Assam Rifles jawan shot dead in Kohima; bomb recovered

Principal Correspondent Kohima, April 25 In yet another attack on 19 Assam Rifles for the second time within a month, a sepoy of Assam Rifles was shot dead by an armed men in Kohima today. Sources said that the victim identified as Rifleman Vijay Singh Rawat was on foot patrolling along with other colleagues near the timber shop opposite Classic Island, Officers’ Hill area when the armed men opened fire and escaped from the step towards Paramedical colony at around 12:30 pm. The victim sustained four bullet injuries – one on the left leg, two on the stomach and another on the right arm. He was rushed to the nearby hospital but was declared brought death, sources said. Sources said that the armed men also hurled a grenade at the site but fortunately it did not explode lest the casualty would have heavy. Police have recovered five empty cases of 9mm pistol and also the unexploded grenade from the incident site. Search operations and frisking of vehicles have been launched by police and Assam Rifles. It may be recalled that on March 26 last, four jawans of 19 Assam Rifles were injured as unidentified armed miscreants attacked the Company Operating Base and outpost located at Indira Gandhi Stadium.

HM Y Patton condemns

State Home minister Y Patton has strongly condemned the killing of a jawan of 19 Assam Rifles by unidentified gunmen near Red Cross, Kohima at about 1 pm today. The Home minister said Saturday’s incident has taken at the heart of the town which is a thickly populated area. “By God’s providence, the incident did not happen when hundreds of school students carrying out a procession in connection with World Malaria Day Awareness today at about 8 am from Fira Hotel to Old MLA Hostel Junction passing through the very route where today’s unfortunate incident took place”, the Home minister expressed. He then said that in spite of repeated appeals made by the general public to those who are hell-bent on creating nuisance and disturbances, these people showed no compunction for the human lives and their sole intention was now seen as to deliberately create fear psychosis in the minds of the people who have been living peacefully. “Police have been directed to nab the culprits responsible for the crimes and it is the strong commitment of the state government that, under any circumstances, it will leave no stone unturned to see that peace and tranquility is not disturbed in the state,” Y Patton assured. The Government once again categorically says that violence can never be the means to bring peace and solution. And therefore those who commit violence must abjure it as violence begets violence only, it said. The state government has also urged both the Government of India and the NSCN (K) to extend their ceasefire which expires on April 27 this month for the larger interest of the settlement of the long drawn out Naga political issue once and for all.