Kuki rebel leader among two killed in Manipur
TNN/ Imphal:
Assam Rifles jawans gunned down two persons, including a leader of the Kuki National Front (KNF), and injured three cadres of the outfit, in an alleged gunfight in the Kadangband area near Imphal on Wednesday night.
KNF's 'central civil administrative officer' (CAO) Robert Kuki and Kanchup area vice-president of the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) Khupneilal Neisel (40) were killed in the shootout around 8pm.
Two 9mm pistols with bullets and a detonator were found on the slain persons, police said.
Notably, KNF is one of the signatories of the Suspension of Operation (Soo), a tripartite ceasefire agreement with the government.
The outfit, while alleging that it was a fake encounter perpetrated by the Assam Rifles jawans, has demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
Police retrieved the bodies of the two and deposited them at the mortuary of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here for autopsy.
The three injured are undergoing treatment at the same hospital, police said. A case has been registered to ascertain the veracity of the incident. Kangchup locals alleged that the two were killed by the Assam Rifles personnel.
Khupneilal was returning to his Kangchup residence in his car when five unidentified men forced him to drive somewhere with them. As they were nearing a bridge at Kadangband, the Assam Rifles jawans rained bullets at the car, killing the two and injuring three others. However, one person fled the scene.
"Without stopping and frisking them, the AR jawans suddenly fired at the car. They (personnel) are given a free hand to do anything they want. We strongly condemn the excesses of the personnel and fitting action should be taken against them according to law," reacted Th Kigpen, a local.
P Hangshing, a close relative of deceased Khupneilal, said the latter were innocent and had nothing to do with any unlawful activity. Alleging that the personnel involved in the shootout were all drunk, Hangshing even showed an empty liquor bottle purportedly left by the jawans.
Officer and jawans of Assam Rifles responsible for what the outfit termed as 'fake encounter' should be removed from their respective posts, the KNF said in a statement.
