Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Dimapur, August 27 2010:
Situation in Nagaland is grim after yesterday's twin incidents where an NSCN-IM 'major' was killed by Assam Rifles and an NSCN-K cadre was killed by rival NSCN-IM cadres.
The NSCN-IM today threatened that they may have to give a second thought again over the cease-fire with the Government of India.
Ceasefire Monitoring Cell convenor of the NSCN-IM Phungthing Shimrang said that the security forces have been 'bullying' the NSCN-IM cadres for all this while now.
"Just because they are a bigger force they cannot continue doing this," fumes Phungthing Shimrang.
He said that 'things cannot go on like this'.
Phungthing was speaking to media persons in Dimapur today in connection with the killing of the NSCN-IM 'major' by Assam Rifles in Mon district of Nagaland yesterday.
The Assam Rifles however, has different version over the Thursday incident.
It said that the NSCN-IM cadres fired at the Assam Rifles personnel on patrol in which the gunbattle was ensued resulting in the death of the NSCN-IM man.
According to a statement issued by IGAR (N), a routine patrol of Assam Rifles and 164Inf TA (NAGA), while patrolling the area south of Namsa, noticed unauthorised concentration of NSCN-IM cadres in a well established camp.
It said the patrol team asked for additional reinforcements from the nearby AR camp and after the arrival of additional troops the AR personnel asked the cadres to surrender as the concentration was a gross violation of ceasefire ground rules.
The Defence release claimed that the cadres, instead of submitting, started running out of the camp while firing towards the troops from their automatic weapons.
Stating that the cadres were firing at close proximity, it said one of the jawans of 164 TA (NAGA) opened fire in defence whereby one of the NSCN-IM cadres, identified as SS Major Ngachonmi Tangkhul, was killed.
5 others, including one self-styled Major and one self-styled Captain have been apprehended along with a huge cache of arms, ammunition and war-like stores, the AR release said.
Meanwhile, the tense situation in Nagaland has been worsened by the killing of an NSCN-K cadre in a factional clash with the rival NSCN-IM in Wokha district of Nagaland yesterday.
Reports said that cadres of NSCN-IM and the NSCN-K clashed at a place called Mekokla village in Wokha district of Nagaland at around 3:30 am on Thursday killing the NSCN-K cadre identified as one Zaremo Udyou.
No reaction has come so far from the NSCN-K side till date.