Once in a Generation, Rats Return to Mizoram’s Fields
In parts of Mizoram, farmers are experiencing a surge in rodent numbers that is damaging their crops. Large groups of rats have been entering fields and eating rice, soybeans and other produce. Many of these farmers practise jhum cultivation, which means clearing forest patches and growing crops there for one or two seasons. Rats are entering these farms, eating produce before harvest, and causing heavy financial losses for families who depend on a single yearly crop for food and income.
Manipur: Assam Rifles Ambush Raises Questions on AFSPA Rollback Strategy
Two soldiers from the Assam Rifles were killed and five others injured in an ambush by armed attackers on Sept. 19 as their convoy was passing through a crowded area in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, which had recently lost its designation under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The incident has exposed serious flaws in how security laws have been withdrawn from conflict-hit parts of the state.