Guwahati Apr 22 PTI Polling for Guwahati Municipal Corporation GMC being held after a gap of nine years began on a brisk note on Friday morningPeople queued up in front of the polling stations under a clear sky to elect their new councillorsAltogether 197 candidates are in the fray in 57 wards while BJP candidates in three wards have already been elected uncontestedElectronic Voting Machines EVMs are being used for all the wards under the GMC for the first timeA total electorate of 796829 comprising 396891 males 399911 females and 27 of the third gender is eligible to exercise their franchiseThe counting of votes will be undertaken on April 24Political parties had gone all out to woo the voters promising a flood-free and crime-free city with piped water to all households and all other basic civic amenities in the run up to the pollsChief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma led the BJPs election campaign addressing multiple rallies across the city while the saffron partys coalition partner at Dispur Asom Gana Parishads AGP campaign was helmed by Agriculture Minister and party president Atul BoraThe BJP has fielded candidates in 53 wards while AGP is contesting in the remaining sevenAssam Pradesh Congress Committee chief Bhupen Borah led the states main Opposition party on its campaign trailThe Congress has put up candidates in 54 wardsThe other parties were also not to be left behind with Aam Aadmi Party bringing in its Delhi MLA Atishi Marlena to woo voters while Assam Jatiya Parishad had its chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi leading the campaignBesides door-to-door canvassing and rallies the parties took out car and bike rallies through the streets of the city with the campaign reaching its crescendo on Wednesday when the campaign endedThe notification for elections to the 60 wards of GMC was issued on March 23 and the model code of conduct came into force with immediate effect PTI SSG SSG RG RG

Guwahati Dec 20 PTI The Assam Jatiya Parishad AJP has urged the National Human Rights Commission NHRC to take appropriate action against alleged extra-judicial killings by the state police since the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government assumed office Anti-social elements indulging in unlawful activities should be dealt with vigorously but once an alleged culprit is apprehended he must be given the chance to be tried judicially AJP President Lurinjyoti Gogoi and Secretary Jagadish Bhuyan said in a letter to NHRC Chairperson Justice Arun Kumar Mishra Gogoi and Bhuyan pointed out in the letter made available to the media on Monday that even the worst offender should face justice through due process of law though unfortunately the principle of natural justice has been repeatedly violated by the law enforcing agencies and more unfortunately this has been endorsed by the top functionary of the state The chief minister is on record saying that criminals can be shot in the legs if they try to escape Law says the police can only use minimum force and it doesnt mean police can fire on a fleeing person they said The letter said it was not acceptable to allow enforcing agencies to act without any sanction of law and the police force of any state must function within the limits set by the principle of justice The AJP is deeply worried and concerned over the unique pattern of such extra judicial killings and therefore appeals to the NHRC to take note of the same and take appropriate action The police may be very conveniently used by the party in power to suppress the legitimate rights of the people Gogoi and Bhuyan alleged According to reports a list prepared by Assam Police shows 28 people were killed from May till the end of November in police firing Two more people died in custody in early December while a third died in a police shootout a few days later and all deaths have been confirmed by the police A closer look at the list of those killed throws up certain patterns most belonged to ethnic or religious minorities in Assam Of the 30 people killed and identified so far 14 belonged to a religious minority and 10 were from the tribal communities Bodo Dimasa or Kuki who were reportedly facing police action for being alleged extremists According to Assam Police at least 55 people were also injured in police shootings between May 10 and December 10 Of these at least 30 are from a particular minority community The chief minister who also holds the home portfolio has repeatedly defended the state police about these custodial deaths and shootouts Sarma had said that shooting at criminals should be the pattern if they tried to escape even claiming that the law permitted it and such measures would be used until crime was wiped out from Assam The trend of extra judicial killings which seemed to deliver instant justice has set a dangerous precedent where police norms and guidelines could be flouted as a matter of course the leaders said The NHRC Chairperson in a press conference here last week had said that there is no place for fake encounters in a civilised society It is barbaric and cannot be allowed The law must take its own course At the same time we cannot generalise and allege that all encounters are fake Some may be fake and we will take up each complaint and examine the merit of each case he said PTI DG JRC JRC

Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 4 (ANI): Ahead of by-polls in six constituencies of Assam later in the month, Congress on Sunday announced that it would leave the seat of Majuli constituency for Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP).

Guwahati Aug 25 PTI Opposition Assam Jatiya Parishad AJP on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order a high-level inquiry into cow smuggling cases in the state In a letter AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan drew PM Modis attention to Assam Chief Ministers statement on the size of the cow smuggling network Sarma announced that a syndicate was actively operating illegal trading and smuggling of cows in Assam The business according to him was transacting up to Rs 1000 crore in one month the letter said The statement of Sarma carries weight as it came from a chief minister of the state it added The NDA government under the stewardship of Sarbananda Sonowal functioned in Assam from 2016-2021 In five years the illegal cattle trading and smuggling involved a staggering amount of Rs 60000 crore the AJP leaders alleged in the letter The illegal trade and smuggling of cows on such a huge scale merit a high-level inquiry to unearth the truth and the operators they added The letter to the Prime Minister alleged that since Sarma was a minister during the previous Congress governments he might have knowledge of cattle smuggling in that period too We demand that a high-level inquiry should be initiated by a sitting High Court judge to go to the bottom of the whole illegal business The inquiry is needed to do justice to cow protection in your regime the letter urged PTI TR MM MM