Youth shot dead by miscreants in Udupi’s Hanehalli

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has again made provocative remarks suggesting that Muslims in the state becoming more prosperous could signal the “surrender of the Assamese people” — a statement widely criticised as divisive and communal.

Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting, Sarma claimed that alongside demographic changes, Assam was witnessing an “economic shift,” with Muslims allegedly becoming wealthier. He further implied that this shift represented the beginning of “the Assamese people’s surrender.”

Citing data from 2001 to 2011, Sarma said the Hindu population growth rate was falling while the Muslim population continued to rise. “In every block of Assam, the growth of the Hindu population is coming down and the Muslim population is increasing,” he said.

The chief minister went on to link the issue to property ownership, asserting that land sales from Hindus to Muslims were disproportionately high. “We are seeing that the sale of land from Hindus to Muslims is very high, while the vice versa is less,” Sarma said, adding that such transactions are now scrutinised under a directive issued last year requiring government permission.

While claiming that his government has “no problem” with Assamese or indigenous Muslims, Sarma continued to frame economic mobility among Muslims as a threat to Assamese identity. “So far, we were thinking that only the numbers have risen, but now we see that even the wealth pattern has changed,” he said.

Critics say Sarma’s repeated references to religion in matters of demography and economy reflect a deliberate attempt to polarise communities and deepen mistrust. His comments equating Muslim prosperity with “surrender” of the Assamese people, they argue, expose the communal undercurrent in the state’s political discourse.

The chief minister said he would hold another press conference soon to “elaborate” on the matter.

In his first statement after the Delhi blast that killed at least 13 people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the “conspirators will not be spared” and that “all those responsible will be brought to justice.”

The comments came amid heightened security in Delhi and other parts of the country following Monday evening’s explosion near the Red Fort.

PM Modi, who arrived in Bhutan on a two-day visit, said he was attending the 70th birthday celebrations of the Himalayan nation’s fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, “with a heavy heart.”

“It was my commitment to come here and participate, but I am here with a heavy heart. The horrifying incident in Delhi has pained everyone. I understand the pain of the victims’ families. The entire country stands with them,” he said in Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu.

“Throughout last night, I was in touch with all investigating agencies and major stakeholders. We were trying to piece together the information. Our agencies will get to the bottom of this conspiracy,” the Prime Minister added.

Modi was received at Paro airport by Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, who posted on X: “I join the entire nation in welcoming my elder brother Prime Minister @narendramodi to Bhutan.”

During the visit, Modi will hold talks with Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck and Prime Minister Tobgay. He and the King will jointly inaugurate the 1,020 MW Punatsangchhu-II hydroelectric project, developed jointly by India and Bhutan.

The Prime Minister will also meet the fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

Before his departure, Modi said he was confident the visit would “further deepen our bonds of friendship and strengthen our efforts towards shared progress and prosperity.”

He described India–Bhutan relations as “a key pillar of our Neighbourhood First Policy and a model of exemplary friendship between neighbouring countries.”

In a post on X, Modi added that the visit would “add new vigour to our bilateral relations.” The Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday that the visit aims to “strengthen the special ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.”

Modi’s visit also coincides with the exposition of the sacred Piprahwa relics of Lord Buddha, sent from India to Bhutan for public veneration.

Udupi, Nov 11: A pall of grief has descended on the Alangaru locality of Perdur village following the tragic discovery of a missing 15-year-old boy, Shreeshan Shetty. His body was recovered on Monday from the waters of the Alangaru Holebagilu river, bringing a sorrowful conclusion to a frantic overnight search by his family.

Shreeshan, a resident of Alangaru, had reportedly ventured to the river on Sunday afternoon with a friend to bathe. According to police reports, the excursion ended in tragedy when the teenager accidentally drowned while in the water.

Crucially, the friend who accompanied Shreeshan, paralyzed by fear and shock following the incident, failed to immediately report what had happened. This devastating silence meant that the victim's family, unaware of the accident, launched a desperate search throughout Sunday night, believing the boy was simply missing.

The breakthrough came only when local police, investigating the disappearance, questioned Shreeshan’s friend, who then disclosed the sequence of events at the river. Following this lead, the search was refocused on the waterway, culminating in the recovery of Shreeshan Shetty's body on Monday.

The local authorities have registered a case at the Hiriyadka police station and are continuing their investigation into the exact circumstances of the drowning and the delay in reporting the fatal accident.