Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: The Assam government has ordered the withdrawal of all police cases tied to recent NEET (UG) examination protests. Officials confirmed that five cases were registered by 6 pm on July 26, 2026, leading to the arrest of 13 individuals. Authorities are now expediting the release of those detained and have instructed police to halt any further legal action against participants. The government aims to focus on systemic reforms in the higher education sector.
Legal friction continues elsewhere. The All India Lawyers Association for Justice condemned the arrest of advocate Ariful Islam in Guwahati. Police took Islam into custody at 1 pm on July 24 near a protest site, though his arrest notice was not recorded until 9 pm. He was charged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The association slammed the eight-hour gap as an unlawful detention, demanding his immediate release.
Separately, five people remain in custody following a fatal explosion at a rod manufacturing factory in Cachar’s Udharband constituency. The blast killed four workers: Appu Boraik, Kiron Munda, Shyamal Gaur, and Sagar Nath. Factory owner Rakesh Kumar Surana is among those arrested. The state has ordered magisterial and Labour Department inquiries, while offering Rs 5 lakh ex gratia to each victim's family.
Upper Assam is also reeling from a catastrophic deluge affecting six lakh people across 856 villages. The administration remains unable to reach 80,000 victims due to thick layers of silt covering roads. Critics argue that despite repeated promises of high-tech disaster management, authorities failed to warn residents of rising river levels from neighboring Nagaland. The Chief Minister admitted the administration could not reach 30 percent of affected areas in the Nazira constituency and 20 percent in Sivasagar. As one victim trapped in her waterlogged home noted, "We got no chance to save our household goods, clothes, ornaments, or money."
In the Assembly, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta introduced two major bills. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2026, aims to simplify land procurement for infrastructure and defence projects. Additionally, the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Bill, 2026, would allow tea estates to use or lease up to five percent of their land for commercial activities like tea tourism and green energy.
Corruption charges also hit the medical sector. The Assam government suspended Manoj Kumar Singh, a professor at Nagaon Medical College and Hospital, after he was caught accepting a bribe to manipulate a post-mortem report.
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