DIMAPUR, JANUARY 14 (MExN): The Khehoi Village Council (KVC) today issued a clarification on the January 10 firing incident and claimed that the statement made by “a GB and Council Chairman of Mhainamtsi Village” was “trying to mislead the public.”
A press release from the KVC, narrating what it said is the “actual sequence of events,” said that on January 8, at around 1 PM, “some unidentified persons from surrounding village were found illegally felling forest trees within the agricultural land of Khehoi Village.”
“This illegal act was reported to the IRB personnel stationed at Khehoi village who promptly visited the site. This unidentified group of persons also had some altercation with the security personnel. After the IRB personnel left the spot of incident, the sound of bullet shots with bore gun and sophisticated weapon was heard ostensibly to create a law and order situation,” the KVC said.
On January 10, the KVC stated that when farmers/villagers of Khehoi village went to the old patch of land to clear jungles for cultivation and while working in the field, “some unidentified persons from surrounding villages came with sophisticated weapons at around 2 PM and started firing upon the farmers/villagers of Khehoi village.”
It further alleged that when the GBs and council members of Khehoi village arrived at the spot, “the miscreants fired upon the GBs and council members as well.” Accordingly, they apprised the SDO (C) Dhansiripar, ACP Chumukedima and 10th IRB personnel about the incident, it informed.
The KVC further stated that when IRB personnel arrived on the spot where the unidentified group of persons had taken shelter and fired from, “the same group of persons, who left the site of the incident, repeated the firing of gun shots with sophisticated weapons from the second hillock of surrounding villages.”
The KVC clarified that on January 10, “our villagers/farmers went to field with dao for clearing the jungle for cultivation in the old patch of agricultural land of Khehoi village which is not a disputed land.”
It resolved that, “henceforth, the Khehoi Village Council shall not allow residents of surrounding villages to engage in hunting, fishing, fetching firewood and/or any type of activities within the jurisdiction of Khehoi village.”
