Dimapur, October 31(MExN): Violence has returned once more to haunt the people, with two separate shooting incidents taking place in Dimapur and Kohima today. An NSCN-K cadre was injured while another, also suspected to be an underground cadre, was killed in the capital and Dimapur respectively.
Around 4:00 pm Army personnel, reportedly of the 5th Bihar Regiment shot dead a person and injured another in United North Block-B, Khatkhati road, Dimapur. There are conflicting details about this shooting incident. Residents of United North Block-B said that the two persons, traveling in a Maruti Gypsy, were chased by the military personnel and shot. One of the occupants, suspected to be from a Naga underground faction, was killed on the spot while the driver sustained severe injuries.
Other sources said the killed is a “Tatar” in the NSCN-IM. There are also reports that the Army personnel chased the Gypsy all the way up from Bokajan. Identities of the two were still in the process of identification at the time of filing this report. Residents also informed the driver was shot in several parts of his legs and arms. They said that soon after the shooting, army personnel cordoned off the entire area and forced the residents to ‘stay away.’ It was only around 9:00 pm, about five hours after the incident, that residents were allowed even to “walk” near the spot, residents said.
Dimapur police was still in the process of collecting information regarding the shootout when this report was being filed. However, Dimapur Superintendent of Police SR Saravanan, IPS, said that the military personnel belonged to the 5th Bihar Regiment stationed at Bokajan, Assam. The names of the deceased or which organization/underground faction they were from was yet to be ascertained, the SP said.
In a separate shooting in Kohima, in another factional-related feud, one person was injured when unidentified gunmen fired upon him this afternoon from below ASU office, near BOC. Police sources said that three bullets fired from a small arm hit the victim on the neck and chest. He is reported to be in critical condition. The injured was identified as one “sgt. major” Chandemo Humtsoe of the NSCN-K and hailing from Wokha district. It is said that Chandemo defected from the NSCN-IM to the NSCN-K recently.
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