Category: MIZORAM

• AIZAWL

Celebrations were subdued in ethnic violence-devastated Manipur, but Christmas was celebrated with cheer, joy, and festivities in other northeastern states, like Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.

The security forces have seized foreign-origin cigarettes valued at Rs 2.38 crore and one lakh methamphetamine tablets valued at Rs 1.28 crore in separate raids in Mizoram, an official said here on Sunday.

The drug menace has replaced militancy as the prime threat in the northeastern states owing to the region’s close proximity to Myanmar, which according to the Southeast Asia Opium Survey 2023, is the world’s biggest opium producer.

Displaying a stunning triumph, IPS officer-turned-politician Lalduhoma, who’s party Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) wrested power by securing 27 seats in the 40-member Assembly, will be the sixth politician to assume the Chief Ministerial posts in Mizoram.

Cyclone 'Midhili' would hit Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, parts of Assam and other parts of northeastern states when it crossed to Bangladesh coast on Friday night or in the early hours of Saturday.

Elections to the 40-member Mizoram assembly and 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly would be held on November 7 and November 17 respectively. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 3 along with Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Telangana.

Top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and national President J. P. Nadda will soon join the campaign for the November 7 assembly elections to be held in Mizoram.

The Mizo National Front (MNF) government’s decision to provide shelter to around 50,000 fellow Chin-Kuki-Zo tribals from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur is likely to yield a rich electoral dividend for the MNF in the November 7 assembly elections.

Former Mizoram minister K. Beichhua, who was expelled by the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) in January this year, quit as a member of the state legislative Assembly on Friday, officials said.

The Mizoram government has decided not to collect biometrics and biographic data of Myanmarese taking shelter in the state while the Manipur government has urged the Centre to extend the time for the process in the state by a year.

Assam Rifles troopers on Monday seized 10 kg of Methamphetamine tablets valued at Rs 30 crore from Mizoram's Champhai district, bordering Myanmar.

Officials said that acting on secret information, sleuths of the Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) intercepted two Shillong-bound vehicles, coming from Mizoram, at Nongsning checkpoint in East Jaintia Hills district.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Wednesday said that people of his state were ready to help their distressed fellow brothers and sisters of Manipur and suggested that the future course of action should be undertaken in consultation with various organisations, leaders concerned, and the public.

In another major drug haul in less than two weeks, Tripura police on Saturday seized 1.3 kg heroin valued at Rs 10 crore after arresting a drug peddler at Damchera in northern Tripura, adjoining Mizoram.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI), D.Y. Chandrachud, said on Saturday that unlike India, there are many countries in the world trying to resolve their problems through arms and weapons.

The CEC, after holding a series of meetings with officials and political parties since Tuesday, said anti-drug operations, actions and activities would be intensified during the election process and any kind of drug peddling activities would be dealt with firmly. 

The security forces have seized huge quantities of heroin worth Rs 15.59 crore and arrested seven drug peddlers during the past 24 hours in Mizoram and Tripura, officials said on Wednesday.

The full Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, on Tuesday held a meeting with top Mizoram government officials and reviewed the preparedness for the state Assembly elections, due by this year end.

Various disaster response personnel continued their search operation for the second day on Thursday to recover more bodies in Mizoram’s Sairang area, where an under-construction railway bridge collapsed on Wednesday killing at least 23 people and injuring three, officials said. 

At least 26 workers were killed and two others injured after an under-construction railway bridge collapsed near the mountainous Sairang area of Mizoram on Wednesday, officials of Mizoram Relief and Disaster Management Department said.

At least 17 workers were killed on Wednesday after an under-construction railway bridge collapsed near Sairang area of Mizoram, officials said. According to railway and police officials 17 bodies have been recovered so far.

Months ahead of the elections to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly, Congress, the main opposition party in the state, has formed a ‘Mizoram Secular Alliance’ (MSA) with two local parties - People’s Conference (PC) and Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP).

A Mizoram police officer said that acting on a tip-off, the Aizawl District Special Branch (DSB) team arrested Sourabh Nath (34) and Mohammad Nur Ahmed (39) and seized 2.330 kg Methamphetamine tablets from their possession.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Tuesday said that the violent ethnic conflict in Manipur which has deeply aggrieved the entire Mizo society has also caused intense pain to the entire nation.

Mizoram Chief Minister and President of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), Zoramthanga, said on Saturday that the party's support to the BJP-led NDA is only issue-based.