Tamenglong furious over civilian death in UG clash
Irate Tamenglong people ask all UG groups to leave district headquarters at once
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN / Daniel Kamei

Imphal/Tamenglong, October 02 2012: TAMENGLONG DISTRICT headquarters today erupted in fury to drive out all the underground cadres from the town.

Situation is highly charged in Tamenglong district headquarters since this afternoon following the killing of a civilian in a cross-firing of the NSCN-IM on one side and the combined team of Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) and NSCN-K on the other.

The furious mob has started hunting for all the underground groups in the district headquarters asking them to leave the town immediately.

As the news of the killing of one civilian, Jaikalung Gangmei (42), a carpenter by profession spread after the shootout between the two rival groups of Naga undergrounds in Tamenglong district at around 1 pm, large number of people in different groups came out and started hunting for underground cadres.

A group of people dismantled the gate of Aduan, NSCN-IM's Central Administrative Officer (CAO) of Zeilad Region and then entered his house looking for him.

Aduan was reportedly nowhere to be seen then.

Another NSCN-IM 'civil officer' who was reportedly hiding in a Bolero jeep was pulled up by the mob and then detained him at the town bazar shed.

Till the filing of this report, the NSCN-IM man is still being detained at the shed.

Reports said cadres of NSCN-K and ZUF have gone by then when the mob started hunting for underground elements.

The mob fury has been still going on till the time of filing this report late at night.

The encounter between the NSCN-IM and the NSCN-K/ZUF combined broke out at around 12 noon today near Immanual Church in the heart of the Tamenglong district headquarters killing the carpenter Jaikalung Gangmei, a father of three children.

As the shootout started, Jaikalung, who was working at the locality ran out to see if his children who were at home were fine.

A bullet hit him and he died there.

NSCN-IM 'deputy kilonser' (minister) Lungchaibi who is in charge of Zeliangrong region informed NNN, around 40 cadres of NSCN-K came to attack them.

"Prior to that, our cadres numbering around 12 on learning of the rival's move, had been taking precaution when they attacked our boys," claimed Lungchaibi.

In the shootout a man was killed.

"We do not know whose bullet hit him," said the NSCN-IM leader.

On the other hand, ZUF spokesman A Dangmei informed NNN that the combined team of ZUF and NSCN-K had an encounter with the NSCN-IM cadres.

"The shootout lasted for about an hour and we left the spot soon after that," added A Dangmei.

Meanwhile, NSCN-IM leader Lungchaibi rued that the public should understand who cause the shootout.

He recalled that some time ago the NSCN-K cadres had killed Zeliangrong student leader Chunthuigai and following that the public had taken a resolution in the Noney Bazar convention against the NSCN-K."We are staying peacefully in the town.

They came and attacked us in public place.

The public should know that," said the NSCN-IM leader.

It can be mentioned here that a similar shoot out was witnessed at Matung village, not far away from Tamenglong district headquarters on September 26 between the same underground groups.

Our Tamenglong correspondent adds: The angry mobs gathered at Medical Gate near District Hospital where a public emergency meeting was held at Children Park (Haipou Jadonang Park).

The meeting resolved that no underground cadre should be allowed to stay in public place and they should walk away before recurrence of unwanted incident.

Another resolution stated that the dead body should not be accepted until the culprits come up to claim the responsibility.

The meeting also decided to destroy all the houses belonging to underground UG cadres, be it NSCN-IM, NSCN-K, ZUF or NNC, if none of them owned up to the death of the civilian within 24 hours.

Following the resolutions, a furious mob stormed at a suspected combined camp of NSCN: K and ZUF at old piggery farm, Tamenglong Ward No.III.

After returning from the piggery farm, the mob went from door to door where suspected NSCN: IM cadres are taking shelter.

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