The BJP in Assam has expelled one of its four social-media co-convenors in connection with the now-deleted AI-generated video showing CM Himanta Biswa Sarma shooting at Muslims. The video, captioned ‘Point blank shot,’ quickly went viral with more than 5 lakh views, triggering reactions from people, including leaders of the opposition parties and activists. Following the outrage, the BJP had taken it down from social media. The police in Guwahati registered a case after a complaint was lodged by two Congress MLAs. Addressing media persons on Wednesday, the CM stated that a BJP worker had also lodged a separate police complaint.
Campaign to strengthen wildlife conservation
A series of ‘Rhino Goes to School’ awareness programme was conducted in schools in the fringe areas of Manas National Park & Tiger Reserve in an attempt to strengthen wildlife conservation awareness with a special focus on the iconic animal. The park’s director Dr C Ramesh and Dr Deba Kumar Dutta, who is deputy director of Rhino Research and Conservation Division at biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak, guided the programme. To encourage active participation, quiz and drawing competitions were conducted in each school. Based on performance, ten students from each school were selected for a trip to Manas.
School zone safety treatment along NH
A comprehensive school zone safety treatment has been implemented at a school along the high-risk National Highway 27 corridor on the outskirts of Guwahati by SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF), supported by the CSR initiative of Škoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited. As part of the intervention, SLF conducted a multi-stakeholder school zone safety walkthrough to review the effectiveness of the measures and strengthen on-ground coordination. The initiative was undertaken in collaboration with the Transport Department, district administration, and the NHAI.
Prasanta Mazumdar
Our correspondent in Guwahati
prasantamazumdar@newindianexpress.com