PM Modi in Assam
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Assam's Kokrajhar to participate in an event to celebrate the signing of the Bodo agreement. This is prime minister's first visit to the Northeast since protests erupted against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act last December in which three people were killed.
"I look forward to being in Assam. I will be in Kokrajhar to address a public meeting. We will mark the successful signing of the Bodo Accord, which brings to an end a problem that had been persisting for decades. It marks the start of a new era of peace and progress," Modi said in a tweet.
The Bodo accord was signed on January 27 by the government with four factions of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), All Bodo Students' Union and a civil society group for bringing a lasting peace in Bodo-dominated areas in Assam.
A cultural programme of ethnic groups of Assam is being organised to showcase the diversity of the state, the statement said.
In a recent tweet, the prime minister had termed the day the accord was signed "a very special day for India" and said that it "will lead to a transformative results for Bodo people, ushering in a new dawn of peace, harmony and togetherness".
Over 1,615 cadres of different factions of the NDFB surrendered their arms and joined the mainstream within two days of the signing of the agreement.
Two IEDs found, one arrested ahead of PM's Assam visit
Ahead of Modi's visit, one suspected anti-talk ULFA (I) cadre was arrested on Thursday for planting two improvised explosive devices in Guwahati.
Guwahati Police Commissioner Munna Prasad Gupta told PTI that the two IEDs were found in the busy Paltanbazar and Panbazar areas of the city late on Wednesday night.
"The bomb squad took the IEDs away from the populous location and those were detonated safely later. We suspect it is the handiwork of ULFA(I)," he added.
The police team immediately launched an operation and arrested one suspected cadre of ULFA(I), Gupta said.
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