AR releases 4 arrested civilians
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Mungchan Zimik
UKHRUL, Jul 26: The four farmers, who were arrested by the Assam Rifles yes-terday from Hungpung vil- lage were released late at night after the paramilitary force reached an under-standing with the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL).
The agreement that resulted in the release of the four was reached at Leingangching village (S Laho) yesterday night at around 10 pm.
The four arrested and later released were identified as Khapai Shimray Yuimung (28), son of Late Khapai Shimray Zimiksho, Shomi Shokchui (38), son of Machangta Shokchui, Hungreithei Kasomva (37), son of Noiba Kasomva and Khuirami KSV (36), son of Naoba KSV--all natives of Hungpung village.
They were working in the field when they were picked up by personnel of the 40 Assam Rifles.
Notably, the arrest had outraged the locals with womenfolk in large numbers blocking the road at Sharkaphung village to prevent the movement of the Assam Rifles.
After a tense confrontation that saw AR personnel firing live bullets and tear gas shells, the situation was resolved through a meeting between the TNL and AR led by Brigadier Amit Kumar Sharma, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Assam Rifles, 10 Sector, Somsai.
The four were subsequently released and handed over to the Tangkhul Naga Long through the chairman of S Laho village at around 10 pm yesterday.
In a statement today, the Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long said it condemns the arrest of the four farmers and security forces allegedly harassing civilians including women and children.
Such incidents may trigger a civil resistance movement, it warned.
It said the four farmers were "forcefully nabbed while working in the paddy fields and falsely charged as suspected militants".
The TNL said yesterday's arrest of Hungpung civilians occurred days after the incident at Sharkaphung village on July 14, "where four civil defence volunteers were forcefully captured and charge-sheeted at Imphal."
The "repeated harassment and random arrests" carried out against "innocent people" clearly indicates that the Indian security forces are "engineering a law and order situation to derail the hard earned peace of the Nagas," TNL said.
The Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of India and the NSCN-IM in 1997 is being "threatened and disturbed first, by the migrant Kukis, and later, by the Indian security forces," it added.
"The Tangkhul Nagas are minutely watching all the vexed developing trends, and our tolerance has been tried and tested beyond permissible limit. The TNL Working Committee warns of serious civil resistance movement should our people continue to be pushed under the oppressive arms of the tyrant political masters of New Delhi," it said.
UKHRUL, Jul 26: The four farmers, who were arrested by the Assam Rifles yes-terday from Hungpung vil- lage were released late at night after the paramilitary force reached an under-standing with the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL).
The agreement that resulted in the release of the four was reached at Leingangching village (S Laho) yesterday night at around 10 pm.
The four arrested and later released were identified as Khapai Shimray Yuimung (28), son of Late Khapai Shimray Zimiksho, Shomi Shokchui (38), son of Machangta Shokchui, Hungreithei Kasomva (37), son of Noiba Kasomva and Khuirami KSV (36), son of Naoba KSV--all natives of Hungpung village.
They were working in the field when they were picked up by personnel of the 40 Assam Rifles.
Notably, the arrest had outraged the locals with womenfolk in large numbers blocking the road at Sharkaphung village to prevent the movement of the Assam Rifles.
After a tense confrontation that saw AR personnel firing live bullets and tear gas shells, the situation was resolved through a meeting between the TNL and AR led by Brigadier Amit Kumar Sharma, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Assam Rifles, 10 Sector, Somsai.
The four were subsequently released and handed over to the Tangkhul Naga Long through the chairman of S Laho village at around 10 pm yesterday.
In a statement today, the Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long said it condemns the arrest of the four farmers and security forces allegedly harassing civilians including women and children.
Such incidents may trigger a civil resistance movement, it warned.
It said the four farmers were "forcefully nabbed while working in the paddy fields and falsely charged as suspected militants".
The TNL said yesterday's arrest of Hungpung civilians occurred days after the incident at Sharkaphung village on July 14, "where four civil defence volunteers were forcefully captured and charge-sheeted at Imphal."
The "repeated harassment and random arrests" carried out against "innocent people" clearly indicates that the Indian security forces are "engineering a law and order situation to derail the hard earned peace of the Nagas," TNL said.
The Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of India and the NSCN-IM in 1997 is being "threatened and disturbed first, by the migrant Kukis, and later, by the Indian security forces," it added.
"The Tangkhul Nagas are minutely watching all the vexed developing trends, and our tolerance has been tried and tested beyond permissible limit. The TNL Working Committee warns of serious civil resistance movement should our people continue to be pushed under the oppressive arms of the tyrant political masters of New Delhi," it said.