The Crosscurrent

13/09/2026

Panoi and Jonki were recovered in Assam in 2022 after allegedly being trafficked through the Myanmar–Mizoram route. Four years later, the traffickers remain unidentified.
Now, five more baby orangutans have been found in Odisha, putting the spotlight back on the suspected international wildlife trafficking network.
The question is: Why has the Assam government failed to trace those behind Panoi and Jonki’s trafficking?
Is Assam still being used as a transit route for exotic wildlife?

13/09/2026

Jayamala’s possible rehabilitation from Tamil Nadu was celebrated by Assam’s Forest Minister as his “Positive Headline of the Day.”
But just six days later, another elephant from Assam — Durga — was reportedly moved from Manas National Park towards Tamil Nadu.
This raises a simple question:
If the government is concerned about the welfare of Assam’s elephants in Tamil Nadu, why is it sending more there?
What welfare assessment was done before Durga’s transfer? Under what conditions was she moved? And why has the Assam government remained silent?
Jayamala was a “Positive Headline.” Why is Durga a silence? The Assam government owes the public an explanation.

13/09/2026

Five days after the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council allowed APDCL to sub-lease 2,841 bighas at Moti Hojai to a developer selected by the Assam government, official records show the state had an MoU with Adani Hydro Energy Nine Limited for the 1,200 MW project.
Months later, officials were still being directed to ascertain the status of the land, while the Council would later tell the NCST that compensation assessment and communication with affected beneficiaries were yet to follow.
Who selected Adani Hydro Energy Nine, under which provision of Assam’s own PSP policy, and what happened to consultation with the affected villages?
Read the full investigation on thecrosscurrent.in/en.

13/09/2026

Five days after the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council allowed APDCL to sub-lease 2,841 bighas at Moti Hojai to a developer selected by the Assam government, official records show the state had an MoU with Adani Hydro Energy Nine Limited for the 1,200 MW project.
Months later, officials were still being directed to ascertain the status of the land, while the Council would later tell the NCST that compensation assessment and communication with affected beneficiaries were yet to follow.
Who selected Adani Hydro Energy Nine, under which provision of Assam’s own PSP policy, and what happened to consultation with the affected villages?
Read the full investigation on thecrosscurrent.in/en.

12/09/2026

PepsiCo’s Rs. 778-crore plant has opened in Nalbari, with the Assam government promising an “assured market” for around 5,000 farmers.
But what exactly is assured?
Farmers may borrow to grow potatoes for PepsiCo. Crop insurance can cover specified natural disasters. But what happens if the crop is harvested and the buyer rejects it for failing its specifications?
And where is the contract that spells out the price, quality standards, rejection rules and who carries the loss?
Watch the full report on The Crosscurrent YouTube channel.

12/09/2026

PepsiCo’s Rs. 778-crore plant has opened in Nalbari, with the Assam government promising an “assured market” for around 5,000 farmers.
But what happens if farmers borrow to grow processing potatoes and the buyer later rejects the crop for failing its specifications?
The Crosscurrent English looks at the credit system, crop insurance, PepsiCo’s contract farming record in West Bengal, and the missing Assam farmer contract.
Because an assured buyer is not the same thing as an assured income.

10/09/2026

09/09/2026

Was 2,841 bighas of land in Dima Hasao being prepared for an Adani power project?
A Dima Hasao Autonomous Council order allows APDCL to sub-lease 2,841 bighas at Moti Hojai to a developer selected by the Assam government.
The order does not name the developer.
But Central Electricity Authority records list Adani Hydro Energy Nine Limited as the developer of a 1,200 MW Moti Hojai pumped-storage project.
Meanwhile, representatives of three affected villages later submitted a memorandum opposing the project and warning of risks to land, forests and livelihoods.
Was Adani the developer this land was ultimately meant for?

Part 3 of the Dima Hasao Land Files.

09/09/2026

A programme commemorating photographer, filmmaker and activist Tarun Bhartiya will be held in Diphu on September 14, bringing together discussions on his work and some of the political and environmental questions he engaged with.

Organised by Friends of Tarun, Assam, the programme will include the launch and discussion of Em. No. Nahi., conversations on resistance to uranium mining in the Khasi Hills, and mining, minerals and rare earths in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.

The afternoon session will feature screenings of Tarun Bhartiya’s films, followed by an open discussion.

Sanjay Kak, Angela Rangad, Holiram Terang, Uttam Bathari and Bonojit Hussain will speak at the programme.

September 14, 10 AM to 4 PM Jirsong Asong, Diphu.

08/09/2026

What does a meaningful opposition to the BJP in Assam actually require?
Is the familiar call for a Congress-led “United Front” enough? Or does Assam need a more serious political conversation about how smaller, progressive regional formations can survive, organise, build alliances and grow without surrendering their political identity?
Shubhram Goswami argues that Raijor Dal must confront its own internal problems and listen seriously to criticism. But Assam’s intellectual and civil-society establishment also needs to examine the limits of repeatedly prescribing the same political solution.
“An opposition united against the BJP may indeed be necessary. But unity for unity’s sake is not enough.”

Read the full article on thecrosscurrent.in/en