KPI/CCpur, Mar 7: One youth belonging to an underground outfit under SoO pact died in a post election gun battle on Monday late afternoon at Kangpokpi district.
A fierce gun battle took place yesterday at around 4.40 pm at the hill top of Khengjang village, approximately 18 Kms south west NH-2 under Gamnom Sapormeina police station, between two SoO groups under KNO and UPF, the two conglomerate Kuki UG groups.
The gun fight that lasted for nearly an hour reportedly took place between a combined team of KRA, KRA-U under KNO and KNF under UPF.
KNO/KRA-U cadre Kamminlun Hmar@ Henry@Pupu, aged 27, son of Seiminthang Hmar of Upper Khengjang village under Gamnom Sapormeina PS died in the gun battle. His lifeless body was recovered this morning while burial ceremony was held at his village this afternoon.
Meanwhile, one weapon with magazine was reportedly recovered this morning by security forces during a search operation in the area where the gunfight took place yesterday.
The whole episode of the fierce gun battle took place under 51-Saitu Assembly Constituency two days after it went to polls in the first phase poll of the Assembly election.
At Churacahandpur, a day after two men were left badly bruised after their abduction in what is believed to be a post-poll violence and sent tension simmering in Churachandpur town, another instance of kidnapping involving a relative (a woman) of the duo has left many agitated, forcing the police to resort to firing tear-gas shells for hours to quell the mob.
Even as normal life is limping back after yesterday’s shutdown, news about a woman who is related to yesterday’s abducted victims spread across the social media again givign rise to tension with many people rushing towards the village and the hospital where the woman was brought in an ambulance.
Sources said the woman has claimed that three masked men had abducted her while she was drying clothes outside her house and was left unconscious after inhaling something. She was found in an unconscious state by neighbours in a paddy field and alerted others.
She was taken to the district hospital in an YPA ambulance, that rushed to the spot immediately after it received the information. As doctors attended her she gradually gained consciousness and was eventually able to narrate her tale.
In the meantime, people in hundreds thronged the hospital campus and some others gathered near the residence of former Minister and NPP candidate Phungzathang Tonsing at New Lamka.
As the crowd near the sitting MLA’s residence swelled, security personnel have been deployed in large number to manage them but it soon turned violent as the mob managed to enter the premises of the MLA and set ablaze at least three two-wheelers parked inside.
Police immediately resorted to firing tear gas shell to control the mob. In the melee it is believed that many have been injured both in the firing of the tear-gas shells as well as at the hands of the mob as it is said that some people who escaped from the house were attacked by the mob.
Sounds of tear-gas shells being fired by the security forces could be heard even by 7.30 pm, a good two hours after it was first fired. Many local reporters who covered the indent are still holed-up in the area as the mob continues to reassemble and the police continued their pursuit even at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the public of Lamjang village is learnt to have imposed a public curfew within their village following the second instance of violence in the village and a motor-cycle was also set ablaze.
In another development, a social media post with signatures of chief agents of six candidates in Churachandpur went viral on social media later today jointly appealed to their supporters to not resort to any post-poll violence.
Source: The Sangai Express
