NORTH EAST Briefs

Tribal refugees burn 10 houses after tribal's suicide in Tripura Agartala, May 15 (IANS): Tension prevailed on Sunday in Kanchanpur in northern Tripura as angry tribal refugees, originally hailing from Mizoram, burnt around 10 houses of locals, police here said. The arson followed suicide by a tribal man living in a refugee camp at Kanchanpur, 175 km north from Agartala, after he was allegedly beaten up by locals. A police official said deceased Bhriguram Reang, 36, allegedly committed suicide on Sunday after he was beaten up by local people who accused him of catching fish from a pond without seeking permission from the owner. Senior police officials, along with a huge contingent of Tripura State Rifles, rushed to the area to control the situation. Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Anurag was supervising the situation. Around 31,000 Reang tribals or 'Bru' are living in seven makeshift camps in northern Tripura for the past 19 years after they fled Mizoram following ethnic trouble after a Mizo forest officer was killed.  

18,084 marriages registered in Mizoram in nine years Aizawl, May 15 (NNN): As many as 18,084 marriage registrations have so far been done in Mizoram in the last nine years. From the year 2008 since Mizoram Compulsory Registration of Marriage Act 2007 was enforced till March 2016, 18,084 couples have registered in the office of Registrar General of Marriages, the largest of which is attributed to Christian community followed by Buddhist and Hindu, a report by leading Sunday paper Zalen said. According to record of Registrar of Marriage, the largest number of marriage registered in 9 years belonged to Christian with 17,520 couples. The next is Buddhist which holds a record of 480 couples followed by 82 Hindu couples. The number of marriage registration among Muslim community is nil in Mizoram. Aizawl district has recorded the highest number of marriage registration with 1309 couples. Mamit has 194 registration, Serchhip- 204, Lawngtlai- 83, Lunglei- 204, while Saiha district has the least number of marriage registration with only 49 couples.     Tura bypoll: EC issues notice to CM’s wife Shillong, May 15 (PTI): The Election Commission has issued a notice to Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma's wife Dikkanchi D Shira who is contesting on a Congress ticket in May 16 Lok Sabha bypoll in Tura for allegedly campaigning after the stipulated time in her husband's constituency yesterday. Chief Election Officer F R Kharkongor told PTI the EC officer concerned in South West Garo Hills district had issued the notice to the candidate. The election agent of the Congress party has already submitted a reply to the returning officer Pravin Bakshi today, a party spokesperson said. Shira had earlier been slapped with a notice for allegedly making a hate-speech during her campaign. The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of P A Sangma earlier this year.