Home Dept sees IM's hand in Riha ambush
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 18 2011: Though there is no concrete evidence, the State Home Dept is fully convinced that the ambush on MLA Wungnaoshang Keishing and his escort party at Riha village in Ukhrul district on April 15 was undertaken by NSCN-IM which is under cease fire agreement with the Government of India.

A well placed source in the State Home Dept said that the ambush was either carried out directly by NSCN-IM or by an armed group which has connection with the NSCN-IM.

Efforts are on to ascertain whether the ambush was carried out directly by NSCN-IM cadres or by some other armed cadres having connection with the NSCN-IM, informed the source.

However, it is confirmed that the ambush was carried out with the knowledge of NSCN-IM leadership.

The department has a feeling that the attack was carried out against MLA Wunnaoshang Keishing's efforts to make Phungyar constituency a full fledged district.

However, for want of concrete evidence, the Govt of Manipur could not openly declare that it was NSCN-IM who made the unsuccessfully assassination attempt on MLA Wungnaoshang Keishing, conveyed the source.

Even if the Dept believed that the ambush was directly related to Wungnaoshang's efforts to upgrade Phungyar to the level of a district, the Government of Manipur did not expect that NSCN-IM would claim its hand in the ambush.

MLA Wungnaoshang Keishing was urging upon the Government to upgrade Phungyar constituency comprising of four sub-divisions to the level of a district.

Notably, Wungnaoshang was coming back from Riha village after attending a public meeting on HIV/AIDS there when he and his party were ambushed using sophisticated weapons on April 15 .

Six escort personnel and one civil driver were killed at the ambush site even as Wungnaoshang had a providential escape.

Significantly, the Tangkhul Aze Longphang which organised the public meeting has strongly condemned the ambush besides demanding the concerned armed group to own and explain their act failing which all relations between the organisation and the armed group would be terminated.

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