Imphal, May 17: Refuting claim of 34 Assam Rifles that two activists of PULF including its commander-in-chief Bashir Lashkar were killed in shooting at Yairipok on May 11, publicity cell of the outfit clarified that there was no such encounter nor any of its cadre were arrested on that day.

The truth is that a team of 34 AR personnel posted at Yairipok led by company commander Major Bipul Harsh, in civies, picked up Bashiruddin Khan alias Amuthi and Safi alias Mut-tabir from the house of one (late) captain Fishan of NSCN located at Signal Basti, Dimapur on May 10 at around 2.30 am, charged a statement issued by the publicity cell.

The two were brought to the Yairipok camp of the AR where they were brutally tortured to death and the bodies taken to Kakyai in the early morning of May 11, where the AR personnel of the unit pumped bullets on them to give the impression of being killed in a shoot out, the statement alleged.

At the time of arrest, the two activities did not possess any weapon thereby question of recovering two pistols and two hand-grenades do not arise, the statement asserted.

The only items that have been seized by the AR team include some documents related to the party, a laptop computer, one black colour Motor cycle (Pulsar) and Rs 6,65,000 in cash, it added.

The report of the AR that Bashir Lashkar C-i-C cum finance secretary had been killed is totally baseless.

Finance secretary Bashir Lashkar had been never arrested and he was not the C-in-C of PULF, the statement said, adding that he was the president of the outfit who is also in-charge of C-in-C.The statement issued by the publicity cell contended that the slain Bashiruddin alias Amuthi was the commander of the AK Battalion and he had met with mediapersons weeks earlier somewhere in Tamenglong district.

So he could never be Bashir Lashkar, the statement said, while asserting that there is no Lashkar clan in Manipur, but people belonging to this clan settle widely in Cachar district of Assam.

Police record would also testify to the fact that Bashiruddin alias Amuthi, who had been arrested and jailed by the police in 2001, was not Bashir Lashkar, the PULF statement clarified.

It further clarified that the slain Safi alias Muttabir was the deputy secretary (Home) who was also in-charge of deputy finance secretary of Thoubal district.

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