Latest news with #Assam-based
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Assam rights org urge Shah to sort NRC issue
1 2 Silchar: The Citizens Rights Preservation Committee (CRPC), an Assam-based social organization, appealed to Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday to intervene in the long-pending NRC issue in the state. The committee urged for immediate legal and administrative measures to address the dire situation of nearly 19 lakh people, who have been excluded from the final NRC list published on August 31, 2019. In a memorandum, submitted to the ministry of home affairs, CRPC secretary general Sadhan Purkayastha and secretary Ali Raja Osmani expressed serious concern over what they termed "prolonged administrative inaction." Furthermore, the CRPC raised alarm over recent incidents, where Indian citizens were allegedly branded as Bangladeshi nationals and "pushed back" across the border. The group termed these acts "unconstitutional" and warned that deporting individuals, with pending cases in high courts or Supreme Court could amount to contempt of court. These "push back" allegations have recently been challenged in the Supreme Court, though the apex court has directed petitioners to approach the Gauhati high court. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo The CRPC highlighted that despite the Supreme Court's assurance that excluded individuals would have the right to appeal before Foreigners Tribunals, it remained unfulfilled. "Almost six years later, the Registrar General of India is yet to officially notify the final NRC list and the excluded individuals have not received certified copies of their exclusion — a prerequisite for filing appeals," said Purkayastha. The organization also raised the critical issue of Aadhaar cards being denied to over 27 lakh individuals whose biometric data was withheld during the NRC process. "This has left lakhs without access to basic services and entitlements," Purkayastha added. Recent reports indicate that the Assam government has linked Aadhaar applications to NRC status, further complicating matters for those excluded or who did not apply for NRC. In its memorandum, the CRPC put forth several demands, including immediate distribution of national identity cards to those included in NRC, issuance of Aadhaar cards to individuals who submitted biometric data and a fresh, transparent and just process to review and potentially include the 19 lakh excluded names. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
The Hindu
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Assam, Meghalaya to set up joint hydel project
The Assam and Meghalaya governments have decided to set up a 55-megawatt hydropower and irrigation project apart from addressing the issue of urban floods in Guwahati jointly. The two States, which have been trying to resolve their 52-year-old boundary dispute, also decided to erect boundary pillars in five of the six disputed sites, and target the sixth after settling some 'land adjustment' issues. The decisions were taken during a meeting between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K. Sangma in Guwahati on Monday. 'The two governments will take up the 55 MW Kulsi hydropower-cum-irrigation project after consultations with the local people. The project is envisaged to generate electricity for the two States while Assam will benefit from the irrigation part of it,' Mr. Sarma told journalists. The Kulsi river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra to the west of Guwahati, flows down from the West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. The river is a major nesting site for the Gangetic river dolphin. Tackling Guwahati floods 'The two other important topics of discussion were resolving the long-pending boundary dispute and the issue of urban flooding in Guwahati. After our presentations, the Meghalaya government agreed that a huge volume of water floods Guwahati and adjoining areas,' Mr. Sarma said. 'We decided to let the North East Space Application Centre conduct a proper satellite mapping of the areas within three months, following which we will approach the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, for a solution that minimises flooding in Assam while safeguarding the livelihood and economic activities in Meghalaya,' Mr. Sangma said. The Assam Chief Minister has been blaming the flattening of hills in Meghalaya, specifically for a medical college run by the Assam-based Mahbubul Haque, for the floods in Guwahati. Boundary dispute On the 52-year-old boundary dispute between the two States, Mr. Sarma said an agreement on six of the 12 disputed sectors was reached in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in March 2022. 'We will continue to talk on the remaining disputed sites and try to arrive at a solution as soon as possible,' he said. 'Of the six sectors already resolved, we are confident of erecting boundary pillars in five of them by August 15. There are a couple of land adjustment issues at Tarabari and Gizang,' Mr. Sarma said. 'The Meghalaya government requested us to adjust these areas. We have decided to consider the request and respond within a week. This entails readjusting some villages in favour of Meghalaya after an equal portion of land is given to Assam,' he said.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Weighing machine makers from Gujarat and Assam wrestle for ‘Sumo' brand
AHMEDABAD: A city-based firm making electronic weighing scales is engaged in a legal dispute with a manufacturer from Assam regarding its rights to use the brand name 'Sumo' for its products. A local court here has temporarily restrained the Assam-based manufacturer from selling his weighing scales under the 'Sumo' brand. According to case details, Sumo Digital Incorporation filed a commercial suit in a city civil court in 2023 against Utolish Ali Amir from Assam, alleging infringement on its trademark rights. The Ahmedabad firm claimed that it was manufacturing and selling electronic weighing scales and weighbridges since 2002 under the brand name 'Sumo Digital', and it applied for trademark registration in 2003. Its trademark got registered only in Oct 2022. However, in 2021, the city firm obtained the copyright for its label in the same name. It alleged that Amir was using a deceptively similar trademark since 2022 for the same products, and it was affecting its business, as it has operations in Assam and Chhattisgarh as well. Amir was selling his electronic weighing scales under the name 'Sumo Pro Max', which created confusion among the consumers, it further stated. The firm urged the court to stop Amir from selling his products under the 'Sumo' brand. In Nov 2023, the commercial court passed an ex-parte order temporarily restraining Amir from using the word 'Sumo' for his products. Amir later objected to the filing of the suit in Ahmedabad's court, questioning the court's jurisdiction, but his application was turned down. Then, Amir filed another application and urged the court to vacate the interim injunction. Opposing the stay order, Amir's counsel argued that the word 'Sumo' was descriptive and it expresses the power of Japanese wrestlers. There are various registrations under the name 'Sumo' before the plaintiff got its trademark registered. After hearing the arguments, commercial court Judge P K Khubchandani last week rejected Amir's application and confirmed the stay till the pendency of the suit. The court stated, "Under the circumstances, plaintiff being the registered proprietor of the mark is entitled to all the protection available to a registered proprietor of the mark under the provisions of the Trademark Act."
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
MMA: Assam's Mridul Saikia eyes UFC contract in Shanghai
New Delhi: Mridul Saikia doesn't believe in leaving things to chance in the octagon. The Assam-based mixed martial artist holds a clean 8-0-0 pro record with all his wins coming via finishes – three technical knockouts and five submissions. No split decisions, no close calls. No wonder that he has earned the nickname 'Crusher'. Saikia now is preparing for the biggest opportunity of his career – he is set to represent India in the flyweight division at the fourth edition of Road to UFC, which begins in Shanghai on May 22. Road to UFC is a knockout tournament that provides a pathway for top MMA prospects from Asia to secure a UFC contract. A strong showing could make him only the third active Indian to get a UFC contract. Well known in the north east's MMA scene, Saikia has competed in domestic events like the Bidang Fighting Championship and Sangai MMA. His most recent win came in August at Matrix Fight Night 15, an Indian professional MMA promotion event that was held in Noida. In the final, Saikia won by making Himanshu Kaushik to submit with a guillotine choke (immobilising the opponent by holding the head under the arm and body with a leg hold). His next bout will be a different test though. He'll face China's 19-year-old Agulali, who has a 12-1-0 record and is touted as one of the likely finalists. While MMA is still developing as a sport in India, Saikia committed to it early — leaving school after the twelfth grade to train full-time. Based out of Dojang MMA Studio in Guwahati, he credits much of his progress to the steady guidance of his coach and 'backbone' Manas Daimary. 'I used to watch WWE a lot and loved Brock Lesnar (US pro wrestler),' Saikia told HT in an interview facilitated by Sony Sports. 'When I got to know about MMA, I started it for fun. Who doesn't love fighting after all?' 'I started my amateur career but my mom died and my situation got worse. When I felt I didn't have any other option, I quit studies and focused on MMA. I have been doing this since then.' Before this tournament, Saikia was training at Dojang. He later went to the Phuket Grappling Academy, Thailand for advanced training to improve his ground skills. 'I improved a lot, met new fighters there and trained with them. During rolling, I learnt a lot. I was able to figure out what my mistakes were, where I can improve. I took all those learnings and continued it back at home,' said Saikia. Saikia's father works in General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Assam. Saikia was invested in the sport even when he saw no potential, but now that the sport is finding a footing in India – there is more representation in global promotions like UFC, ONE Championship, BRAVE, etc., along with its inclusion in the 2026 Asian Games – he is hopeful about MMA's future. 'MMA is growing very fast in India. You will see that there are good MMA gyms in every region. For example, in Uttarakhand there is Mutant academy, in Delhi there is Warriors' Cove. In the North East, there is Dojang, Bidang (Assam) and The Combat Academy (Manipur). So, it's picking up and the future looks good. 'It took some time for us because we started late, and from the bottom. But once we start walking (performing better), it's going to be great.'
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- The Hindu
Pakistan-linked ghost SIM card racket busted in Assam
The Assam Police have busted an alleged Pakistan-linked fake SIM card racket and arrested seven people from the northeastern, northern, and southern parts of the country. The arrests followed a tip-off from the Indian Army's Assam-based Gajraj Corps about a group using fraudulently acquired SIM cards for cybercrimes and anti-national activities. The State police registered a case with its Special Task Force (STF) on May 14 and launched an investigation codenamed Operation Ghost SIM. Five of the arrested men are from Rajasthan. While Saddik (47), Arif Khan (20), and Sajid (21) were arrested from Alwar and Bharatpur districts, Akeek (25) was arrested from Guwahati airport and Arsad Khan (34) from New Delhi airport. The remaining two are from western Assam's Dhubri district. Jakariya Ahmad (24) was arrested from the district's Bilasipara, while Mofijul Islam (19) was arrested from Telangana's Sangareddy district. 'Our Special Branch and STF worked on this case with inputs provided by the military intelligence, and our counterparts in Rajasthan and Telangana helped us catch the people involved in this racket,' Assam's Director General of Police Harmeet Singh told journalists in Guwahati on Saturday. Apart from seizing 948 ghost SIM cards and other technical devices, the police picked up 14 people from different places in Dhubri district. 'We are trying to find out if they are involved in this racket or were duped [by the cyber criminals],' Mr. Singh said. During the investigation, the police found that WhatsApp accounts were created by using these fraudulent SIM cards with OTPs for activation routed to Pakistan. Mr. Singh said further investigation could reveal a bigger conspiracy behind the ghost SIM racket. A fraudulently acquired SIM card seized earlier was used to report the movement of Indian troops, he added. The police said the SIM cards were activated using forged documents and circulated across State lines to mask criminal activities and facilitate untraceable digital operations. 'We are in touch with the [telecom] service providers to find out how these people circumvented the procedures of acquiring and operating fake SIM cards,' Mr. Singh said.
