State

Guwahati:The Gauhati High Court has refused to reduce the life imprisonment sentence of a man who brutally murdered his mother over a dispute involving just ₹30 to buy alcohol. Upholding the conviction, the court ruled that although the crime was not pre-meditated, the accused acted with a clear and deliberate intention to kill. The judgment was delivered by a division bench comprising Justice Michael Zothankhuma and Justice Kaushik Goswami while dismissing the appeal filed by Shankar Narayan Nandi, who challenged the life sentence awarded by a trial court. Brutal Crime, Clear Intent The incident dates back to March 16, 2016, when Nandi, a habitual alcoholic, attacked his mother Geeta Rani Nandi inside a railway quarter at Jalukbari, Guwahati. The crime was triggered after the vic...

Guwahati: As the political temperature rises ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has sharpened his focus on the issue of ‘Miya Muslims’—Bengali-origin Muslims—turning it into a central electoral narrative. While the BJP has combined this polarising pitch with cash-transfer schemes for women and youth, the Congress appears unable to find a credible counter-strategy. Himanta Biswa Sarma enjoys immense popularity among Assam’s youth, who affectionately refer to him as ‘Mama’. At public rallies, he draws rockstar-like crowds, with young supporters lining up for selfies. Welfare schemes such as Orunodoi and Babu Asoni have further strengthened the BJP’s grassroots appeal. Despite this advantage, Sarma has doubled down on aggressive rhetoric against Miya ...