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Supporters of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been accused of pulling down a statue of former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin in Tripura state. Monday's incident happened days after the party swept elections in the north-eastern state, dislodging the Communist government after 25 years. The five-year-old statue in Belonia town was removed with the help of an excavator as supporters cheered. There have been clashes between BJP and Communist party workers in the state. The NDTV news channel quoted eyewitnesses as saying the excavator which brought down the statue was hired by BJP workers.

Rebels in India's north-eastern state of Tripura are making pornographic films to raise money for their separatist campaign, officials say. The information has come from surrendered guerrillas of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), according to police. They say the rebels are forcing captured tribal women, and some men, to take part in the films. The films are then dubbed to be sold in India and neighbouring countries. Remote areas The former guerrillas of the NLFT have told police their leaders not only sexually abused scores of tribal girls recruited into the rebel army but also used them -...

The new security fence runs 3,034 miles along a contorted path that lurches east, then west, and then doubles back - the antithesis of a straight line as it contrives to include this village and exclude that one. Many in the international community charge that in addition to being a grievous breach of human rights, the fence is part of a scheme to monopolize water resources, stealing the flow of rivers and further depriving people who already have little access to water. The course of the security fence divides families, separates herdsmen from their traditional grazing land and it can...

NEW DELHI, India, Aug 20, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- At least 19 soldiers were killed and five more injured Tuesday in an ambush by unidentified rebels in the remote northeastern state of Tripura, police said. The soldiers were traveling by road when they were attacked by an unknown number of armed rebels, 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Agartala, the state capital, Press trust of India quoted police as saying. At least 19 soldiers were killed instantly, police said. The five injured were taken to hospitals in Agartala. The rebels stole at least 19 weapons, including machine...