By Neha Desai* On the morning of August 10, 2026, the quiet border village of Mingmang Basti in Assam’s Dhemaji district erupted in gunfire. Unidentified persons from the Arunachal Pradesh side allegedly opened fire on Assamese villagers during a confrontation over contested land. Between eight and eighteen people were injured, several critically. The episode was swiftly labelled a “localised conflict” by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. That description is both accurate and damning. It was localised only because successive governments—state and central—have spent decades ensuring that a solvable administrative problem remained permanently unresolved, volatile, and armed.
By Kumar Krishnan* The completion of one hundred years since Mahatma Gandhi’s first visit to the land of Anga was not merely an occasion to remember the past. The three-day national commemorative programme, held in Bhagalpur from 7 to 9 August 2026, sought to connect Gandhi’s memory with history, ideas, folk culture and the realities of contemporary social life. Organised jointly by the Gandhi Peace Foundation Centre, Bhagalpur, and the Mahatma Gandhi Arrival Centenary Celebration Committee, the programme brought together Gandhian thinkers, educationists, researchers, students, social workers and citizens.