S P O T L I G H T

Mahanta resigns as AGP President
Guwahati, September 4
Former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, plagued by allegations of bigamy, today resigned as President of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Leader of the AGP Legislature Party in the state Assembly ahead of the party’s General Council meeting tomorrow. In a letter to party’s President in charge Biraj Sarmah, Mr Mahanta said he was resigning from both posts as he had some “personal difficulties”. PTI

Girl kidnapped
Guwahati, September 4
A tea executive’s daughter was kidnapped, while a girl was shot dead and a boy critically injured by militants in separate incidents in the state today, official sources said. Suspected United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) ultras kidnapped Laharijan Tea Estate Manager Dipak Dutta’s daughter in Karbi Anglong district while she was on her way to school. High civil and police officials rushed to the spot and have launched a search operation to trace the girl. UNI