Phek killings: Organisations refute Assam Rifles version

EMN
DIMAPUR, AUGUST 14

The VCC Phor, VCC New Phor and Phor Social Action Committee have refuted the allegations from the Assam Rifles. “The Assam Rifles should not mislead the people with false write up in the local dailies. No one is defaming the AR for their claim as “Friends of the Hill People”. Despite so much enquiry and spot verification, how could the AR accuse the innocent villagers in the media as if the people are mum and dumb,” read a joint press statement.
“The people of Phor have no favoritism with any of the Naga Political Groups. Because of the presence of Brigadier Kurichu of NSCN (K), the people of Phor do not favor the NSCN (K). We treat all the NPGs equally. There is no village by the name PURR. This clearly shows the negligence and underestimation of the people by the AR. The incident happened in Wuzu, not near Wuzu or Phor.
“The village Gaon Bura denied that no one had received any call from Meluri at any period of time that day to stop the convoy. The village leaders were not directed or coerced by anyone. Rather the leaders and relatives of Lt. Puhachu waited on the road side with the prepared coffin and Naga shawl to pay the last respect to the departed soul, which was done not because he was from NSCN (K) but as a tradition for every citizen in Phor. Even if a person dies from the hospital away from the village, the villagers gather together to receive the dead body as a practice,” it stated.
As per PRO AR Kohima statement, the NSCN (K) cadre had left Phor jurisdiction by the first week of April 2015 which is true, the statement said. “And since then NSCN K never turned up to Phor. There had been no contact with the villagers since then. The AR/SF intelligence inputs states that the presence of NSCN (K) cadre is a very wrong assumption.
“We the people of Phor are no fools nor out of our senses to join hands in neither stopping nor ambushing the Security forces on their return. Had the claim of the Indian security forces of the presence of UGs in the village been true, the three jawans left behind by their fleeing team after the cowardly act would have been at the mercies of the UGs,” it pointed out.
Rather it was because of the help from the public that the three jawans were regrouped with their team the following day, it added.
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