Imphal, March 31 2009: Some unknown armed miscreants shot dead an former councillor of Ukhrul District Autonomous District Council last night in his own house.

Meanwhile, a warden of Manipur Central Jail, Shajiwa escaped life attempt with serious injuries today.

One Khathing Tangkhul (66), who was a councillor of the ADC, Ukhrul sometime when the Council was functioning with elected members, was shot dead by three known miscreants who barged into his own house at Khaiyai Ashat located about half a kilometer west of Ukhrul Police Station around 8 pm yesterday.

He died on the spot.

The three miscreants dragged the old man out of his house while forcing the other family members inside the house and shot him dead in the front courtyard of the house, reports received here said.

Police suspect the assailants to be cadres of the NSCN(IM) .

The motive behind the murder of the old man is yet to be known.

The bereaved family performed the last rites of the deceased today after postmortem.

Meanwhile, a warden of the Manipur Central Jail, Shajiwa escaped a life attempt with serious bullet injuries around 10 am today when an unknown armed person shot him.

He was immediately rushed to JN Hospital.

Hospital sources said that his condition was serious as one bullet remained stuck near the spinal code.

The jail warden named Haobijam Khunjao (50) of Palace Compound, Imphal was shot at by an unknown youth while he was riding his scooter on the way to his office at the jail.

The motorcycle-borne youth followed him and shot him with a small gun while Khunjao was about to take a turn towards the road to the jail from the main road, reports from the spot said.

Injured Khunjao recounting the incident said that while he was heading toward his office as usual, a youth on a Yamaha motorcycle asked him to stop as he reached Kangla Lamkhai on Imphal-Sawombung road.

As he proceeded without responding to the call of the youth, he chased him on the motorcycle and shot him with a small gun from the back when he was about to take a turn from the main road to the jail where his office is located.

Khunjao was hit at least by three bullets�one each in the back, left shoulder and the left leg and fell down from the scooter on the ground.

People who were nearby as well as from the jail rushed to the spot and immediately evacuated him to JN Hospital where his condition is stated to be serious but stable.

Police suspect, militants who had been in the jail and known to him could have been behind the attempt on the life of the warden.

Police have registered a case.

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