Bodies of two women with burn injuries recovered
Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 30
The situation in Rengma areas of Karbi Anglong continues to be tense with recovery of two more bodies this morning at Chokilashenyu, a Rengma Naga village under Borpathar police station. The deceased were both elderly women whose bodies were found with burn injuries. They have been identified as Tegile (75) and Helole (54), both from Chokilashenyu village.
Sources said both the deceased were victims of the act carried out by suspected KPLT activists who invaded the said village and burnt down nine houses.
Sources, however, were unsure of the correct time the invasion took place. They were also uncertain whether the act was carried out early this morning or yesterday as all the villagers were reportedly stationed in the relief camps.
According to sources, the two elderly women victims refused to flee to the relief camps and rather preferred to stay at the village to face any consequences. It could not be ascertained whether the two victims were burnt alive or were burnt after being killed.
The two bodies will be taken to Diphu tomorrow for postmortem, it was reported.
Meanwhile, it has been informed that the Karbi Anglong Baptist Convention (KABC) along with the support of NGOs and church leaders are working round the clock to bring the situation back to normalcy.
The KABC leaders are at the spot of the affected/curfew bound areas, meeting the Karbi leaders from various social backgrounds, including churches, political and non-Christian organizations, to restore peace at the earliest.
Rengma outfit warns of retaliation
The Council of Naga Rengma Hills (Assam)/Naga Rengma Hills Protection Force today warned that they will not tolerate the incident at Khowani Rengma village under Borpathar police station of Karbi Anglong district in which killing six Rengma Naga villagers were killed and many houses and granaries were burned.
CNRH/NRHPF general secretary Logusheng Rengma, in a press communiqué today, also warned that since the Assam government and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council failed to resolve the problem of Rengma Nagas in Assam, the CNRH/NRHPF will retaliate to the activities of Karbis against Rengma Nagas.
More on Page 5
Two more bodies of Rengma Nagas were found at Rengma-dominated Chogilashongnyu (Sathi) village under the Borpathar police station today taking the death toll of the Naga tribe to six in the latest series of violence. Four Rengma Nagas of Khowani Rengma village were killed by suspected Karbi People’s Liberation Front in the wee hours on December 27.
He lamented that burning of Rengma villages by Karbi public is still continuing despite assurances given by various NGOs and security forces. He said some of the Rengma houses near Chokihila police station and Silonijan near Borpathar police station were also burned down by the Karbis.
Neither security nor relief was provided to the affected Rengmas and instead they were threatened against moving out from their houses in search of their daily needs, Logusheng stated.
He said the CNRH/NRHPF is observing the ‘dirty game’ being played by Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and the Assam government in trying to restore normalcy and added that the situation will worsen until and unless the demand of the Rengma Nagas is fulfilled.
