Abhishek Saha

As protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act spiralled across Assam since December last year, the Sarbananda Sonowal-led state government promised a speedy implementation of Clause 6 as an antidote to the agitation and a measure to protect the interests of the “indigenous” people of Assam.

The comments were posted by Anindya Sen on August 5—on the day of the bhoomi pujan ceremony for the Ram temple in Ayodhya—and a case was filed on August 8 after a complaint from one Rohit Chanda, whose Facebook profile describes him as an ABVP member.

The installation of solar panels, developed in collaboration with Arunachal Pradesh Energy Development Agency (APEDA), is underway. Test calls through the tower have been successful.

All malls, gymnasiums and restaurants in the state will be allowed to open from Monday to Friday till August 15, with movement of individuals to be strictly prohibited between 6pm and 6am on all weekdays.

Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the proposal includes holding Classes 5 to 8 in the open and 9 to 12 in a staggered way.

The tea tribe community accounts for 17 per cent of Assam’s population. It is economically backward and most tea workers live in quarters next to tea gardens in poor health conditions.

An EIA is carried out before the implementation of a project to assess its impact on the environment. The recent draft has run into criticism, with environmental experts pointing out dilution of safeguards against rampant infrastructural development without necessary checks for environmental protection.

“The Assam Rifles team was returning to their base at Khongtal when an IED exploded followed by indiscriminate fire,” a police officer in Chakpikarong, under which the area falls, said.

Jogeshchandra Haobijam, SP of Imphal East, told The Indian Express, “A case has been registered under Sections 153, 124(A) and 505 of the IPC. Investigation is going on.”

A senior government official told The Indian Express that 10 out of 31 jails in Assam have been affected by the outbreak and about 535 inmates have tested positive.

An office memorandum issued by the Home Department of the Nagaland government dated July 7 had asked all its employees to self-declare if any of their family members and relatives are members of underground organisations.

The July 7 office memorandum issued to the employees was seen as a step to bolster the law and order situation in the state, which had been criticised by Governor R N Ravi.

Till now at least 435 inmates of the Guwahati Central Jail — which houses a little over 1,000 prisoners — have tested positive.

Already 113 animals, including 11 rhinos, have died — two of the rhinos succumbed to natural causes. And with this year's deluge said to be the “sixth heaviest” in the park's history, the fear is that the animal toll will rise.

The lynching of the three alleged Bangladeshi cattle smugglers is the second such incident in this same area of Karimganj in less than two months.

The unlock order comes at a time when the state government has received an intimation by the Centre that by August 15, Assam would report around 65,000 Covid cases while Kamrup (Metro) district alone, under which Guwahati city falls, is projected to have over 32,000 cases.

Noor Jamal, 25, lives at Satrakanara village in Barpeta district, which is heavily flooded. “In the lockdown, I could not sell our produce of vegetables and jute. And now there is flood water in the paddy field, it will damage the crops,” he said.

Rajib Sharma, a correspondent of DY365 channel in the border district of Dhubri in western Assam, was arrested at 2 am on Thursday from his rented house in Gauripur, where he was staying with his ailing father. The father died hours after Sharma was arrested.

Akhil Gogoi, charged with sedition by the NIA,  is currently undergoing treatment for Covid-19.

Despite this, a reception was held on July 2 in Shillong and two wedding attendees subsequently tested positive, with the state launching intensive contact-tracing and inquiry into the ceremony.

The Indian Army, Assam Rifles and Arunachal Pradesh Police launched a joint operation near Nginu in Longding in the early hours of Saturday based on specific inputs about the presence of armed cadres of the proscribed group in the area.

Over 15,500 persons have tested positive in Assam till Friday and the state has reported 35 deaths. Guwahati was under a strict 14-day lockdown since June 28 evening.

The development comes amidst a growing concern by political parties and civil society members about Gogoi's health.

The policeman tested positive for the virus on July 7 and was admitted at the Covid Care Centre established at the IIT-Guwahati campus.