IMPHAL, February 28: The involvement of an army official in the recent drug haul clearly indicates that it has been trying to destroy the future generations of the state, as if the killings under AFSPA are not enough. This was said by Amrabati Th, secretary Women Empowerment for Justice in a press meet at Manipur Press Club today.

The drug issue in the state is becoming larger as army, VIPs, high agencies of the government must be involved in it. Many drug cases has been reported earlier however the seized drugs have not been disposed in public’s view so far. Are they reselling the seized drugs?, she asked.

The press meet was attended by Conflict Widows Forum, Manipur; Christian Network of Positive Women Manipur, Women Empowerment for Justice, Self Support Group, Domestic Violence Survival Forum and Our Rest House.

The women bodies urged the Home Minister to investigate into the matter in 6 months. The closure of Special Intelligence Unit is unreasonable and it should be reopened, they demanded. Saying that a Truth Commission should also be set up immediately, the group added that handing over the case to CBI is not enough. The government, police and concerned authority should disclose where the seized drugs are kept, they added.

IMPHAL, February 28: Keeping up the heat on the cases of drug consignments raising its head in the state, representatives of various civil society organization and student bodies  stormed the State Chief Minister's official bungalow today  around 2.pm demanding appropriate action to be taken up against the people involved in the drug related cases.

The protestors called for investigating the truth behind the people involved in drug trade in the state and to give punishment as per the law.

The protestors today submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister with their demands that stated that drug traffickers should be produced before the public and should be given befitting punishment; producing  high profile persons involve in the illegal drug trade to be produced before the public, to take action against NAB Narcotic cell and police personals who are not doing their duty, to hand over the February 24 Pallel drug case  to the Narcotic Control Bureau, to have the government reward the police personal who have detected illegal drug consignments in the state and to safeguard their welfare for the future.

One  Meira Paibi protestor who was part of the group that stormed the CM's residence said that in the past 20 years, many youths have died due to drug use and its complications, leaving behind numerous young widows."

But the government have not taken any step to prevent  illegal drug consignments in the state.

It's only in the last few months that huge consignments of illegal drugs have been recovered and arrests made from different part of the state," she said, maintaining that there is a high chance that high profile persons of the state are involved in the drug trade.

Meanwhile, the Poirei Leimarol Apunba Meira Paibi along with locals today staged a sit in protest at Khoyathong market shed demanding for people involved in drug trade in the state to be given their due punishment.

Earlier yesterday, a group of protestors had stormed the Tulihal airport at Imphal to protest the incidents of drug consignments surfacing at the airport and other places in the state.

AGARTLA/SHILLONG/KOHIMA, February 28 (agencies): The Left Front Thursday retained power in Tripura for the fifth consecutive time, sweeping 50 of the 60 seats and leaving the Congress badly bruised with just 10 seats. Hundreds of Left activists, mainly from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), celebrated in Agartala and across.

The CPI-M bagged 49 seats while the Communist Party of India (CPI) won one seat.

It was the best result for the Left since 1978, when it won a record 56 seats. It increased its 2008 tally by one seat.

"This is a verdict in favour of development, peace and stability besides good governance," a beaming chief minister Manik Sarkar told IANS.

"People voted and supported the Left Front for taking up development work and for curbing militancy," Sarkar said.

Sarkar, 64, who retained his Dhanpur seat in west Tripura, is the only political leader to be chief minister for a record fourth term in Tripura, a Marxist bastion. It was Sarkar's sixth electoral win.

While the Congress managed to retain its 2008 tally of 10 seats, its ally the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) drew blank. It had won one seat five years ago.

The Trinamool Congress, which fielded 22 candidates in 2008, did not contest this time to prevent a split in non-Left votes. But even that did not help the Congress.

The Left Front wrested four seats from the Congress-INPT-NCT (Nationalist Conference of Tripura) coalition. The Congress snatched three seats from the Left.

"Left Front candidates have increased their winning margin in most seats," an Election Commission official said.

The CPI-M's 49 seats is three more than what it got in 2008. The CPI won one seat and lost another.

The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc lost the two and one seats they contested.

Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury posted the highest winning margin of 12,450 votes.

Assembly Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath, Commerce Minister Jitendra Chowdhury, School Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty, Information Minister Anil Sarkar and Tribal Welfare Minister Aghore Debbarma won by huge margins.

Teacher-turned-politician Anil Sarkar, 75, who is also a poet and writer, was re-elected on CPI-M ticket from Pratapgarh in western Tripura for a record ninth time.

Congress leader Ratan Lal Nath won from Mohanpur for the fifth time while state Congress president Sudip Roy Barman retained his Agartala seat for the fourth time.

Former Tripura assembly speaker Jitendra Sarkar, who this time contested on Congress ticket, wrested Barjala seat from the CPI-M. He won by 254 votes.

CPI-M's Ratan Das wrested Ramnagar after a gap of 25 years. He defeated former state Congress chief Surajit Datta by just 15 votes.

"This is a great victory for the Left Front. Good governance is one of the key factors," CPI-M spokesperson Gautam Das told IANS.

Notable Congress losers included former chief minister Samir Ranjan Barma, party leader Subal Bhowmik and INPT president and former militant leader Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl.

Tripura made history when a record 93.57 percent of the 2.3 million voters exercised their franchise Feb 14. There were 249 candidates.

The Left has ruled Tripura since 1978 barring one term (1988-93).

IMPHAL, February 28: Even as fishermen around Loktak lake have been calling attention to how LDA officials are conituing its efforts to eveict people from the area, reports are coming in that more than 10 huts have been dismantled today by a team of LDA officials led by  the Executive Engineer Kulamani along with two engineers by using the state security forces led by Additional Superintendent of Police Jogeshchandra and Officer in charge Moirang, Inspector Sanajaoba  at Langol Sabhi and Toubul Mapal today morning at around 9.30 am

The hurt which were dismantled by the team are said to belong to Khwairakpam Ibungo, Oinam Nabachandra, Salam Nungsibabu, Salam Santomba, Heisnam (o) Bijenti and Thoudam(o) Pishak.

IMPHAL, Feb 28: The independent Inquiry Committee appointed by Supreme Court to probe six different extrajudicial killings in Manipur will hold its proceedings at Imphal from March 3. Copies of a public notice in this regard dated February 24 issued by PS Moorthy, Secretary, Supreme Court Appointed Commission, were made available to the media during a joint press meet addressed by 13 different NGOs, including the Extrajudicial Execution Victims’ Families Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) and Human Rights Alert (HRA) here on Thursday.

The public notice says the Commission’s sittings from March 3 at Imphal will be held at the Classic Regency (Conference Hall) 4th floor of Classic Hotel, North AOC.

The notice further says that the office of the Commission at Imphal will be functional from March 2 (9 am) at Classic Hotel and this office will be the secretarial address of the Commission till the conclusion of the proceedings in Imphal. It adds that in partial modification of the public notice dated February 9, 2013, it is notified that the time for filing affidavits by persons interested is extended to March 3, 2013 at 5 pm.

Urging all concerned to submit affidavits to the Commission, EEVFAM secretary Neena Ningombam said every individual who wants to file affidavit to the Inquiry Commission will be assisted.

She said any person who does not want to submit affidavit in person is requested to kindly contact phone number 9856675683 or 8974088818.

HRA executive director Babloo Loitongbam said individuals who want to file affidavits to the Commission can come to the Kwakeithel Thiyam Leikai office of EEVFAM and HRA from tomorrow.

The commission headed by Supreme Court Justice N Santosh Hegde, former Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh and retired DGP of Karnaka Police, Ajay Kumar Singh was established under the directive of the apex court on January 4, 2013.

The commission was set up following a recent petition filed by EEVFAM which pleaded for an independent probe into more than 1500 cases of extrajudicial killings in Manipur.

IMPHAL, Feb 28: The Asian Human Rights Commission has in a statement demanded India government to immediately stop evicting and threatening the floating huts-dwellers of Loktak Lake.

“The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur regarding continued eviction of floating hut dwellers and destruction of their floating huts at Loktak Lake by the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) of the Government of Manipur and Manipur Police on February 23, 2013,” it said.

“Worryingly, the assault came despite the restrictions imposed by the Gauhati High Court on January 25, 2012. Though the police and LDA personnel had to back off because of stiff resistance they met, they still destroyed two floating huts and fired in the air,” it said.

“The eviction had started in November 2011 under the controversial Manipur Loktak Lake Protection Act 2006. Victims were further affected by the Ithai Barrage of the Loktak Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project commissioned in 1984,” it added.

IMPHAL, Feb 28: The staff and students of the College of Nursing, RIMS, Imphal has expressed unhappiness over the distortion of the site where the RIMS nursing college is being set up, reportedly by an association called the PISCI Culture Association.

A release of the College of Nursing, RIMS has said that the RIMS authority after a serious consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Government Of India and considering the requirements of a Nursing College with PG level and various other nursing courses like the post basic B.Sc. nursing, critical care nursing, identified the site for the College of Nursing in the western site of the guest house.  n

“The site was earmarked on December 3, 2012 with tree plantation and installing the College of Nursing sign board. However to our surprise and shocked, we found the site being distorted, reportedly by an association namely PISCI culture association,” it said.

“It has come to our knowledge through the RIMS authority that the land was handed over to RIMS without any dispute by the Government of Manipur in 2007,” it further said.

“The staff and students of College of Nursing, RIMS is deeply hurt and shocked with this incident, as it affects the morale of all those involved in the welfare of this college, since its inception until today,” it said.

“Considering the fact that your daughters and sisters may one day be the students in this prestigious institute, we appeal not to disturb and hamper the planning and progress of the College which is far behind other reputed Nursing Colleges in terms of the modern infrastructure, which has come up alter a long years of deprivation,” it said.

“We also appeal to the Government of Manipur and the relevant authority to kindly impart justice at an early date for speedy progress of College of Nursing and for the interest of the State and North East as a whole,” it added.