Poll official found dead in Assam amid assembly elections
Tezpur (PTI): A poll official was found dead in Assam's Sonitpur district on Thursday amid assembly elections in the state, officials said.
Deben Horo (45) was deputed as the second polling officer in the Naduar constituency, they said.
"Hore was deputed in polling station no 230 in Dolapani LP School. He was found unconscious in his bed this morning. He was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance, but he was pronounced dead by the doctors," an official said.
The cause of death is yet to be confirmed, though doctors suspect an underlying medical condition led to it, he said.
Hore hailed from Dopdopi Kachari Gaon in the Chariduar revenue circle. He was an assistant teacher at a government school, officials said.
The incident did not affect polling, which began at the booth at the scheduled time of 7 am. A reserve personnel was deputed in Hore's place, they said.
Polling for the 126-member assembly will continue till 5 pm. The votes will be counted on May 4.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
