Senapati, September 20 (MExN): The Makhan Union today in a press statement reported that on September 19, when people of Makhan were putting up tents at Marai-Oprüngho to provide shelter to the affected families, “the Northern Maram People’s Organization (NMPO) organized many people armed with lethal weapons made efforts to march towards Marai-Oprüngho to attack the victims and people of Makhan at work.”
Making their stand on the September 17 incident, the Makhan Union stated that “trouble started with the predawn attack made by a large number of Maram people on the residents-cum-shops of Marai-Oprüngho (Makhan) and houses under construction between Marai-Oprüngho and Makhan Khuman village within the land of Makhan on September 17 at about 4.30 am without forewarning or provocation.”
The Publicity Wing of Makhan Union alleged that “before setting the houses on fire, doors were bolted from outside to prevent the inmates from escaping. When the victims tried to escape from their houses on fire by breaking the walls, they were kicked into the houses/rooms. The bodies and faces of the victims were made wet with scattered drops of kerosene oil, their bodies and faces were splashed with kerosene oil in an attempt to burn them to death. The attackers covered their faces with cloth that made it difficult to recognize them in the dark.”
“Now the Northern Maram People’s Organization (NMPO) has owned the barbaric act of attempt to murder in their publication in the newspapers on September 18,” the Makhan Union stated while adding that the nature of attack clearly shows “the attackers were in large numbers.”
It also alleged that “during the attack, SBBL/DBBL and other sophisticated weapons were fired extensively.”
