One suspected NSCN IM injured in encounter, another arrested Imphal, December 21 (PTI): One suspected cadre of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak-Muivah faction (NSCN-IM) was injured in an encounter with Assam Rifles troops in Noney district, police said today. The encounter took place yesterday evening in between Sibilong and Sinam Village of Noney district, said a senior police officer. One militant has been apprehended by the troops after the encounter. Additional forces have been rushed in to conduct further operations in the area, about 137 kilometre from the state capital, said the officer. Four NSCN cadres apprehended in Arunachal Itanagar, December 21 (PTI): In a crackdown on extortion activities by underground groups in south Arunachal Pradesh, security forces have apprehended four ultras of NSCN groups since Wednesday, Defece sources said today. In operations launched by the Longding and Khonsa battalions of Assam Rifles, three cadres of a NSCN group were apprehended on Wednesday evening, while that of another group was arrested on December 17, Defence spokesman Col Chiranjeet Konwer informed. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, columns of Longding battalion of the Assam Rifles set a trap and apprehended a 'private' and a 'lance corporal' besides another ultra from Sonari town in Sibsagar district of Assam. Two pistols with live ammunition, opium, extortion notes, multiple mobile phones and other documents were seized from them. In another operation launched in Khonsa town by the Khonsa Battalion of AR, the 'private' was apprehended on December 17 and a pistol, live ammunition, opium and extortion note were seized from his possession. The Longding and Khonsa battalions of AR under the aegis of Dao Division of the Army have been carrying out operations in south Arunachal Pradesh to keep the area peaceful. Special task force looks for ways to tackle illegal immigrants Aizawl, December 21 (PTI): A district-level special task force committee has decided to create a mechanism for identifying and deporting undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants from the border areas of the state. The committee held a meeting, chaired by district deputy commissioner Benjamin Lalzama, at south Mizorams Lunglei district to discuss ways to tackle the influx of immigrants, an official statement here said. Top police officers, representatives of the Border Security Force (BSF) and leaders of civil societies were present at the meeting, it said. Officials posted along the border areas were instructed at the meeting to take care while issuing birth and residential certificates to ensure that no foreign nationals were in possession of such documents, the statement added. Mizoram has been facing a democratic nightmare due to unchecked flow of Bangladeshi nationals, mainly from the Chakma community. Scientists discover new frog species Shillong, December 21 (PTI): Scientists have discovered a new frog species from its home in the fast flowing streams in Arunachal Pradesh s Lower Subansiri district, one of the five discovered in India in the recent times and the 59th in the world, officials said today. The new species discovered from Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) has been named as Odorrana arunachalensis, after the state where it was discovered, they said. According to a publication in the Journal of Biosciences, a science journal of Arunachal Pradesh-based Rajiv Gandhi University, the species is sighted during the wet season, from April to September. They are not seen in the dry seasons. Odorrana (commonly known as the odorous frog) is a genus of true frogs (Ranidae) from East Asia and surrounding regions including India. The medium-sized green frog adapted for a life in torrential waters of the state was discovered by a team of scientists from the Zoological Survey of India led by Bhaskar Saikia, Bikramjit Sinha and Ilona Jacinta Kharkongor. This new species inhabits moss and fern covered rocky stratum along hill streams in mixed wet tropical forest type. Currently, they are reported from within and outskirts of the Talley Valley WLS but are expected to be found in a wider range due to the availability of similar habitats of this species in other parts of the state. There are over 50 species of frogs belonging to the genus Odorrana with many species exhibiting overlapping morphological characters, making their identification in the field difficult. But in the case of Odorrana arunachalensis, the presence of a black band-like mark between the eyes is a distinguishing character that separates it from all the other frog species of this genus.
