Home Secy of KLA killed in ambush, daughter in coma
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 13, 2013:
The Home Secretary of Kuki Liberation Army (KLA), the armed wing of SoO signatory Kuki National Organization (KNO), was killed in an ambush laid by some suspected rival Kuki underground cadres at Champhai Village under Sagolmang Police Station at around 3.30 pm today.
The slain Home Secretary of KLA has been identified as Haopu alias Seikhohao.
His two-year old daughter Joukim Kuki is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Shija Hospital after sustaining a bullet injury at her belly in the ambush.
Two other persons including a five-year-old boy also sustained bullet injuries and they have been admitted to Christian Hospital at Dewlahland.
The injured boy has been identified as Haominlal Kuki, s/o Ngamgin while the other injured person is a lady identified as Valhing Khongsai (47), w/o Thenlal.
Both are from Thikhangphai, Churachandpur.
Their conditions are now stated to be stable and out of danger as they sustained bullet injuries only at hands and shoulders.
However, the Home Secretary's wife Nenei, five-year-old son Chingboi and driver Alekam Khongsai (24) escaped unharmed in the ambush.
The injured lady Valhing Khongsai said that Home Secretary Haopu's wife Nenei came to her maternal home at Churachandpur along with her two kids.
The Home Secretary had sent a Hyundai Verna car (steel colour) bearing registration no.MN-02A-7518 for his wife and kids for returning to their home at Saikul Keithel.
She further said that six of them including Home Secretary's wife, two kids, herself, her grandson and driver headed for Saikul from Churachandpur in the car.
Later, they met Home Secretary Haopu at Imphal and they together went towards Saikul.
On the way, they were waylaid by some armed persons both in combat and plain clothes at a spot about five kilometres from Sagolmang Police Station towards Saikul.
The attackers fired several rounds from their sophisticated weapons, Valhing recalled.
The car was suddenly stopped in the middle of the road and they jumped out of the car.
However, the Home Secretary was killed by the attackers while he tried to escape from the spot.
His two-year-old daughter, herself and her grandson sustained bullet injuries in the ambush, she added.
Meanwhile, Sagolmang Police have recovered the dead body of Haopu and kept at JNIMS Mortuary for post-mortem.
Several bullet marks were found on Haopu's back.
The attackers are yet to be identified.
It may be mentioned that the armed Kuki outfits engage in factional fights with one another very frequently and there were also major casualties in gunfights recently.