Tamenglong, January 22 (MExN): The Luangdimeilu Union and Rongmei Luh Phwam (AMN) on Monday strongly condemned the grenade explosion which killed two minors on January 20 at Soubunglong (Leishok) Village under Khoupum Police Station of Noney/Tamenglong District. The children were playing in the courtyard of the house of a former Pastor when the grenade exploded killing a 9-year old boy and a 5-year old. Three other minors were also injured by the explosion. Terming the blast a “heinous crime”, the Luangdimeilu Union and the Rongmei Luh Phuam in a joint press statement called on “whoever has planted the hand grenade in the vicinity of the village, whether it is the security forces or underground groups” to own up full responsibility for the crime against humanity. “The lives of these two promising little children were cut short and there would be permanent mark of horror and trauma to the surviving three children throughout their lives,” the two bodies maintained. The LU and RLP laid blame on the State Government for the loss of precious lives and the damage caused “because the State Government has not been able to provide good law and order situations”. The LU and RLP demanded immediate payment of ex-gratia and adequate compensation to the bereaved families and the injured children and further demanded the State Government to order judicial inquiry to unearth the truth and award befitting punishment and bring justice at the earliest. “If urgent actions are not taken to bring justice at the earliest by the State Government, different forms of agitations would be launched until justice is delivered to the aggrieved people,” the two organizations cautioned.
