Guwahati:

Five undertrial prisoners, charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, escaped from a prison in Assam after breaking rods and scaling a 20-foot wall using bedsheets, blankets and ‘lungis’ (a piece of clothing worn around the waist). 

The prisoners escaped from the Morigaon District Jail between 1 and 2 am on Friday, prompting the district administration to order a magisterial probe. The jailer, Prashanta Saikia, has been suspended, and two assistant jailers from Guwahati have been temporarily assigned to manage the prison.

Inspector General (Prisons) Pubali Gohain will also conduct a separate departmental inquiry into the incident.

The escaped prisoners, identified as Saifuddin, Ziarul Islam, Nur Islam, Mafidul, and Abdul Rashid, managed to break the rods of their barracks and used blankets, lungis, and bedsheets to scale the 20-foot compound wall. 

Morigaon Superintendent of Police Hemanta Kumar Das confirmed that a manhunt has been launched to track down the five undertrials. “We will interrogate some of the jail inmates tomorrow. Everything will come out in the investigation,” Mr Das said.

Morigaon District Commissioner Devashis Sarma said the prisoners are residents of Tezpur in Sonitpur district and Lahorighat and Moirabari in Morigaon district.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in ‘India’s Techade: Chips for Viksit Bharat’ and virtually lay the foundation stones of three semiconductor projects worth nearly Rs 1.25 lakh crore today.

“It has been the vision of the Prime Minister to position India as a global hub for semiconductor design, manufacturing, and technology development, fostering the creation of employment opportunities for the nation’s youth. In line with this vision, the foundation stone is being laid for the semiconductor fabrication facility at the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) in Gujarat, the Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Assam’s Morigaon, and the Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility at Sanand in Gujarat,” the statement read.

The fabrication (fab) facility at the DSIR will be set up by Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL) under the Modified Scheme for setting up Semiconductor Fabs in India. With a total investment of over Rs 91,000 crore, this will be the first commercial semiconductor fab in the country.

The Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Assam’s Morigaon will be set up by Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL) under the Modified Scheme for Semiconductor Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP), and with a total investment of about Rs 27,000 crore.

“The Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Sanand will be set up by CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited under the Modified Scheme for Semiconductor Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP), with a total investment of about Rs 7,500 crore,” it added.

These facilities will strengthen the semiconductor ecosystem and give it a firm footing in India. These units will also employ thousands and catalyse employment generation in related sectors like electronics, telecom, etc.

The programme will witness massive participation of youngsters, including thousands of college students, and leaders from the semiconductor Industry.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)