DIMAPUR, JULY 8 (MExN): Following the killing of four of its cadres by the 16 Assam Rifles (AR) at Kethi village under Tirap district, the NSCN (R) on Friday questioned the Government of India’s “dual policy towards the Naga people wherein on the one hand they talk about peace and resolving the issue through negotiation and on the other hand engage in killing the Nagas through her forces and scuttle the Naga voice.”
The AR had claimed that one of their columns during an operation “neutralized” four cadres during a gunfight, which ensued after the NSCN (R) cadres fired at them.
While condemning the killing of its four cadres, the NSCN (R) in a MIP release countered the AR claim. Clarifying that two of the deceased were civilians, the MIP stated that the other two had recently joined them from NSCN (K) in the quest for peace after the latter abrogated the ceasefire.
It alleged that the AR cordoned off the NSCN (R) camp in the wee hours and captured the four alive. The MIP accused the AR for committing atrocities before they were killed.
Asking the AR to “stop cooking stories of always being fired upon by national workers and killing them during their retaliatory action,” the NSCN (R) said the whole world cannot be fooled since it already knows the tactics the AR apply to cover up their actions.
It stated that the AR through this act has proved that it wants “to suppress the Naga people through brutal force in spite of all our good will and efforts to understand each other’s political situation.”
Meanwhile, the collective leadership of NSCN (R) condoled the death of its cadres from Arunachal Unit with prayer for the departed souls and for strength to the bereaved families during this hour of grief.
