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Knowing the ‘kalima’ (an Islamic declaration of faith) probably led to a professor from Assam narrowly escaping with his life during the terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed.

Speaking to NDTV on Wednesday, professor Debashish Bhattacharya, who teaches Bengali at the Assam University in Silchar, recounted seeing a man being shot in front of him and how he ended up reciting the ‘kalima’ in an act of “herd mentality”.

Mr Bhattacharya said he and his family had gone to Jammu and Kashmir for a holiday and were enjoying the scenery at the picturesque hilltop meadow of Baisaran on Tuesday with hundreds of other tourists around, when they heard a shot ring out. They didn’t worry, however, thinking that someone from the forest department had fired to scare away wildlife. Click here for Kashmir terror attack live updates

“My family and I saw a man walking near us with a gun and I thought he was from the forest department. He was wearing a black mask and black cap and was talking to a couple. He then shot the husband. My family, I, and some other people ran and lay down under a tree to hide. The attacker walked close to us and shot another man, just a hand’s distance away from us, who was trying to lie down,” said the professor.

“Everybody around me was chanting (the ‘kalima’), I was also chanting. The man pointed the gun towards my head, heard what I was saying and then he left… I was just chanting ‘la illahi…’ what everyone was chanting, you can call it herd mentality. I had no idea whether it would save my life or not. He heard it and he left,” he said, adding that he saw four terrorists, all of whom were firing in different directions.

Escape

Mr Bhattacharya said the terrorist went to another group and asked them questions in Hindi. He said he and his family were towards the rear of the meadow while the other terrorists were near the front gate.

“After the terrorist who was around us left, we jumped a seven-foot fence and followed the footsteps of horses. We met a local family and they showed us the path out. Our guide also came looking for us and found us. Our driver brought us back to Srinagar,” the professor recalled.

Mr Bhattacharya said he is now trying to get his family out of Jammu and Kashmir and the Assam chief minister’s office is also in touch with them.

Months after he was released on bail, a man from Assam killed a woman who had accused him of sexually assaulting her minor daughter two years ago.

The man, identified as 30-year-old Mukha Basumatry, killed the 40-year-old woman in a chilling act of revenge for filing a complaint that led to a POCSO Act case against him.

A lower court convicted Mukha in 2024 and sent him to jail. According to police sources, he later approached the Gauhati High Court, which granted him bail two months ago.

On Tuesday, Mukha reached Hobila’s residence and beat her to death with a wooden stick. She had served as a key witness in the POCSO Act case against the man. The woman’s husband was not at home at the time Mukha reached their residence.

Months after he was released on bail, a man from Assam killed a woman who had accused him of sexually assaulting her minor daughter two years ago.

The Union Cabinet approved a 166.80 km high-speed corridor project.

The project will connect Mawlyngkhung in Meghalaya and Panchgram in Assam.

It will cost a total of Rs 22,864 crore and be built in hybrid annuity mode.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the development of a 166.80 km greenfield high-speed corridor from Mawlyngkhung in Meghalaya to Panchgram in Assam on hybrid annuity mode at a total cost of Rs 22,864 crore.

According to an official statement, the project length of 166.80 km (NH-6) lies in Meghalaya (144.80 km) and Assam (22 km).

“The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for the development, maintenance and management of four-lane greenfield access-controlled 166.80 km of National Highway No 06 from Mawlyngkhung (near Shillong) in Meghalaya to Panchgram (near Silchar) in Assam on hybrid annuity mode…at a total capital cost of Rs 22,864 crore,” it added.

The proposed greenfield high-speed corridor will improve the service level for the traffic moving between Guwahati to Silchar, it noted.

“The development of this corridor will improve the connectivity to Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the Barak Valley region of Assam from mainland and Guwahati with substantially reduced travel distance and travel time,” it said, adding that this will, in turn, contribute to the enhancement of logistics efficiency of the nation.

The corridor will improve connectivity between Assam and Meghalaya and spur economic development, including the development of industries in Meghalaya, as it passes through the cement and coal production areas of Meghalaya.

As per the statement, this corridor will cater to the national and international tourists coming from well-connected Guwahati Airport, Shillong Airport, and Silchar Airport (via existing NH-06), connecting Guwahati to Silchar. This would connect scenic places of tourist attraction in the Northeast and promote tourism.

AI news anchors are transforming news consumption worldwide.

India’s media industry is rapidly adopting AI-powered news presenters.

Assam’s CM showcased an AI anchor named Ankita delivering news updates.

The AI era is here, and with it, AI news anchors are becoming a reality, transforming the way we consume news. India’s AI news anchor landscape is also rapidly expanding, with numerous channels and organisations adopting digital presenters to deliver news, marking a significant shift in the country’s media industry. On Wednesday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma showcased Ankita, an AI-powered virtual anchor. 

The video highlighted Ankita delivering a detailed report on the latest updates from a recent Assam Cabinet meeting. Designed with remarkably human-like features, including a natural appearance and a fluent Assamese-speaking voice, Ankita presented the key decisions and discussions from the meeting with clarity and precision. 

“Meet Ankita, our AI anchor who brings to you the latest updates on the recent #AssamCabinet meeting. From approving the change of Dibrugarh Airport’s name after Bhupen Hazarika to a time grant for tea garden workers, we took a host of decisions for the public,” Mr Sarma wrote while sharing the video. 

Himanta Biswa Sarma has been attacking Gaurav Gogoi over his wife’s alleged connection with the ISI. Mr Sarma had alleged the Congress MP’s British wife, Elizabeth Colburn, travelled 19 times between India and Pakistan

The war of words between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi escalated today after Mr Sarma said the government has evidence of the Congress leader’s visit to Pakistan on an invitation from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Mr Gogoi shot back, saying Mr Sarma has made many baseless remarks about him ever since he joined politics 13 years ago and 99 per cent of what the chief minister has been saying is “nonsense”.

Mr Sarma has been attacking Mr Gogoi over his wife’s alleged connection with the ISI. Mr Sarma had alleged the Congress MP’s British wife, Elizabeth Colburn, travelled 19 times between India and Pakistan.

“Gaurav Gogoi visited Pakistan on an invitation of the ISI. For the first time, I am saying this. We have documents of the same. He did not go for tourism purposes. He went there definitely for training,” the chief minister alleged, adding “every proof will be presented before the public by September 10” after proper verification.

Mr Gogoi, the Deputy Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, went to Pakistan on a direct invitation of the neighbouring country’s government and “it was dangerous”, Mr Sarma said.

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