakeries in Guwahati. Asha did not let the tragic death of her husband two years ago to demoralize her. She turned the tragedy into an opportunity to chart a different course for her and others and today acts as a guiding force to the one hundred and fifty persons, who work with her. I can employ them by opening a new business. That is my way of helping the poor indirectly. They are getting living. Without training they come to me and i train them how to deal, how to deal, how to talk to people and they follow me also, says Asha Bora, owner of Greenwood Resort and Bakery. Asha is passionate about many things and gardening is one of them. It is this attachment to nature that helps her in the battles of life. She believes nature teaches her resilience and the virtue of rejuvenating one's life with the passage of time. It is this spirit and confidence that has made Asha Bora a role model for other women. She has also helped in bringing about an attitudinal change among those who were against women's independence and empowerment. Now ladies need encouragement and that's what I do, and now there are women entrepreneurs, who are getting support from their family also, she adds. Asha has acted as a catalyst in changing this mindset. But that is not all - The busy lanes and presence of the sizable number of visitors at the resort clearly demonstrates her success. She is a living example of women 's empowerment and independence. Her is a success story worthy of emulation and not just in Assam. Yes now they want independence. They do not want to beg. I tried to be independent, after my husband expired. If I want to do business I do not want to be handicapped and now would not be misled and misbehaved by my family, Asha further says. Asha finds time to chill out as well. A visit to discotheque provides her a much-needed break from work. Asha Bora is the new face of Assam, reflecting women's strife for emancipation and independence in a rapidly changing world, and needless to say, the Assam government's industrial policy providing incentives to entrepreneurs to set up new business ventures, has more than helped her in this aspect. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Sanjib Baruah on Kakopathar
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060220/asp/opinion/story_5850159.asp The Telegraph (Calcutta) Monday, February 20, 2006 HOW THE STALEMATE MACHINE WORKS Sanjib Baruah The obvious lesson of Kakopathar is that counter-insurgency operations and negotiations towards peace do not go together, writes Sanjib Baruah The author is at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, and Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York The developments in Assam over the past few days have made one thing clear: that reports in recent years of the United Liberation Front of Assam losing influence have been highly exaggerated. At least that is not the case in those parts of rural upper Assam the home ground of ULFAs exiled top leadership and the site of the recent unrest. For a number of days, pro-ULFA slogans and sentiments have been in open display as villagers of the Kakopathar region blocked a national highway, stormed army pickets, vandalized vehicles and even dug up the highway to protest against the custodial killing of a fellow villager by the Indian army. That the army describes the victim as an ULFA hit-man has had no effect on the publics sense of outrage. Nine persons were killed in a police firing of protesters. ULFA called an Assam bandh on February 13, protesting against the Kakopathar firing and its chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, compared the incident with the Jalianwalla Bagh massacre. The backdrop to these developments might initially seem awkward. The second meeting between the government of India and the ULFA-appointed peoples consultative group had just taken place in Delhi where the government even promised confidence-building measures to facilitate what could some day be called a peace process. However, important differences exist on the government side on whether to negotiate with ULFA. No less a person than Assams governor, Lieutenant General Ajai Singh architect of two counter-insurgency operations against ULFA publicly opposes negotiations. What is there to negotiate with them? he asks. Instead, he favours instilling fear in the rebels so that they cannot dictate terms. By contrast, Assams elected chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, has been strongly supportive of negotiations. Singh and some others in the security establishment would probably interpret Kakopathar as no more than a temporary setback. But if a single incident could become a trigger to such public anger and expression of pro-ULFA sentiments, one can hardly have confidence in the security establishments reading of the ground situation and its recipe for bringing about peace. Indias track record of ending internal armed conflicts is quite poor. Today the world has numerous intra-state armed conflicts, and everywhere they last long on average about seven years as opposed to six months for international wars according to one count. However, the duration of intra-state armed conflicts in India and in the rest of south Asia have been much longer than the world average. The Naga war despite the nine-year old ceasefire will soon enter the sixth decade, making it one of the worlds oldest armed conflicts. There are many reasons why most of our conflicts have been long-lasting. But one common factor seems to suggest itself. Those who study armed internal conflicts emphasize the role of a mutually hurting stalemate felt by conflicting parties as a necessary condition for pushing conflicts in the direction of a negotiated settlement. These theorists argue that when parties realize that further military escalation would not produce victory and that the costs of the status quo are unacceptably high, a conflict becomes ripe for resolution. But in India, even when conflicts have been terribly hurtful, localized suffering has not easily translated into high costs for the government side. Doing something about conflicts in the Northeast may be important for our national-level politicians, but no government has fallen because of the way it has handled or mishandled them. And after decades of counter-insurgency and attention to security, we have further cushioned our decision-making elites from the hurting effects of a stalemate. In a new two-tiered order, the top echelons of the bureaucracy, the army and the political establishment who live and travel with very high levels of security are now the security haves. Under these conditions, despite enormous suffering by civilians, those who favour a military solution or rather a victors peace tend to win policy arguments. They seem to believe that given the obvious military superiority of the governments side, all armed groups can be eventually bullied into submission. This of course has meant, in effect, stalemated long-duration armed conflicts and the costs being paid almost entirely by the security have-nots. One obvious lesson of Kakopathar is that counter-insurgency operations and efforts toward a negotiated peace do not go together.
Re: [Assam] Sanjib Baruah on Kakopathar
Very well said Baruah. Was surprised to all heck that the Telegraph decided to publish your analysis :-). Best, m At 5:50 PM -0500 2/19/06, Sanjib Baruah wrote: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060220/asp/opinion/story_5850159.asp The Telegraph (Calcutta) Monday, February 20, 2006 HOW THE STALEMATE MACHINE WORKS Sanjib Baruah The obvious lesson of Kakopathar is that counter-insurgency operations and negotiations towards peace do not go together, writes Sanjib Baruah The author is at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, and Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York The developments in Assam over the past few days have made one thing clear: that reports in recent years of the United Liberation Front of Assam losing influence have been highly exaggerated. At least that is not the case in those parts of rural upper Assam the home ground of ULFAs exiled top leadership and the site of the recent unrest. For a number of days, pro-ULFA slogans and sentiments have been in open display as villagers of the Kakopathar region blocked a national highway, stormed army pickets, vandalized vehicles and even dug up the highway to protest against the custodial killing of a fellow villager by the Indian army. That the army describes the victim as an ULFA hit-man has had no effect on the publics sense of outrage. Nine persons were killed in a police firing of protesters. ULFA called an Assam bandh on February 13, protesting against the Kakopathar firing and its chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, compared the incident with the Jalianwalla Bagh massacre. The backdrop to these developments might initially seem awkward. The second meeting between the government of India and the ULFA-appointed peoples consultative group had just taken place in Delhi where the government even promised confidence-building measures to facilitate what could some day be called a peace process. However, important differences exist on the government side on whether to negotiate with ULFA. No less a person than Assams governor, Lieutenant General Ajai Singh architect of two counter-insurgency operations against ULFA publicly opposes negotiations. What is there to negotiate with them? he asks. Instead, he favours instilling fear in the rebels so that they cannot dictate terms. By contrast, Assams elected chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, has been strongly supportive of negotiations. Singh and some others in the security establishment would probably interpret Kakopathar as no more than a temporary setback. But if a single incident could become a trigger to such public anger and expression of pro-ULFA sentiments, one can hardly have confidence in the security establishments reading of the ground situation and its recipe for bringing about peace. Indias track record of ending internal armed conflicts is quite poor. Today the world has numerous intra-state armed conflicts, and everywhere they last long on average about seven years as opposed to six months for international wars according to one count. However, the duration of intra-state armed conflicts in India and in the rest of south Asia have been much longer than the world average. The Naga war despite the nine-year old ceasefire will soon enter the sixth decade, making it one of the worlds oldest armed conflicts. There are many reasons why most of our conflicts have been long-lasting. But one common factor seems to suggest itself. Those who study armed internal conflicts emphasize the role of a mutually hurting stalemate felt by conflicting parties as a necessary condition for pushing conflicts in the direction of a negotiated settlement. These theorists argue that when parties realize that further military escalation would not produce victory and that the costs of the status quo are unacceptably high, a conflict becomes ripe for resolution. But in India, even when conflicts have been terribly hurtful, localized suffering has not easily translated into high costs for the government side. Doing something about conflicts in the Northeast may be important for our national-level politicians, but no government has fallen because of the way it has handled or mishandled them. And after decades of counter-insurgency and attention to security, we have further cushioned our decision-making elites from the hurting effects of a stalemate. In a new two-tiered order, the top echelons of the bureaucracy, the army and the political establishment who live and travel with very high levels of security are now the security haves. Under these conditions, despite enormous suffering by civilians, those who favour a military solution or rather a victors peace tend to win policy arguments. They seem to believe that given the obvious military superiority of the governments side, all armed groups can be eventually bullied into submission. This of course has meant, in effect, stalemated long-duration armed conflicts and the costs being paid almost entirely by the security have-nots. One obvious lesson of
[Assam] ToI Blog Post
This guy gets it ! cm Hello Professors, What is wrong at IIT Why so many young people in IIT are killing themselves without any cause, without any reason. I mean when Bhagat Singh died young, he died for the freedom of the nation, when Manjunath and Satyendra Dubey died young; they were fighting against the corruption in the country. These people inspired the whole nation. But these poor students died because you guys created so much pressure in their mind that they could not handle it any more. These poor student study so hard all their life, they must have handled lots of pressure from their parent too. Parents tell them beta IIT entrance clear kar lai fir pura life aaish kar. You tell them IIT clear kar lai fir aaish kar. Then they will join a company where their manager will tell them, work hard when you are young and you will become manager soon. Once they become manager then their CEO will tell them, you have great career ahead and could become CEO one day, so work hard again. And then they will become CEO one day and then the stakeholder of the company will fry him day in day out for ever quarter to quarter results. There is no end for them. You think that scoring few extra marks in subject like chemistry or for that matter any subject, will make then great engineers. You are wrong. Most of them, probably except computer science graduates will not even care to work in their area. Do you have any idea that kind of salary civil, mechanical or electrical engineer gets in private sector. It's pathetic. Most of them will join IT bandwagon, or do MBA and happily sell Dalda for HLL, become Investment Analyst for a Bank or simply become an IAS officer. If they are writing UPSC to become an IAS officer then they will probably select history and public administration over civil engineering as the subject for mains. In short they are in IIT only for the brand value so why kill them, let them enjoy their life. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] From Outlook India
With this kind of approach can India become a global power? *** Good question! cm Bull's eye Delhi is India's capital. Consider its misgovernance. Then say hello to India's brand of democracy. RAJINDER PURI | e-mail | one page format | feedback: send | Delhi is India's capital. Consider its misgovernance. Then say hello to India's brand of democracy. The Supreme Court ordered the government to demolish all illegal buildings. That meant almost the whole of Delhi would be demolished. There arose panic, protests, threats and tears. How was this extraordinary situation created? Let's begin at the beginning. The central government made successive five-year plans. Despite that, for 50 years village uplift remained neglected. Great attention was paid to augmenting food production. After all, cities consume food. But villages lacked power, drinking water, roads, healthcare and even literacy. Building rural infrastructure would have created jobs. It would have tapped India's most precious resource-human talent. Instead, villages became unlivable. In search of jobs villagers migrated to cities. For 50 years the influx continued. No new cities were built. Thanks to Partition, only Chandigarh was built to compensate the loss of Lahore. Inevitably, Delhi and the state capitals were choked with migrants. The poor built unauthorised jhuggis. The rich built unauthorised houses. Both bribed politicians and officials. The poor created votebanks. The rich created bank balances. Delhi grew vertically. Its water became polluted. Its residential colonies were swamped by factories and offices. It, too, was becoming unlivable. Then the Supreme Court intervened. And all hell broke loose. What was the government doing all these decades? In 1962, the first Delhi Master Plan was released. It announced guidelines and building bye-laws. Minor violations of these laws were compoundable by fines. Only major violations attracted demolition. With these laws in place, how was most of Delhi built illegally? The answer is simple. During the 40 years of the first plan it was amended 65 times to accommodate law-breakers. Corruption and vested interests triumphed each time. In 2001, the second Delhi Master Plan was conceived. But the Delhi government refuses to change its ways. It is pursuing a crafty strategy. It targeted elite schools for demolition. Parents set up a howl. It demolished fashion stores. Weeping models and designers created good media publicity. Meanwhile, to circumvent the court, the Delhi government framed an ordinance to legalise all residential construction before this year. The PM obliged by setting up a committee to study the ordinance. That is where matters rest. Even this ordinance would have made sense if it had reflected a genuine resolve to end the rot. But it seems done only for electoral advantage. With this kind of approach can India become a global power? ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Sanjib Baruah on Kakopathar
Assam, for that matter North East's insurgency is similar to that of Peru's Shining Path insurgency. Peru's majority didnot take along half the population in the developmental path, this led to a long 2 decades of fighting between the govt. forces and the guerrillas. The human rights violations there were worse than NE probably. The setting up of the truth commission is one idea we can borrow from that country. Let the govt. set up an international truth commission that will go into the reasons, rights abuses and suggest solutions. All the parties should abide by the commissions recommendations and find a lastign solution. MKD On 2/20/06, Roy, Santanu [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear Sanjib: Excellent piece - enjoyed reading it. Thanks for posting it, Hopefully your writings will inspire some innovative thinking in circles that think. Your characterization of the stalemate machine is quite apt. Your observation that ...in India, even when conflicts have been terribly hurtful, localized suffering has not easily translated into high costs for the government side. Doing something about conflicts in the Northeast may be important for our national-level politicians, but no government has fallen because of the way it has handled or mishandled them. And after decades of counter-insurgency and attention to security, we have further cushioned our decision-making elites from the hurting effects of a stalemate. is at the heart of the problem. Indeed, (at the risk of being repetitive) I have always felt that the very forces that cushion our decision making elites from the hurtful effects of a stalemate, the structures that ensure that localized suffering ...not easily translated into high costs for the government are also at the very root of the various reasons why local discontentment and localized insurgency emerge in the first place. There is a vicious circle here that acts as feedback mechanism and this to my view points to a fundamental failure of the Indian state. So, is there any hope? Perhaps, hope lies in some change of circumstances - something in the regular process of social change - or perhaps some turn of history that will make the ground reality in north eastern India (or Assam) extremely important to the interests of the political and bureucratic elite of the mainland. I can think of many examples. I can wish for some. But that would be wishful thinking. Take care- Santanu. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Sanjib Baruah Sent: Mon 2/20/2006 7:50 AM To: assam@assamnet.org Subject: [Assam] Sanjib Baruah on Kakopathar http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060220/asp/opinion/story_5850159.asp The Telegraph (Calcutta) Monday, February 20, 2006 HOW THE STALEMATE MACHINE WORKS Sanjib Baruah The obvious lesson of Kakopathar is that counter-insurgency operations and negotiations towards peace do not go together, writes Sanjib Baruah The author is at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, and Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York The developments in Assam over the past few days have made one thing clear: that reports in recent years of the United Liberation Front of Assam losing influence have been highly exaggerated. At least that is not the case in those parts of rural upper Assam the home ground of ULFAs exiled top leadership and the site of the recent unrest. For a number of days, pro-ULFA slogans and sentiments have been in open display as villagers of the Kakopathar region blocked a national highway, stormed army pickets, vandalized vehicles and even dug up the highway to protest against the custodial killing of a fellow villager by the Indian army. That the army describes the victim as an ULFA hit-man has had no effect on the publics sense of outrage. Nine persons were killed in a police firing of protesters. ULFA called an Assam bandh on February 13, protesting against the Kakopathar firing and its chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, compared the incident with the Jalianwalla Bagh massacre. The backdrop to these developments might initially seem awkward. The second meeting between the government of India and the ULFA-appointed peoples consultative group had just taken place in Delhi where the government even promised confidence-building measures to facilitate what could some day be called a peace process. However, important differences exist on the government side on whether to negotiate with ULFA. No less a person than Assams governor, Lieutenant General Ajai Singh architect of two counter-insurgency operations against ULFA publicly opposes negotiations. What is there to negotiate with them? he asks. Instead, he favours instilling fear in the rebels so that they cannot dictate terms. By contrast, Assams elected chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, has been strongly supportive of negotiations. Singh and some others in the security establishment would probably interpret Kakopathar as no more
