Justice for Monika

Sit-in-protest staged on Monika issue:
Imphal, Oct 4: Functionaries and volunteers of North East Students' Organisation's constituent bodies as well as former and present-day sportspersons staged sit-in-protest at Latasil ground in Guwahati in denunciation for preventing weightlifter L Monika Devi from participating at the recently concluded Beijing Olympic Games as well as in demand for making public the investigation report on the said issue.
An AMSU statement further maintained that the protest was organised to condemn exclusion of Monika Devi from the Beijing Games which is akin to discriminating against the people of North East region and to demand punitive action against the guilty persons responsible to denying the weightlifter an opportunity to compete with the world's best.
While AMSU president Khamba Laishram along with hockey Olympians Thoiba, Tiken and body-builder Kh Pradipkumar represented Manipur at the protest, NESO's functionaries led by its chairman Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya and a number of sportsperson also took part at the sit-in-protes.
In their remarks at the demonstration site, representatives of NE States un-equivocally expressed that preventing Monika from the Beijing Games clearly reflects discriminatory attitude of the Central authorities against the people of the region and pledged to work in unison to eradicate such step-motherly treatment.
Source: The Sangai Express

Guwahati ODI: Mad rush for tickets

Oct. 30: A sell-out crowd of 22,000 is expected turn up at the Nehru Stadium at Guwahati on November 5, as the cricket fever surrounding the opening tie of the five-match India-Pakistan one-day international series is catching up fans across Assam.

An Assam Cricket Association official said only about a couple of thousands tickets out of the 8,000 tickets allotted for the spectators in the city are left to be sold. The rest have vanished because of the quota earmarked for all the districts, the other NE states, the BCCI and other dignitaries.

He said the demand for tickets this time around was many times more than what was seen in the last few matches played at the Nehru Stadium.

The Rs 150, Rs 450 and Rs 800 tickets are almost exhausted, while a limited number of those priced at Rs 1,500 and Rs 4,500 still remain after the first day’s of sale of tickets at the city’s Latasil playground. The remaining tickets are expected to be sold out tomorrow.

The counters set up at UCO Bank today (Oct. 30) witnessed long queues since wee hours and the number of ticket-seekers soared as the day progressed even as ACA had hiked the price of the tickets by nearly 25 per cent for this match, taking into account the increase in expenses in hosting the match.

Fans turned up at 4:30 am at the counter and thought worth to skip a night’s sleep if they get the tickets.

In the last two matches that were played here, Sachin Tendulkar opted out. But now that he is coming, fans do not want to miss a lifetime opportunity to see the maestro batting.

Source: The Assam Tribune

Image: Courtesy The Sentinel