Speeding train runs over four elephants

A speeding freight train mowed down four wild Asiatic elephants, including two calves, amid dense fog in Assam Saturday, the authorities said.

A railway spokesperson said the incident occurred near Walingdisa railway station in Karbi Anglong district, about 270 km east of Assam's main city Guwahati. The train was carrying petroleum products. Read More................Speeding train runs over four elephants

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More wives to bring in more votes?

GUWAHATI: They say behind every successful man there’s a woman. But in Arunachal Pradesh, behind a number of ‘‘successful’’ politicians, there is almost always more than one woman. A list of candidates fighting the October 13 elections from state’s 60 seats confirms this.Read More................Arunachal: More wives to bring in more votes?

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Red hot chilli peppers come to India's defence

GUWAHATI, India – India's security forces are planning to mix one of the world's hottest chilli powders in hand grenades to control riots and durin g insurgency operations in the remote northeast, as per defence official. Read More................CORRECTED-Red hot chilli peppers come to India's defence

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Thieves stealing Leaves

GUWAHATI, India - Thieves are breaking into tea gardens in India's northeast and plucking leaves, damaging tea bushes and hurting the industry, planters said.

The thieves are believed to be villagers in the tea-growing regions of Assam, famed for its strong malty brew, some of whom struggle to produce saleable tea in their small backyard tea gardens created as part of an employment scheme a decade ago.

"These thieves are now so desperate, they come with bows and arrows, and homemade firearms," said Rupesh Gowala, who leads a tea workers association.

"They clash with our workers whenever they are stopped from stealing. Two of our workers were also killed by them recently." Read more............................Thieves stealing leaves

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Zoo Tigers maul visitor who tries to take picture

A man in northeast India's Guwahati died of blood loss after two zoo tigers bit off his arm when he tried to take a picture of them, the Hindu newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Joyprakash Bezbaruah, 50, died in hospital after the attack, which occurred in front of his wife, son and dozens of bystanders on Wednesday afternoon.

The family had approached the cage containing two Royal Bengal tigers, one male and one female. The man climbed over the first safety barrier surrounding the cage, ignoring the warnings of zoo officials, and put his hand between the bars to take a picture with his mobile phone.

The male tiger leapt on the visitor ripping is arm from the shoulder, and the female joined in the attack. Vets and zookeepers then pushed the animals away with sticks.

Guwahati zoo has seen similar tiger attacks in the past. Earlier two men jumped into the tigers' cage in an apparent suicide. In another incident, a girl was rescued after entering a tigers' cage.

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