Guwahati: Four Naga civilians were shot dead by suspected militants near Pilong village in Manipur’s Kamjong district, close to the international border with Myanmar.
Informing that the incident took place around 1.30 pm near border pillars 91-93A, local villagers said that a fifth man in the group escaped the scene and alerted authorities about the killings. Security personnel were sent later to recover the bodies from the area.
A police team was dispatched to the remote village on Thursday after authorities were informed that four people had been shot dead by suspected militants.
Residents of Pilong claimed that militants from across the international boundary entered the area and attacked five people, killing four of them.
“Villagers claimed that four persons were killed when militants from neighbouring Myanmar crossed the border and attacked five people. One of them managed to escape and reported the incident to the villagers and the local authorities. The killing has not been confirmed. A police team has been dispatched to ascertain the claim,” a senior police officer in the district said.
It is significant that Pilong village is located around 34 km from the Kamjong district headquarters and near the international border with Myanmar. The reported site of the incident is said to be between border pillars 91 and 93.
Local residents alleged that the four victims were allegedly killed by cadres of the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) and armed Kuki groups. The allegation is yet to be confirmed by the police which said that they are looking into the incident.
The deceased have been identified as Phami Jajo, Betterson Jajo and Vareishim Jajo, all from Kangpat Khullen, and Ningthem Kashak of Zingsui village.
The survivor was identified as Akhan Kaping, a native of Hunphun village in Ukhrul district.
The incident has triggered tensions in the border area, with the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) subsequently announcing a total shutdown across its jurisdiction in protest against the alleged killings.
The Working Committee of Tangkhul Naga Long (WC-TNL) condemned the incident and held the government solely responsible for cross-border terrorism and killings.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Naga organisation alleged that members of the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) and Kuki elements backed by the Myanmar-based armed group People’s Defence Force (PDF) carried out the attack.
The WC-TNL said that this was the third such attack on Naga villagers along the India-Myanmar border in Kamjong district.
It regretted that despite the repeated attacks, the state government as well as the border guards, including the Assam Rifles, remained “lackadaisical” and failed to protect the vulnerable villagers living along the border.
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