Guwahati Diary

Police left embarrassed

The Assam Police was left embarrassed after the guards at the office of Director General of Police had allowed a man, driving an SUV in an inebriated state, to enter the high security complex mistaking the vehicle to be one that of the police department. After Krishna Bahadur Thapa was allowed entry, he made a round of the complex before driving out but in doing so, his speeding vehicle collided with an ambulance that was passing by. Soon, he got up to his vehicle’s bonnet and started dancing. Later, he made an attempt to run away but was nabbed by onlookers who beat him up before handing him over to the police. He was arrested, and a probe ordered into the incident.

Repatriation of immigrants

A process to repatriate 51 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, languishing in jails in Assam, is likely to begin next month. The Guwahati-based Bangladesh’s Assistant High Commissioner to India, Kazi Muntashir Murshed, said the High Commission had written to India’s Ministry of External Affairs seeking clearance for the repatriation of the immigrants. “There are 152 self-proclaimed Bangladeshi nationals in four jails of Assam and they have already undergone their jail terms.

They were arrested either for straying into India or for overstaying. I have visited them and they said they want to return Bangladesh. We have sent papers to the MEA seeking the repatriation of 51 individuals in the first batch. We hope something will happen in the next two weeks,” Murshed told reporters on the sidelines of the celebration of the April 17 historic Mujibnagar Day in Guwahati.

Rongali Bihu celebrated

The month-long Rongali Bihu, which marks the onset of Assamese New Year and the arrival of spring, is being celebrated across Guwahati with pomp and gaiety.  The main attraction of the festival is the cultural programmes, which are organised by clubs and organisations across localities, where both men and women dance together to the beats of ‘dhol’ and ‘pepa’. Like the previous years, Assamese singers, including Zubeen Garg, belted out popular numbers in these functions. Bihu dance competitions were organised at several places to promote the culture among the younger generation. Budding dancers are prepared for the fiesta in Bihu workshops.

Bribery racket in I-T office

The CBI has unearthed a bribery racket at the Guwahati income tax office and arrested four people, including a Commissioner. It was alleged during 2017-18, I-T Commissioner Swetabh Suman had entered into a conspiracy with an I-T officer besides an advocate, a private firm and other unknown persons, and agreed to show undue favour to the firm’s director by passing favourable order in an appeal arising out of assessment done in respect of the firm. “The Commissioner allegedly made attempts to obtain illegal gratification to the tune of approximately C50 lakh for himself and the I-T officer through the said accused...Approximately C40 lakh, allegedly meant for the accused IT officials, was also recovered…,” an official release said.