Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 10
The gruesome murder of seven persons of a family in Kiphire district on February 8 last (Refer The Morung Express edition of February 10) was a vigilante justice meted out as a ‘reprisal’ against one of the deceased persons desiring to marry the sister of his wife. The Kiphire administration and police are still investigating into the murder case but if latest developments are anything to be considered, they are in a dilemma how to proceed with the case – the seven persons were murdered by a “mob” from Pungro village, sources said.
No arrests have been made so far in this case, sources from the administration added. Reliable sources however reported Deputy Commissioner of Kiphire as suggesting that “outside” law-enforcing agencies be brought in to handle the case. Unless this is done, the case – owing to its complexity – would go unsolved and justice undelivered.
According to latest details, one of the seven victims was shot with a gun while the rest were hacked to death with ‘Daos’ (Naga machetes). The dead bodies, which were kept in the NAP outpost in Pungro till yesterday, have been removed for burial. It was informed that three were buried in Pungro village while the rest left for Zangor village today around 11 am.
Although understood to be under control, the situation in both Zangor village and Pungro village are reported to very tense following the killing. Following preliminary investigations to ascertain the motive behind the gruesome incident, a seeming tale of infidelity emerged: it is asserted that one of the deceased, the Head GB of Zangor village, desired to marry the sister of his (present) wife. This led to extreme tension between the respective families of the GB on one side and his wife’s on the other.
Thus the matter was scheduled to be sorted out in a local court. However, a “mob” of people hailing from Pungro village decided to take the law in their hands and dragged the victims out from the ‘court’ and murdered them in a place between Zangor and Pungro. (Another version maintained that the victims were “kidnapped” from the ‘court.’).
Names of the deceased could not be made available till filing of this news report. The seven dead includes a retired government teacher and a PWD employee, besides the Head GB of Zangor village. They are all from a single family.
