Assam's anti-CAA face Akhil Gogoi wins Sivasagar from inside jail

News Network
May 2, 2021

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May 2: Akhil Gogoi's fight against the CAA on Assam streets landed him in jail in December 2019 and even invited sedition charge. His fight did not succeed then as BJP went ahead with the CAA despite the violent protests.

But the maiden electoral battle that Akhil fought from behind the bars brought success on Sunday when he was elected from Sivasagar Assembly constituency. Akhil, 46 defeated Surabhi Rajkonwari of BJP.

Sivasagar, the erstwhile capital of Ahom Dynasty (1238-1826), which witnessed strong protest against the CAA in 2019, was a Congress stronghold. Veteran Congress leader Pranab Kumar Gogoi was elected from Sivasagar four times (2001 to 2016). Gogoi died in February last year.

Surabhi came second in 2016 Assembly elections.

"Akhil Gogoi is a symbol of Assamese people's fight against the CAA. Though only Akhil won from the party, he will continue to fight for protection of identity and culture of the Assamese," a leader of Raijor Dal, Akhil's party said.

Akhil has been in judicial custody since December 2019 when the anti-CAA agitation turned violent in Guwahati and in other places. Akhil's case was handed over to the NIA, which booked him under sedition charge alleging his nexus with Maoists.

Akhil has been constantly vocal against BJP and its policies. Be it BJP's land swap deal with Bangladesh, big dam projects in the Northeast or disinvestment in the PSUs.

Akhil says the CAA would destroy the Assamese identity by giving citizenship to 1.90 crore post-1971 Hindu Bengali migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. BJP, however, rejected the charge.

Raijor Dal, the party he leads was constituted on October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti) last year with a target to cash on the anti-CAA sentiments against the BJP. The party contested in 32 of 126 seats and supported Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), another anti-CAA party in a few other seats. 

AJP failed to win a single seat. Its president, Lurin Jyoti Gogoi, who also led the anti-CAA agitation lost in both Naharkatiya and Duliajan. Lurin lost to Taranga Gogoi of BJP in Naharkatiya and Congress' Dhrubajyoti Gogoi in Duliajan.

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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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News Network
December 6,2025

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New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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