President Ram Nath Kovind appointed five new governors on Saturday with Brig&nbsp;(Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) taking over as governor of Arunachal Pradesh.

Banwarilal Purohit was appointed governor of Tamil Nadu, and Satya Pal Malik as governor of Bihar.

Professor Jagdish Mukhi was appointed governor of Assam, and Ganga Prasad governor of Meghalaya.&nbsp;

In addition, Admiral (Retd) DK Joshi was made lieutenant governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.&nbsp;

In addition, Admiral (Retd) DK Joshi was made LG of Andaman and Nicobar

President Ram Nath Kovind appointed five new governors on Saturday with Brig (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) taking over as governor of Arunachal Pradesh. Banwarilal Purohit was appointed governor of Tamil Nadu, and Satya Pal Malik as governor of Bihar. Professor Jagdish Mukhi was appointed governor of Assam, and Ganga Prasad governor of Meghalaya. In addition, Admiral (Retd) DK Joshi was made lieutenant governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Five states get new governors

Union Minister&nbsp;Kiren Rijiju had to make an emergency helicopter landing in Itanagar due to inclement weather, but is safe on the ground, ANI reports.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a> MoS Home Kiren Rijiju&#39;s chopper made preventive landing in Itanagar, due to bad weather. <a href="https://t.co/b4SkcIN8mm">pic.twitter.com/b4SkcIN8mm</a>
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The helicopter carrying Rijiju and seven other passengers and crew was heading to Arunachal Pradesh&#39;s Ziro from Guwahati when heavy rains and fog forced it to touch down, NDTV reports.

The pilots, members of the Border Security Force, manouevred for about ten minutes, before making an emergency landing on a small field.

&quot;I was lucky enough to be landed safely, thanks to the BSF pilots who are very experienced,&quot; Kiren Rijiju said to the Press Trust of India.

Rijiju was travelling to Ziro to attend the Dree harvest festival.

&nbsp;

Heavy rains and fog forced the helicopter carrying the union minister of state for home and seven others to land in a field in Itanagar

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had to make an emergency helicopter landing in Itanagar due to inclement weather, but is safe on the ground, ANI reports. #WATCH MoS Home Kiren Rijiju's chopper made preventive landing in Itanagar, due to bad weather. pic.twitter.com/b4SkcIN8mm — ANI (@ANI_news) July 4, 2017 × The helicopter carrying Rijiju and seven other passengers and crew was heading to Arunachal Pradesh's Ziro from Guwahati when heavy rains and fog forced it to touch down, NDTV reports. The pilots, members of the Border Security Force, manouevred for about ten minutes, before making an emergency landing on a small field. "I was lucky enough to be landed safely, thanks to the BSF pilots who are very experienced," Kiren Rijiju said to the Press Trust of India. Rijiju was travelling to Ziro to attend the Dree harvest festival.

Watch: Indian minister Rijiju's chopper makes emergency landing in Arunachal

Arunachal Pradesh&rsquo;s chief minister Pema Khandu told WION that northeast should have a separate time zone.&nbsp;He is the second chief minister after former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi who also wanted to introduce a separate time zone for the northeast.&nbsp;

&ldquo;A separate time zone for northeast would save working day light-time and save electricity,&rdquo; said BJP chief minister Pema Khandu.

Indian Standard Time(IST) is calculated on the basis of 82.5 E longitude, in Shankargarh Fort, in Mirzapur near Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.

India&rsquo;s geographical spread from the east to west is vast and there is a&nbsp;huge difference between sunset and sunrise time in eastern and western parts of the country.&nbsp;

In order to increase productivity, tea gardens in northeast also follow their separate time zone as &ldquo;Tea Garden Time&rdquo; or baagaan(garden) time.

There are different views on the issue as many experts feel the cost of saving electricity wouldn&rsquo;t be much and it could lead to chaos in a densely populated country like India. The change could also affect the transportation network like the railways.&nbsp;

But this was not the case when the British ruled India. The British had divided India into Bombay time zone, Calcutta time zone and Baagaan&nbsp;time zone.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;United States which extends 4800 km from east to west has nine different time zones. On the other hand, India with a 3000 km landmass from east to west has just&nbsp;one time zone.

Successive governments have tried to resolve this issue but have failed to arrive at a solution. 
&nbsp;

CM Pema Khandu is the second chief minister after former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi who also wanted to introduce a separate time zone for the northeast

Arunachal Pradesh’s chief minister Pema Khandu told WION that northeast should have a separate time zone. He is the second chief minister after former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi who also wanted to introduce a separate time zone for the northeast. “A separate time zone for northeast would save working day light-time and save electricity,” said BJP chief minister Pema Khandu. Indian Standard Time(IST) is calculated on the basis of 82.5 E longitude, in Shankargarh Fort, in Mirzapur near Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. India’s geographical spread from the east to west is vast and there is a huge difference between sunset and sunrise time in eastern and western parts of the country. In order to increase productivity, tea gardens in northeast also follow their separate time zone as “Tea Garden Time” or baagaan(garden) time. There are different views on the issue as many experts feel the cost of saving electricity wouldn’t be much and it could lead to chaos in a densely populated country like India. The change could also affect the transportation network like the railways. But this was not the case when the British ruled India. The British had divided India into Bombay time zone, Calcutta time zone and Baagaan time zone. The United States which extends 4800 km from east to west has nine different time zones. On the other hand, India with a 3000 km landmass from east to west has just one time zone. Successive governments have tried to resolve this issue but have failed to arrive at a solution.

Two time zones for India? Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu agrees

China today dismissed India&#39;s response over Arunachal Pradesh after the Indian government had&nbsp;declared &quot;renaming or inventing names of states of your neighbour does not make illegal occupation legal&quot;.

China hit back saying it had &quot;lawful right to change names of six places&quot; in Arunachal Pradesh.

India had lashed out at its neighbour yesterday saying inventing names of states of a neighbour does not make illegal occupation legal after&nbsp;China went ahead and renamed &quot;six places&quot;&nbsp;in Arunachal Pradesh.

China had on Wednesday announced that it had &quot;standardised&quot; official names for six places in the north-eastern state and termed the provocative move as a &quot;legitimate action&quot;.

China has been irked with India&#39;s move to allow Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh leading to verbal duel between the two countries.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

India had said 'renaming or inventing names of states of your neighbour does not make illegal occupation legal'

China today dismissed India's response over Arunachal Pradesh after the Indian government had declared "renaming or inventing names of states of your neighbour does not make illegal occupation legal". China hit back saying it had "lawful right to change names of six places" in Arunachal Pradesh. India had lashed out at its neighbour yesterday saying inventing names of states of a neighbour does not make illegal occupation legal after China went ahead and renamed "six places" in Arunachal Pradesh. China had on Wednesday announced that it had "standardised" official names for six places in the north-eastern state and termed the provocative move as a "legitimate action". China has been irked with India's move to allow Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh leading to verbal duel between the two countries. (WION)

Lawful right to change names of places in Arunachal Pradesh: China

Upping the ante, China has for the first time announced &quot;standardised&quot; official names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh, days after it lodged strong protests with India over the Dalai Lama&#39;s visit to the frontier state.

The state media here said the move was aimed at reaffirming China&#39;s claim over the state. China claims the state as &quot;South Tibet&quot;.

&quot;China&#39;s Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on April 14 that it had standardised in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet the names of six places in &#39;South Tibet&#39;, which India calls &#39;Arunachal Pradesh&#39;, in accordance with the regulations of the central government,&quot; state-run Global Times reported today.

The official names of the six places using the Roman alphabet are Wo&#39;gyainling, Mila Ri, Qoid&ecirc;ngarbo Ri, Mainquka, B&uuml;mo La and Namkapub Ri.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488 kilometres-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). While China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, India asserts that the dispute covers Aksai Chin area which was occupied by China during the 1962 war.

The two sides have so far held 19 rounds of talks with Special Representatives to resolve the boundary dispute.

China&#39;s move comes just days after the Dalai Lama&#39;s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which was seventh since he fled from Tibet through Tawang and sought refuge in India.

During the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader&#39;s Arunachal Pradesh visit, China had warned India that it will take &quot;necessary measures&quot; to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests.

Commenting on the standardisation of the names of six places, Chinese experts said that it was a move to &quot;reaffirm the country&#39;s territorial sovereignty to the disputed region&quot;, according to the daily.

&quot;The standardisation came amid China&#39;s growing understanding and recognition of the geography in South Tibet. Naming the places is a step to reaffirm China&#39;s territorial sovereignty to South Tibet,&quot; Xiong Kunxin, a professor of ethnic studies at Beijing&#39;s Minzu University of China, was quoted as saying.

Xiong said that the legalisation of the regions&#39; names is a part of the rule of law.

&quot;These names have existed since ancient times, but had never been standardised before. Therefore, announcing the names is like a remediation,&quot; Guo Kefan, a research fellow at the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences, said.

Standardising the names from the angles of culture and geography could serve as a reference or leverage when China and India negotiate border issues in future, Guo said.

&quot;The South Tibet region is located alongside China&#39;s southwestern border and India&#39;s north-eastern border where Sino-Indian border disputes are cantered,&quot; the report said.

It claimed that India &quot;abruptly announced that it was officially designating the region as &#39;Arunachal Pradesh&#39; but the Chinese government has neither recognised India&#39;s occupation of the region, nor the legitimacy of the province&quot;.

During the Dalai Lama Arunachal Pradesh visit, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who accompanied the Tibetan spiritual leader, had asserted that that Arunachal Pradesh is &quot;an inseparable part of India&quot;.

China had lodged a diplomatic protest with India over the visit and warned that it would have a negative impact on the efforts to resolve the border dispute.

After the nine-day visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang had said that India should not use the Tibetan spiritual leader to undermine China&#39;s interests.

(PTI)

Chinese state media said the move was aimed at reaffirming Beijing's claim over the state, which it calls 'South Tibet'

Upping the ante, China has for the first time announced "standardised" official names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh, days after it lodged strong protests with India over the Dalai Lama's visit to the frontier state. The state media here said the move was aimed at reaffirming China's claim over the state. China claims the state as "South Tibet". "China's Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on April 14 that it had standardised in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet the names of six places in 'South Tibet', which India calls 'Arunachal Pradesh', in accordance with the regulations of the central government," state-run Global Times reported today. The official names of the six places using the Roman alphabet are Wo'gyainling, Mila Ri, Qoidêngarbo Ri, Mainquka, Bümo La and Namkapub Ri. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488 kilometres-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). While China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, India asserts that the dispute covers Aksai Chin area which was occupied by China during the 1962 war. The two sides have so far held 19 rounds of talks with Special Representatives to resolve the boundary dispute. China's move comes just days after the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which was seventh since he fled from Tibet through Tawang and sought refuge in India. During the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader's Arunachal Pradesh visit, China had warned India that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests. Commenting on the standardisation of the names of six places, Chinese experts said that it was a move to "reaffirm the country's territorial sovereignty to the disputed region", according to the daily. "The standardisation came amid China's growing understanding and recognition of the geography in South Tibet. Naming the places is a step to reaffirm China's territorial sovereignty to South Tibet," Xiong Kunxin, a professor of ethnic studies at Beijing's Minzu University of China, was quoted as saying. Xiong said that the legalisation of the regions' names is a part of the rule of law. "These names have existed since ancient times, but had never been standardised before. Therefore, announcing the names is like a remediation," Guo Kefan, a research fellow at the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences, said. Standardising the names from the angles of culture and geography could serve as a reference or leverage when China and India negotiate border issues in future, Guo said. "The South Tibet region is located alongside China's southwestern border and India's north-eastern border where Sino-Indian border disputes are cantered," the report said. It claimed that India "abruptly announced that it was officially designating the region as 'Arunachal Pradesh' but the Chinese government has neither recognised India's occupation of the region, nor the legitimacy of the province". During the Dalai Lama Arunachal Pradesh visit, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who accompanied the Tibetan spiritual leader, had asserted that that Arunachal Pradesh is "an inseparable part of India". China had lodged a diplomatic protest with India over the visit and warned that it would have a negative impact on the efforts to resolve the border dispute. After the nine-day visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang had said that India should not use the Tibetan spiritual leader to undermine China's interests. (PTI)

China renames 6 places in Arunachal Pradesh

Infuriated with India calling Arunachal Pradesh an &quot;inseparable part&quot;, China said Thursday that it has lodged protests in both India and China over the Dalai Lama&#39;s visit to the state which China claims as a part of southern Tibet.

The same day, Chinese official media warned India that China should not hesitate to answer &quot;blows with blows&quot; if India chose to play dirty by allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh. Two&nbsp;Chinese newspapers&nbsp;slammed Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju for accompanying the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader on his visit to the state, calling it a &quot;double affront&quot;.

The remarks came after India&#39;s Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that Arunachal Pradesh was &quot;an inseparable part of India&quot;.

While lodging its official protest, China accused India of &quot;fuelling tensions&quot; by allowing the Dalai Lama in the &quot;disputed areas&quot;.

The protest was lodged in Beijing with Indian Ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale. In Delhi, the protest was lodged with the competent officials of the External Affairs Ministry, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing.

&quot;I can confirm (that) China has lodged protest in Beijing and Delhi,&quot; the foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Asked whether Beijing views India&#39;s permission to the 81-year-old Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh as amounting to questioning the &quot;One China&quot; policy, Hua said, &quot;I want to re-emphasise that on issues concerning China&#39;s major concern and core interests, territorial and sovereignty, China&#39;s position is consistent.&quot;

&quot;By inviting and approving (the) Dalai Lama to (visit) disputed areas between China and India, India has damaged our interests and the India-China relationship and it has fuelled tensions,&quot; she said.

&quot;We oppose the visit to relevant areas and oppose attempts by relevant countries to arrange a platform for (the) Dalai (Lama) to conduct anti-China activities. We urge relevant country to stop such erroneous actions and stop undermining Chinese interests,&quot; she said.

She said the Dalai Lama&#39;s visit has caused damage to India-China relations.

&quot;We hope the two sides can continue to follow principle of mutual respect for each other&#39;s core interests and major concerns and we should do more things that can strengthen mutual political trust and promote the overall interests of China-India relations,&quot; she said.

Asked about assertions in the Chinese media that India&#39;s move was aimed at pressuring Beijing over the issues relating to China blocking India&#39;s Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership bid, Hua said, &quot;China will not make any assumptions on India&#39;s intentions.&quot;

Hua said the issue of India&#39;s NSG bid should be resolved by all the 48 members of the group.

&quot;We should achieve a solution that applies indiscriminately to all non-Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty countries through consultation and discussion,&quot; she said.

India using Dalai Lama as a diplomatic tool: Chinese media

Two English newspapers -- China Daily and Global Times -- took exceptions to Kiren Rijiju&#39;s remarks.&nbsp;

The papers said India is using the Dalai Lama as a &quot;diplomatic tool&quot; against China for its &quot;vice like veto&quot; against India&#39;s membership in the NSG and the UN ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.

&quot;New Delhi not only allowed the 14th Dalai Lama to visit Southern Tibet, a historical Chinese territory India has illicitly occupied and refers to as &#39;Arunachal Pradesh&#39;, but the spiritual leader of &#39;Tibetan independence&#39; was also escorted on the trip by India&#39;s junior minister of home affairs,&quot; the state-run China Daily said in its editorial.

&quot;To Beijing, that is a double affront,&quot; it said.

&quot;Rijiju might think himself cute in borrowing a line from Beijing&#39;s diplomatic representations, but he has ignored the fundamental distinction here: Like Taiwan and any other part of China, Tibet is a part of the Chinese territory no matter whether New Delhi agrees or not,&quot; it said in the editorial.

&quot;Southern Tibet, on the other hand, was stolen from China by his country&#39;s former colonial master taking advantage of China&#39;s internal strife. Should he have any questions regarding the status of Southern Tibet, Rijiju can consult the historical archives,&quot; it said.

&quot;Neither the &#39;McMahon Line&#39;, by which New Delhi justifies its actual control of Southern Tibet nor the present-day &#39;Arunachal Pradesh&#39; has Beijing&#39;s endorsement. In other words, Indian occupation of the area is legally untenable. Using it as leverage, therefore, is not just unethical, it is outright illicit,&quot; the editorial said.

Despite the historical dispute, the China-India border area has by and large remained peaceful recently, particularly since Beijing and New Delhi began to get serious about border talks, it said.

&quot;If New Delhi chooses to play dirty, however, Beijing should not hesitate to answer blows with blows,&quot; the paper said.

The aggressive editorials came after China yesterday lodged a protest over the Tibetan spiritual leader&#39;s visit to the area.

The Dalai Lama is currently on a nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

In its editorial, the ruling CPC-run Global Times criticised Rijiju for accompanying the Dalai Lama during his visit to the state.

&quot;The Dalai Lama has been to the disputed region before, but what makes this trip different is that he is received and accompanied by India&#39;s Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju. When China raised the concern over the visit, Rijiju commented that China shouldn&#39;t intervene in their &#39;internal affairs&#39;,&quot; it said.

&quot;New Delhi probably overestimates its leverage in the bilateral ties with China. The two countries in recent years have continuously strived to improve their relationship and the peace on the border area has been maintained,&quot; it said.

&quot;India has benefited from the good momentum of bilateral relationship as much as China. If New Delhi ruins the Sino- India ties and the two countries turn into open rivals, can India afford the consequence?,&quot; the tabloid, known for striking aggressive nationalistic postures, said.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

 
&nbsp;

Chinese media also launched a scathing attack on Minister of State Kiren Rijiju for calling Arunachal Pradesh 'an inseparable part of India'

Infuriated with India calling Arunachal Pradesh an "inseparable part", China said Thursday that it has lodged protests in both India and China over the Dalai Lama's visit to the state which China claims as a part of southern Tibet. The same day, Chinese official media warned India that China should not hesitate to answer "blows with blows" if India chose to play dirty by allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh. Two Chinese newspapers slammed Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju for accompanying the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader on his visit to the state, calling it a "double affront". The remarks came after India's Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that Arunachal Pradesh was "an inseparable part of India". While lodging its official protest, China accused India of "fuelling tensions" by allowing the Dalai Lama in the "disputed areas". The protest was lodged in Beijing with Indian Ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale. In Delhi, the protest was lodged with the competent officials of the External Affairs Ministry, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing. "I can confirm (that) China has lodged protest in Beijing and Delhi," the foreign ministry spokesperson said. Asked whether Beijing views India's permission to the 81-year-old Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh as amounting to questioning the "One China" policy, Hua said, "I want to re-emphasise that on issues concerning China's major concern and core interests, territorial and sovereignty, China's position is consistent." "By inviting and approving (the) Dalai Lama to (visit) disputed areas between China and India, India has damaged our interests and the India-China relationship and it has fuelled tensions," she said. "We oppose the visit to relevant areas and oppose attempts by relevant countries to arrange a platform for (the) Dalai (Lama) to conduct anti-China activities. We urge relevant country to stop such erroneous actions and stop undermining Chinese interests," she said. She said the Dalai Lama's visit has caused damage to India-China relations. "We hope the two sides can continue to follow principle of mutual respect for each other's core interests and major concerns and we should do more things that can strengthen mutual political trust and promote the overall interests of China-India relations," she said. Asked about assertions in the Chinese media that India's move was aimed at pressuring Beijing over the issues relating to China blocking India's Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership bid, Hua said, "China will not make any assumptions on India's intentions." Hua said the issue of India's NSG bid should be resolved by all the 48 members of the group. "We should achieve a solution that applies indiscriminately to all non-Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty countries through consultation and discussion," she said. India using Dalai Lama as a diplomatic tool: Chinese media Two English newspapers -- China Daily and Global Times -- took exceptions to Kiren Rijiju's remarks. The papers said India is using the Dalai Lama as a "diplomatic tool" against China for its "vice like veto" against India's membership in the NSG and the UN ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. "New Delhi not only allowed the 14th Dalai Lama to visit Southern Tibet, a historical Chinese territory India has illicitly occupied and refers to as 'Arunachal Pradesh', but the spiritual leader of 'Tibetan independence' was also escorted on the trip by India's junior minister of home affairs," the state-run China Daily said in its editorial. "To Beijing, that is a double affront," it said. "Rijiju might think himself cute in borrowing a line from Beijing's diplomatic representations, but he has ignored the fundamental distinction here: Like Taiwan and any other part of China, Tibet is a part of the Chinese territory no matter whether New Delhi agrees or not," it said in the editorial. "Southern Tibet, on the other hand, was stolen from China by his country's former colonial master taking advantage of China's internal strife. Should he have any questions regarding the status of Southern Tibet, Rijiju can consult the historical archives," it said. "Neither the 'McMahon Line', by which New Delhi justifies its actual control of Southern Tibet nor the present-day 'Arunachal Pradesh' has Beijing's endorsement. In other words, Indian occupation of the area is legally untenable. Using it as leverage, therefore, is not just unethical, it is outright illicit," the editorial said. Despite the historical dispute, the China-India border area has by and large remained peaceful recently, particularly since Beijing and New Delhi began to get serious about border talks, it said. "If New Delhi chooses to play dirty, however, Beijing should not hesitate to answer blows with blows," the paper said. The aggressive editorials came after China yesterday lodged a protest over the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit to the area. The Dalai Lama is currently on a nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh. In its editorial, the ruling CPC-run Global Times criticised Rijiju for accompanying the Dalai Lama during his visit to the state. "The Dalai Lama has been to the disputed region before, but what makes this trip different is that he is received and accompanied by India's Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju. When China raised the concern over the visit, Rijiju commented that China shouldn't intervene in their 'internal affairs'," it said. "New Delhi probably overestimates its leverage in the bilateral ties with China. The two countries in recent years have continuously strived to improve their relationship and the peace on the border area has been maintained," it said. "India has benefited from the good momentum of bilateral relationship as much as China. If New Delhi ruins the Sino- India ties and the two countries turn into open rivals, can India afford the consequence?," the tabloid, known for striking aggressive nationalistic postures, said. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Dalai Lama row: Now, China accuses India of 'fuelling tensions'

China said on Wednesday that India&#39;s decision to host Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on a contested stretch of land on the India-China border would cause serious damage to relations between the two countries.

The Dalai Lama&#39;s week-long trip to Arunchal Pradesh, an eastern Himalayan region administered by New Delhi, but claimed by China as &quot;southern Tibet&quot;, has raised hackles in Beijing, which labels the monk a dangerous separatist.

&quot;China expresses firm opposition to this and will lodge stern representations with the Indian side,&quot; foreign ministry spokeswomen Hua Chunying told a regular briefing in the Chinese capital.

The 81-year-old Buddhist monk and Nobel peace laureate had planned to fly by helicopter to the 17th-century Tawang monastery and hold three days of spiritual teachings starting on Wednesday. However, heavy rainfall forced him to travel by road - a two-day drive through rugged mountain terrain - and he is not now expected to arrive until Friday.

The Dalai Lama received a rapturous welcome on Tuesday in the town of Bomdila, with large crowds turning out in streets festooned with flags, as musicians and dancers clad in traditional costumes performed before his sport-utility vehicle. Later, the maroon-robed prelate walked slowly through the crowds, a fellow monk supporting him by the arm and another holding a large umbrella overhead to shield him from the rain.

Indian officials have dismissed China&#39;s criticism of the Dalai Lama&#39;s second visit to Arunachal Pradesh in eight years, saying he is a spiritual leader who has a devoted following in the region.

&quot;His visit to this part of the country is totally religious,&quot; the state&#39;s chief minister, Pema Khandu, told Reuters Television. &quot;As far as the boundary issue is concerned, I have also maintained that we don&#39;t share our boundary with China, but we share our boundary with Tibet.&quot;

SEVERELY DAMAGED

China has repeatedly criticised visits by foreign officials to Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls South Tibet and over which it has a long-standing claim.

In its latest broadside, Beijing said that by ignoring China&#39;s concerns and persisting in arranging the trip, India had &quot;severely damaged China&#39;s interests and China-India relations&quot;.

&quot;We demand that India immediately cease using the Dalai Lama&#39;s mistaken behaviour to damage China&#39;s interests,&quot; Hua added. &quot;It will not bring any benefit to India. China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights.&quot;

The Dalai Lama fled in 1959 over the border not far from the Tawang monastery, the largest of its kind in India. At the start of his tour, he was reunited with an elderly Indian border guard who had helped him to safety. He now resides in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala, where his supporters also run a small government in exile. He has renounced any political role in leading the Tibetan diaspora.

The Indian government has rejected China&#39;s criticism of the Dalai Lama&#39;s visit - his first to Arunachal Pradesh since 2009.

&quot;The government has clearly stated on several occasions that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader, who is deeply respected by the Indian people,&quot; it said in its latest statement on the matter. &quot;The government, therefore, urges that no artificial controversy be created around his present visit to Arunachal Pradesh.&quot;

(Reuters)

Despite China's wording, India called him a 'revered religious leader' and requested no 'artificial controversy' be created around his visit

China said on Wednesday that India's decision to host Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on a contested stretch of land on the India-China border would cause serious damage to relations between the two countries. The Dalai Lama's week-long trip to Arunchal Pradesh, an eastern Himalayan region administered by New Delhi, but claimed by China as "southern Tibet", has raised hackles in Beijing, which labels the monk a dangerous separatist. "China expresses firm opposition to this and will lodge stern representations with the Indian side," foreign ministry spokeswomen Hua Chunying told a regular briefing in the Chinese capital. The 81-year-old Buddhist monk and Nobel peace laureate had planned to fly by helicopter to the 17th-century Tawang monastery and hold three days of spiritual teachings starting on Wednesday. However, heavy rainfall forced him to travel by road - a two-day drive through rugged mountain terrain - and he is not now expected to arrive until Friday. The Dalai Lama received a rapturous welcome on Tuesday in the town of Bomdila, with large crowds turning out in streets festooned with flags, as musicians and dancers clad in traditional costumes performed before his sport-utility vehicle. Later, the maroon-robed prelate walked slowly through the crowds, a fellow monk supporting him by the arm and another holding a large umbrella overhead to shield him from the rain. Indian officials have dismissed China's criticism of the Dalai Lama's second visit to Arunachal Pradesh in eight years, saying he is a spiritual leader who has a devoted following in the region. "His visit to this part of the country is totally religious," the state's chief minister, Pema Khandu, told Reuters Television. "As far as the boundary issue is concerned, I have also maintained that we don't share our boundary with China, but we share our boundary with Tibet." SEVERELY DAMAGED China has repeatedly criticised visits by foreign officials to Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls South Tibet and over which it has a long-standing claim. In its latest broadside, Beijing said that by ignoring China's concerns and persisting in arranging the trip, India had "severely damaged China's interests and China-India relations". "We demand that India immediately cease using the Dalai Lama's mistaken behaviour to damage China's interests," Hua added. "It will not bring any benefit to India. China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights." The Dalai Lama fled in 1959 over the border not far from the Tawang monastery, the largest of its kind in India. At the start of his tour, he was reunited with an elderly Indian border guard who had helped him to safety. He now resides in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala, where his supporters also run a small government in exile. He has renounced any political role in leading the Tibetan diaspora. The Indian government has rejected China's criticism of the Dalai Lama's visit - his first to Arunachal Pradesh since 2009. "The government has clearly stated on several occasions that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader, who is deeply respected by the Indian people," it said in its latest statement on the matter. "The government, therefore, urges that no artificial controversy be created around his present visit to Arunachal Pradesh." (Reuters)

China denounces India hosting Dalai Lama in Arunachal Pradesh

By Ritika Jain

The widow of the former Arunachal chief minister Kalikho Pul says her husband came to her in a dream a week ago, which is when she decided to &quot;come forward and do something&quot;.

Kalikho Pul had hanged himself at home in Itanagar on August 9 last year, less than a month after the Supreme Court removed him from the chief minister&#39;s chair.&nbsp;

Now, his widow, Dangwimsai Pul, is grimly determined to piece together the events that led to his death.&nbsp;

Speaking to DNA from the seventh-floor hotel room in the capital where she has been staying for a week, Dangwimsai says her husband had been distressed for some time before his death. &quot;He was very disturbed in the days when he lost his position as CM and the day he committed suicide,&quot; she said.

&quot;My husband spoke to me in a dream a week ago, he was entering a dining room which was dark and simply asked why the lights were off. That&#39;s when I decided to come forward and do something,&quot; she said.

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<h5>On July 13 last year, the Supreme Court overrode Arunachal governor JP Rajkhowa&#39;s order to advance assembly elections in the state. That meant that Pul, a Congress-rebel &mdash; who was receiving&nbsp;outside support from the BJP &mdash; lost his post as CM, paving the way for the Congress&#39;s Nabam Tuki to take over as chief minister</h5>
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The day before his death, he was supposed to meet the Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and had left Itanagar at 1.30 pm. The driver said Kalikho changed his mind often and even turned the car around three times, she said.

Incidentally, the meeting was cancelled and Kalikho returned home by 7.30 pm. He hung himself the next morning. Ten sets of his typewritten (in Hindi) 60-page spiral-bound suicide note bearing his signature on every page were found around him.

Pul&#39;s widow has been in the eye of the storm for the past few weeks.

Her release last Friday of the unredacted version of the suicide note has left the judiciary under severe scrutiny. Kalikho has alleged corruption against several sitting supreme court judges, top lawyers and even the President.

Based on the contents of the letter, Dangwimsai had made a plea seeking a probe into her husband&#39;s suicide, a plea she later withdrew. On Thursday, Dangwimsai&#39;s letter was turned into a criminal petition and heard by an SC bench. This created a conflict of interest because Dangwimsai wanted the Chief Justice to permit an investigation based on the contents of the letter. Instead, by treating the letter as a petition, the judiciary was effectively limiting other legal avenues for the widow.

Now, Dangwimsai is planning her next move, for which she is being counselled by her 20-year old son Ojingso and three well-wishers.

&quot;There has been no investigation into my husband&#39;s death. In fact, no FIR has been filed yet based on a complaint we &mdash; the three wives, filed immediately after his suicide,&quot; she added. &quot;Even the inquest report has been filed based on the Personal Security Officer (PSO),&quot; Dangwimsai added.

Her son Ojingso shares her determination that a probe should be conducted. &quot;My father was a stubborn man though he was always positive. We never thought he would contemplate such a step.&quot; Tragically, the second-year Delhi University student was home between July 13 and his father&#39;s death on August 9 - which was also his birthday.

On July 13 last year, the Supreme Court overrode Arunachal governor JP Rajkhowa&#39;s order to advance assembly elections in the state. That meant that Pul, a Congress-rebel &mdash; who was receiving&nbsp;outside support from the BJP &mdash; lost his post as CM, paving the way for the Congress&#39;s Nabam Tuki to take over as chief minister.

&quot;I believe my father started compiling his suicide note in the week prior to his death. My father wanted his suicide to spark a revolution,&quot; Ojingso said. &quot;He killed himself so that an investigation could be conducted based on the allegations he made,&quot; Ojingso added.

Pul&#39;s suicide letter has sparked a storm, with the judiciary appearing on the back foot.

Dangwimsai seems happy with the storm that she has created. &quot;He (Kalikho) spoke to me again last night in a dream, he said he felt as though he was reborn,&quot; she said.

(A version of this report first appeared in DNA)

The former Arunachal chief minister had hanged himself last August

By Ritika Jain The widow of the former Arunachal chief minister Kalikho Pul says her husband came to her in a dream a week ago, which is when she decided to "come forward and do something". Kalikho Pul had hanged himself at home in Itanagar on August 9 last year, less than a month after the Supreme Court removed him from the chief minister's chair. Now, his widow, Dangwimsai Pul, is grimly determined to piece together the events that led to his death. Speaking to DNA from the seventh-floor hotel room in the capital where she has been staying for a week, Dangwimsai says her husband had been distressed for some time before his death. "He was very disturbed in the days when he lost his position as CM and the day he committed suicide," she said. "My husband spoke to me in a dream a week ago, he was entering a dining room which was dark and simply asked why the lights were off. That's when I decided to come forward and do something," she said. On July 13 last year, the Supreme Court overrode Arunachal governor JP Rajkhowa's order to advance assembly elections in the state. That meant that Pul, a Congress-rebel — who was receiving outside support from the BJP — lost his post as CM, paving the way for the Congress's Nabam Tuki to take over as chief minister × The day before his death, he was supposed to meet the Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and had left Itanagar at 1.30 pm. The driver said Kalikho changed his mind often and even turned the car around three times, she said. Incidentally, the meeting was cancelled and Kalikho returned home by 7.30 pm. He hung himself the next morning. Ten sets of his typewritten (in Hindi) 60-page spiral-bound suicide note bearing his signature on every page were found around him. Pul's widow has been in the eye of the storm for the past few weeks. Her release last Friday of the unredacted version of the suicide note has left the judiciary under severe scrutiny. Kalikho has alleged corruption against several sitting supreme court judges, top lawyers and even the President. Based on the contents of the letter, Dangwimsai had made a plea seeking a probe into her husband's suicide, a plea she later withdrew. On Thursday, Dangwimsai's letter was turned into a criminal petition and heard by an SC bench. This created a conflict of interest because Dangwimsai wanted the Chief Justice to permit an investigation based on the contents of the letter. Instead, by treating the letter as a petition, the judiciary was effectively limiting other legal avenues for the widow. Now, Dangwimsai is planning her next move, for which she is being counselled by her 20-year old son Ojingso and three well-wishers. "There has been no investigation into my husband's death. In fact, no FIR has been filed yet based on a complaint we — the three wives, filed immediately after his suicide," she added. "Even the inquest report has been filed based on the Personal Security Officer (PSO)," Dangwimsai added. Her son Ojingso shares her determination that a probe should be conducted. "My father was a stubborn man though he was always positive. We never thought he would contemplate such a step." Tragically, the second-year Delhi University student was home between July 13 and his father's death on August 9 - which was also his birthday. On July 13 last year, the Supreme Court overrode Arunachal governor JP Rajkhowa's order to advance assembly elections in the state. That meant that Pul, a Congress-rebel — who was receiving outside support from the BJP — lost his post as CM, paving the way for the Congress's Nabam Tuki to take over as chief minister. "I believe my father started compiling his suicide note in the week prior to his death. My father wanted his suicide to spark a revolution," Ojingso said. "He killed himself so that an investigation could be conducted based on the allegations he made," Ojingso added. Pul's suicide letter has sparked a storm, with the judiciary appearing on the back foot. Dangwimsai seems happy with the storm that she has created. "He (Kalikho) spoke to me again last night in a dream, he said he felt as though he was reborn," she said. (A version of this report first appeared in DNA)

'My husband spoke to me in a dream. That's when I decided to... do something': Kalikho Pul's widow

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has planned to bring trains to Arunachal Pradesh&#39;s Tawang, the Times of India reported.

Tawang is situated at an elevation of approximately 3,048 metres (10,000 feet) in the northwestern part of the state.&nbsp;

Survey work for the project will start next year, according to the Times of India. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 50,000-70,000 crore.&nbsp;

NFR general manager (construction), HK Jaggi, said three strategic lines connecting Bhalukpung to Tawang, Murkongselek (Assam) to Pasighat in Arunachal and Silapathar (Assam) to Bane in Arunachal were in the pipeline.

&quot;It may not follow the same route as the existing road. For example, the highest point on the way to Tawang is Sela (13,700 feet). The survey will find out ways of building tracks by avoiding high-altitude zones,&quot; he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.&nbsp;

Jaggi added that the Bhalukpung-Tawang line would be the most challenging as it would pass through terrain with altitudes ranging from 500 feet to 9,000 feet.

Tawang town is located about 555 kilometres from Guwahati in Assam.&nbsp;

(WION)

Once built, this will overtake the highest railway station in Darjeeling, which is at a height of 7,000 (approx) feet

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has planned to bring trains to Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang, the Times of India reported. Tawang is situated at an elevation of approximately 3,048 metres (10,000 feet) in the northwestern part of the state. Survey work for the project will start next year, according to the Times of India. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 50,000-70,000 crore. NFR general manager (construction), HK Jaggi, said three strategic lines connecting Bhalukpung to Tawang, Murkongselek (Assam) to Pasighat in Arunachal and Silapathar (Assam) to Bane in Arunachal were in the pipeline. "It may not follow the same route as the existing road. For example, the highest point on the way to Tawang is Sela (13,700 feet). The survey will find out ways of building tracks by avoiding high-altitude zones," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Jaggi added that the Bhalukpung-Tawang line would be the most challenging as it would pass through terrain with altitudes ranging from 500 feet to 9,000 feet. Tawang town is located about 555 kilometres from Guwahati in Assam. (WION)

India: Northeast Frontier Railway to build tracks at 10,000 feet

The chief minister of India&#39;s northeast state of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, orchestrated a mass exodus from People&#39;s Party of Arunachal to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The defection of 33 lawmakers, including Khandu&#39;s, means that Arunachal Pradesh becomes the first state in the Northeast to have a full-fledged BJP government.

The frenzied development took place two days&nbsp;after&nbsp;People&#39;s Party of Arunachal suspended Khandu, his deputy Chowna Mein and five legislators from the primary membership of the party for alleged anti-party activities.

The PPA had picked&nbsp;Takam Pario to be the new chief minister of the state.&nbsp;

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We have joined BJP today, definitely it is a full fledged BJP Govt in the state now: Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu <a href="https://t.co/ocJPicgxCo">pic.twitter.com/ocJPicgxCo</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/815148073672282112">December 31, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Khandu admitted that his suspension accelerated the exodus but added that they were anyways in the process of joining the BJP.&nbsp;

&quot;Altogether 33 MLAs including me and the Speaker are now BJP, and my government is now a full-fledged BJP government,&rdquo; chief minister Pema Khandu told a posse of reporters on Saturday, Indian Express reported.

&quot;Lotus has finally bloomed in Arunachal. The people of the state will see a new dawn of development in the new year under the new government,&quot; Khandu further said.

PPA, which had 43 lawmakers before the exodus, are now left with just 10.

BJP, which is also the ruling party at the Centre in New Delhi, had 12 lawmakers -- and two independent lawmakers supporting them -- in the state assembly before the frenzied development took place on Saturday.

The BJP tally will be bolstered further as two of the three lawmakers who were with the Congress will also joined the party. It means that BJP -- which is looking to shed its earlier image of primarily being limited to northern India -- will have 49 lawmakers in the 60-seat state assembly.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The state's chief minister and 32 other lawmakers have left the erstwhile ruling party PPA to join the Bharatiya Janata Party

The chief minister of India's northeast state of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, orchestrated a mass exodus from People's Party of Arunachal to join the Bharatiya Janata Party. The defection of 33 lawmakers, including Khandu's, means that Arunachal Pradesh becomes the first state in the Northeast to have a full-fledged BJP government. The frenzied development took place two days after People's Party of Arunachal suspended Khandu, his deputy Chowna Mein and five legislators from the primary membership of the party for alleged anti-party activities. The PPA had picked Takam Pario to be the new chief minister of the state. We have joined BJP today, definitely it is a full fledged BJP Govt in the state now: Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu pic.twitter.com/ocJPicgxCo — ANI (@ANI_news) December 31, 2016 × Khandu admitted that his suspension accelerated the exodus but added that they were anyways in the process of joining the BJP. "Altogether 33 MLAs including me and the Speaker are now BJP, and my government is now a full-fledged BJP government,” chief minister Pema Khandu told a posse of reporters on Saturday, Indian Express reported. "Lotus has finally bloomed in Arunachal. The people of the state will see a new dawn of development in the new year under the new government," Khandu further said. PPA, which had 43 lawmakers before the exodus, are now left with just 10. BJP, which is also the ruling party at the Centre in New Delhi, had 12 lawmakers -- and two independent lawmakers supporting them -- in the state assembly before the frenzied development took place on Saturday. The BJP tally will be bolstered further as two of the three lawmakers who were with the Congress will also joined the party. It means that BJP -- which is looking to shed its earlier image of primarily being limited to northern India -- will have 49 lawmakers in the 60-seat state assembly. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Arunachal govt changes party hands after mass defection

A day after suspending Pema Khandu, the People&#39;&#39;s&nbsp;Party of Arunachal (PPA) is likely to elect Takam Pario as the new chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh.

Takam Pario, public health engineering department (PHED) minister, is likely to be the next Arunachal Pradesh CM, said PPA President Kahfa Bengia.

In fast-paced developments, the PPA, late on Thursday night, temporarily suspended Khandu, deputy chief minister Chowna Mein, and five other MLAs from the party for alleged anti-party activities.

The five other MLAs are Jambey Tashi (Lumla), Passang Dorjee Sona (Mechuka), Chow Tewa Mein (Chowkham), Zingnu Namchom (Namsai), and Kamlung Mossang (Miao).

PPA President Kahfa Bengia&nbsp;stated in an order that by virtue of the power vested in him by the party&#39;s constitution and the resolution adopted in the state executive committee meeting on December 20, the MLAs&#39; primary membership of the party has been suspended with immediate effect pending initiation of disciplinary proceedings.

Bengia said he was prima facie satisfied with the proof of their indulgence in gross &quot;anti-party&quot; activities.

The order further stated that with the suspension, Khandu had ceased to be the leader of the PPA legislature party.

He directed party MLAs and PPA functionaries not to attend any meeting called by Khandu and said any members failing to comply with the order would face disciplinary action by the party.

(This report first appeared in DNA)

The current chief minister, Pema Khandu, was suspended by how own party late Thursday night

A day after suspending Pema Khandu, the People''s Party of Arunachal (PPA) is likely to elect Takam Pario as the new chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh. Takam Pario, public health engineering department (PHED) minister, is likely to be the next Arunachal Pradesh CM, said PPA President Kahfa Bengia. In fast-paced developments, the PPA, late on Thursday night, temporarily suspended Khandu, deputy chief minister Chowna Mein, and five other MLAs from the party for alleged anti-party activities. The five other MLAs are Jambey Tashi (Lumla), Passang Dorjee Sona (Mechuka), Chow Tewa Mein (Chowkham), Zingnu Namchom (Namsai), and Kamlung Mossang (Miao). PPA President Kahfa Bengia stated in an order that by virtue of the power vested in him by the party's constitution and the resolution adopted in the state executive committee meeting on December 20, the MLAs' primary membership of the party has been suspended with immediate effect pending initiation of disciplinary proceedings. Bengia said he was prima facie satisfied with the proof of their indulgence in gross "anti-party" activities. The order further stated that with the suspension, Khandu had ceased to be the leader of the PPA legislature party. He directed party MLAs and PPA functionaries not to attend any meeting called by Khandu and said any members failing to comply with the order would face disciplinary action by the party. (This report first appeared in DNA)

India: Takam Pario likely to be next Arunachal chief minister

Assam Rifles neutralised two United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) militants and apprehended six others in India&rsquo;s north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh in an operation on Wednesday.

The operation was launched by troops of Assam Rifles in the dense forest of Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh around 1.30 pm.

This apart, six other militants including one woman were apprehended by the security agencies.

During the operations, one rifle and one pistol were recovered from the possession of the militants.

A day ago, a battalion of Assam Rifles destroyed a camp of another militant outfit - National Socialist Council of Nagaland Khaplang (NSCN-K) in the same area.

A huge cache of ammunition, radio sets with batteries, insurgent combat uniforms, belts and backpack were recovered.

(WION)

The operation was launched by troops of Assam Rifles in the dense forest of Changlang district in northeastern India

Assam Rifles neutralised two United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) militants and apprehended six others in India’s north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh in an operation on Wednesday. The operation was launched by troops of Assam Rifles in the dense forest of Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh around 1.30 pm. This apart, six other militants including one woman were apprehended by the security agencies. During the operations, one rifle and one pistol were recovered from the possession of the militants. A day ago, a battalion of Assam Rifles destroyed a camp of another militant outfit - National Socialist Council of Nagaland Khaplang (NSCN-K) in the same area. A huge cache of ammunition, radio sets with batteries, insurgent combat uniforms, belts and backpack were recovered. (WION)

Security forces neutralise 2 militants in India's Arunachal Pradesh

An Indian soldier was killed and nine others injured in an ambush by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland Khaplang (NSCN-K) militants on an Assam Rifles convoy in India&rsquo;s north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The ambush took place at about 2 pm at Arunachal Pradesh&rsquo;s Khaunsa near the Indo-Myanmar border. The soldiers were returning to their camp after a routine patrol when NSCN-K militants targeted a two-vehicle convoy involving a truck and a jeep. An exchange of fire took place 8 km north-west of Wakka.

&ldquo;A column of 16 Assam Rifles battalion from Wakka was ambushed by suspected NSCN-K cadres near Nginu village, Tirap district. The column was out since yesterday and while returning came under heavy fire from automatic weapons. As per initial inputs, one soldier has died and one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and eight soldiers were injured. They have been removed to hospital for treatment. Condition of four critical,&rdquo; said a statement from Assam Rifles.

Meanwhile, massive search operations for the militants have been launched by the security forces.

The NSCN-K has its presence in the state of Nagaland, besides Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Last year, the NSCN-K killed 18 Army personnel and injured several others in a similar ambush in Chandel district of Manipur.

(WION)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The soldiers were returning to their camp after a routine patrol when the militants targeted their convoy

An Indian soldier was killed and nine others injured in an ambush by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland Khaplang (NSCN-K) militants on an Assam Rifles convoy in India’s north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The ambush took place at about 2 pm at Arunachal Pradesh’s Khaunsa near the Indo-Myanmar border. The soldiers were returning to their camp after a routine patrol when NSCN-K militants targeted a two-vehicle convoy involving a truck and a jeep. An exchange of fire took place 8 km north-west of Wakka. “A column of 16 Assam Rifles battalion from Wakka was ambushed by suspected NSCN-K cadres near Nginu village, Tirap district. The column was out since yesterday and while returning came under heavy fire from automatic weapons. As per initial inputs, one soldier has died and one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and eight soldiers were injured. They have been removed to hospital for treatment. Condition of four critical,” said a statement from Assam Rifles. Meanwhile, massive search operations for the militants have been launched by the security forces. The NSCN-K has its presence in the state of Nagaland, besides Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Last year, the NSCN-K killed 18 Army personnel and injured several others in a similar ambush in Chandel district of Manipur. (WION)

India: One soldier killed, 9 injured in ambush by NSCN -K militants on Assam Rifles convoy in Arunachal Pradesh

China today warned India that bilateral ties may suffer if it allows Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing has claimed as part of southern Tibet.

The visit will &quot;damage&quot; and affect peace and stability of the border areas, Beijing said.

&quot;We are seriously concerned about the relevant information,&quot; PTI reported Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang saying in a media briefing.

&quot;China&#39;s position on the eastern section of China India border is consistent and clear. The Dalai clique is engaged in anti-China separatist activity and has very disgraceful behaviour on issues relating to China-India boundary question,&quot; Kang said.

The Indian side is well aware of the severity of the Dalai Lama issue as well as the sensitivity of the China-India boundary question, he said.

He added that the Indian must honour the political commitment to Tibet-related issues and abide by the bilateral consensus on boundary question.

India should &quot;refrain from taking any action that may complicate the issue, do not provide any platform for anti-China separatist activities by the 14th Dalai Lama,&quot; he said.

India&#39;s invitation to the Dalai Lama for activity in the disputed area between China and India was like providing a platform for anti-China separatist activities, he alleged.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet and often objects to visits Indian leaders and foreign dignitaries to the area. The dispute concerns the 3,488-km long Line of Actual Control (LAC).

China has earlier taken objection to US envoy in India Richard Verma&#39;s visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

India says that there was &quot;nothing unusual&quot; about his trip to a state which is an integral part of the country.

China also urged the US to &quot;stop its interference in the boundary issue between China and India&quot;.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

Indian side is aware of the severity of the Dalai Lama issue and the sensitivity of the China-India boundary question, China said

China today warned India that bilateral ties may suffer if it allows Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing has claimed as part of southern Tibet. The visit will "damage" and affect peace and stability of the border areas, Beijing said. "We are seriously concerned about the relevant information," PTI reported Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang saying in a media briefing. "China's position on the eastern section of China India border is consistent and clear. The Dalai clique is engaged in anti-China separatist activity and has very disgraceful behaviour on issues relating to China-India boundary question," Kang said. The Indian side is well aware of the severity of the Dalai Lama issue as well as the sensitivity of the China-India boundary question, he said. He added that the Indian must honour the political commitment to Tibet-related issues and abide by the bilateral consensus on boundary question. India should "refrain from taking any action that may complicate the issue, do not provide any platform for anti-China separatist activities by the 14th Dalai Lama," he said. India's invitation to the Dalai Lama for activity in the disputed area between China and India was like providing a platform for anti-China separatist activities, he alleged. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet and often objects to visits Indian leaders and foreign dignitaries to the area. The dispute concerns the 3,488-km long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China has earlier taken objection to US envoy in India Richard Verma's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. India says that there was "nothing unusual" about his trip to a state which is an integral part of the country. China also urged the US to "stop its interference in the boundary issue between China and India". (WION with inputs from PTI)

Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal may damage ties: China warns India

Asserting that the eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh is an &#39;integral part&#39; of India, Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson today rebuffed China for objecting to US Ambassador Richard Verma&#39;s recent visit to the state, Indian news agency PTI reported.

&nbsp;

&quot;The US Ambassador visited Arunachal Pradesh, a state which is an integral part of the country to which he is accredited. There is nothing unusual in it,&quot; external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said here.

&nbsp;

A day after the US envoy in India visited Arunachal Pradesh (which Beijing claims as southern Tibet), China today warned the US that any interference by it in the Sino-India boundary dispute will make it &quot;more complicated&quot; and &quot;disturb&quot; hard-won peace at the border.

&nbsp;

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang also asked the US to desist from interfering in the India-China border dispute while referring to Verma&#39;s October 22 tour to Tawang at the invitation of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu.

&nbsp;

&quot;We have also noted that the place visited by senior US diplomatic official is a disputed region between China and India. We are firmly opposed to his visit,&quot; he said.

&nbsp;

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet and routinely protests visits by Indian leaders, foreign officials as well as the Dalai Lama to the area.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

China warned the US that any interference by in the Sino-India boundary will disturb the hard-won peace

Asserting that the eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh is an 'integral part' of India, Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson today rebuffed China for objecting to US Ambassador Richard Verma's recent visit to the state, Indian news agency PTI reported. "The US Ambassador visited Arunachal Pradesh, a state which is an integral part of the country to which he is accredited. There is nothing unusual in it," external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said here. A day after the US envoy in India visited Arunachal Pradesh (which Beijing claims as southern Tibet), China today warned the US that any interference by it in the Sino-India boundary dispute will make it "more complicated" and "disturb" hard-won peace at the border. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang also asked the US to desist from interfering in the India-China border dispute while referring to Verma's October 22 tour to Tawang at the invitation of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. "We have also noted that the place visited by senior US diplomatic official is a disputed region between China and India. We are firmly opposed to his visit," he said. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet and routinely protests visits by Indian leaders, foreign officials as well as the Dalai Lama to the area. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India rebuffs Beijing's objection to US envoy's visit to Arunachal Pradesh?

China on Monday refuted media reports claiming&nbsp;incursion by its troops in northeastern Arunachal Pradesh earlier this month, Indian news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

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&quot;There are mutually identified disputed areas on the LAC. Fish tail was one such area where the incident occurred. Both the armies were conducting routine patrols when it happened,&quot; a senior Chinese Army officer was quoted as saying by the news agency referring to reports of Chinese troops crossing the &nbsp;Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the border region. &nbsp;However, he hinted that there was a face-off with the Chinese Army, which has been &quot;resolved&quot;.&nbsp;

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According to initial reports from Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, more than 40 troops built temporary shelters at &#39;Plum post&#39;, an area 45 km inside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) ,&nbsp;to claim that the territory belonged to them, PTI had reported.

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However, according to the Indian news agency, the incursion was detected by a joint patrol of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of India, and Indian Army on September 9. This was followed by a joint barrel drill, said sources.&nbsp;

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While some of the troops left on September 13, others left after India and China held a Flag meeting on September 14 on the Chinese side, PTI said&nbsp;quoting sources.&nbsp;

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Earlier this year in March, Chinese incursion was also reported in the northern Ladakh sector.&nbsp;

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(WION with inputs from PTI)&nbsp; 
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A senior army official denied reports of Chinese troops crossing the ?Line of Actual Control (LAC)

China on Monday refuted media reports claiming incursion by its troops in northeastern Arunachal Pradesh earlier this month, Indian news agency PTI reported. "There are mutually identified disputed areas on the LAC. Fish tail was one such area where the incident occurred. Both the armies were conducting routine patrols when it happened," a senior Chinese Army officer was quoted as saying by the news agency referring to reports of Chinese troops crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the border region. However, he hinted that there was a face-off with the Chinese Army, which has been "resolved". According to initial reports from Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, more than 40 troops built temporary shelters at 'Plum post', an area 45 km inside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) , to claim that the territory belonged to them, PTI had reported. However, according to the Indian news agency, the incursion was detected by a joint patrol of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of India, and Indian Army on September 9. This was followed by a joint barrel drill, said sources. While some of the troops left on September 13, others left after India and China held a Flag meeting on September 14 on the Chinese side, PTI said quoting sources. Earlier this year in March, Chinese incursion was also reported in the northern Ladakh sector. (WION with inputs from PTI)

China refutes 'incursion' in India's Arunachal Pradesh?

Just two months after it came to power, the Congress lost its government in the eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday as 43 of its 44 lawmakers led by chief minister Pema Khandu merged with the People&#39;s Party of Arunachal, &nbsp;a regional party owing allegiance to the India&#39;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA).&nbsp; 
 
The Congress government had come to power two months back after Khandu and his group of Congress rebels deserted the PPA to return&nbsp;to the grand old party to form the government. 
 
Khandu, who replaced&nbsp;Nabam Tuki following a dissident campaign in July, paraded &nbsp;the 42 members of legislative assembly (MLA) before assembly speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, Indian news agency PTI reported. The assembly sources said the speaker accepted their joining the PPA. &nbsp; 
 
Khandu had become the chief minister on July 16 following months of political turmoil that unseated Tuki, who himself was reinstated as chief minister by the apex court only two days before. The Supreme Court ruling had overturned BJP government formed by Congress rebels headed by Kalikho Pul, who was forced to resign on July 13.&nbsp; 
 
The merger would be notified in the assembly bulletin, formalising the political development that leaves Congress, one of India&#39;s largest political parties, with governments only in Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram in the northeast. 
 
NEDA convenor and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarmah was quoted as saying that with PPA entering the NEDA, in which the 11-member BJP has considerable influence, &quot;the Khandu government is for all purposes an NDA government (ruling the country).&quot; &nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Congress dubbed the new government in Arunachal as an &quot;illegitimate child of BJP&quot; and &quot;a diabolical design to decimate democracy&quot;. 
 
The Congress had 44 lawmakers in a house of 60. However, following chief minister Kalikho Pul&#39;s death, one seat had fallen vacant. BJP, on the other hand, has 11 members including two independents.&nbsp; 
 
The status of two Congress MLAs is yet to be decided as they put in their papers before the recent series of political developments that led to first Tuki government falling in January this year, imposition of President&#39;s rule and installation of the late Kalikho Pul government on February 19 for a short span, according to PTI.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

The grand old party came to power only two months back after a top court ruling overturned the BJP government formed by Congress rebels

Just two months after it came to power, the Congress lost its government in the eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday as 43 of its 44 lawmakers led by chief minister Pema Khandu merged with the People's Party of Arunachal, a regional party owing allegiance to the India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). The Congress government had come to power two months back after Khandu and his group of Congress rebels deserted the PPA to return to the grand old party to form the government. Khandu, who replaced Nabam Tuki following a dissident campaign in July, paraded the 42 members of legislative assembly (MLA) before assembly speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, Indian news agency PTI reported. The assembly sources said the speaker accepted their joining the PPA. Khandu had become the chief minister on July 16 following months of political turmoil that unseated Tuki, who himself was reinstated as chief minister by the apex court only two days before. The Supreme Court ruling had overturned BJP government formed by Congress rebels headed by Kalikho Pul, who was forced to resign on July 13. The merger would be notified in the assembly bulletin, formalising the political development that leaves Congress, one of India's largest political parties, with governments only in Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram in the northeast. NEDA convenor and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarmah was quoted as saying that with PPA entering the NEDA, in which the 11-member BJP has considerable influence, "the Khandu government is for all purposes an NDA government (ruling the country)." Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Congress dubbed the new government in Arunachal as an "illegitimate child of BJP" and "a diabolical design to decimate democracy". The Congress had 44 lawmakers in a house of 60. However, following chief minister Kalikho Pul's death, one seat had fallen vacant. BJP, on the other hand, has 11 members including two independents. The status of two Congress MLAs is yet to be decided as they put in their papers before the recent series of political developments that led to first Tuki government falling in January this year, imposition of President's rule and installation of the late Kalikho Pul government on February 19 for a short span, according to PTI. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India: Congress loses Arunachal Pradesh yet again, 43 lawmakers including chief minister walk out

Rebel leader of grand old party Congress, Kalikho Pul, who briefly served as chief minister in northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, allegedly committed suicide here. 
 
Pul, 47, allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his bedroom, a top police officer said. He was found dead at the chief minister&#39;s official residence which he was yet to vacate. 
 
One of his three wives found him hanging this morning. He is survived by three wives and four children. 
 
As Pul&#39;s death news spread all the members of legislative assembly (MLA) from ruling and opposition parties, ministers, friends and members of public rushed to the bungalow. 
 
The circumstances behind the death were still not clear. 
 
Pul, who took over the reigns of the state on February 19 this year, served as chief minister for a brief time with India&#39;s top court in July reinstating Nabam Tuki, who then made way for Pema Khandu as the 10th chief minister.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI).&nbsp;

Kalikho Pul, 47, allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his bedroom, a top police officer said

Rebel leader of grand old party Congress, Kalikho Pul, who briefly served as chief minister in northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, allegedly committed suicide here. Pul, 47, allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his bedroom, a top police officer said. He was found dead at the chief minister's official residence which he was yet to vacate. One of his three wives found him hanging this morning. He is survived by three wives and four children. As Pul's death news spread all the members of legislative assembly (MLA) from ruling and opposition parties, ministers, friends and members of public rushed to the bungalow. The circumstances behind the death were still not clear. Pul, who took over the reigns of the state on February 19 this year, served as chief minister for a brief time with India's top court in July reinstating Nabam Tuki, who then made way for Pema Khandu as the 10th chief minister. (PTI).

Former chief minister of India's Arunachal Pradesh allegedly commits suicide?