IMPHAL, August 7: A day after NSCN (Khole Kitovi)’s s/s Lt Col Pfokrehe was reportedly shot dead after being abducted from Old Road near Senapati Bazar by suspected cadres of its rival faction yesterday evening around 5, cadres of the outfit today paid a gun salute to the cadre by firing several round of bullets in the air while Assam Rifles and State Police personnel who were also present nearby remained as silent spectators.
According to reports received by the IFP, cadres of the outfit along with its supporters, after coming out in the Senapati Bazar area, blocked all kinds of vehicular movement along the Imphal-Dimapur road (NH 2).
Imphal bound loaded trucks and other passenger vehicles heading from Dimapur were told by the cadres of the banned militant outfit that a condolence meeting was being organised in Senapati Bazar to condemn the brutal murder of its cadre and that all the vehicles should wait for the meeting to finish.
Other vehicles coming from Imphal were also stopped by the cadres.
The reports further said that the mortal remain of s/s lt col Pfokrehe after performing post mortem was brought to the place at around 1 pm and family members of the deceased and cadres of the outfit along with supporters carried the dead body and placed it atop the Traffic Island in Senapati Bazar. After the condolence meeting marked by prayers and wishes around 2 pm finished, cadres of the outfit numbering around ten who were also present at the meeting fired several rounds of gun shots in the air from their pistols, it added.
Surprisingly, personnel of Assam Rifles and State Police who was seen in the vicinity of the place where the condolence meeting was held remained as mute spectators at the time when the gun salute was paid by the cadres of the outfit.
After the condolence meeting was finished, all the vehicles which had been stopped by the cadres were finally allowed to head further to their respective destination, the reports said.
It may be mentioned here that the deceased s/s Lt Col Pfokrehe James was a resident of Mao-Maram Sub-Division in Senapati district. He was on his way to attend a meeting held in connection with the Census at Senapati district Headquarters but was allegedly abducted by three armed cadres suspected to be from its rival faction and later shot dead.