A 46-year-old man from Manipur’s Tamenglong district was killed and two police personnel injured in an encounter with police on Thursday morning in Assam’s Cachar district, officers said.
Police have identified the deceased as Sailin Dongal, a former member of the Manipur-based extremist group United Kuki National Army (UKNA), who was allegedly involved in an attack on Assam Police near the inter-state border last week, in which a policeman was shot and injured.
“Dongal was one of the members of the drug peddling group that attacked our officials last week, and according to our records, he was also a former militant in Manipur,” said Prithviraj Rajkwa, superintendent of police in Lakhipur district.
He said Dongal moved to Lakhipur during the ethnic clashes in Manipur and started living in an area called Boma Pongi. “We found that he was regularly involved in inter-state transportation of narcotic substances and firearms,” Rajkwa said, adding that Dongal was named in cases related to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Arms Act.
On May 5, Havildar Sharif Hussain Kazi (55) was shot twice by a group of suspected drug peddlers in the Deglang area of Jirihat near the Assam-Manipur border. Kazi was initially taken to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) and then airlifted to Guwahati for advanced treatment.
A case was registered at Jerighat police station on May 6 and Assam Police identified two prime suspects, Dongal being one of them, said Sanjib Saikia, Cachar Senior Superintendent of Police.
He added: “We found them last night and a police team was able to arrest them at Boma Bungi. During interrogation, they said that they would help the police recover some hidden firearms, but when they arrived at the place, they attacked our officials using firearms.”
The Public Prosecution Service said that officers at Jerighat Police Station responded by firing several shots, during which Dongal was shot. “He was rushed to Silchar Medical College and Hospital immediately, but died during treatment,” Saikia added.
A group of more than five individuals were involved in the May 5 incident, CDSP Rajkhoa said on Thursday.
“One of them has died and the other is currently in police custody. We are further investigating the matter and the remaining accused will be arrested soon. This is linked to an inter-state racket and we are investigating the matter thoroughly,” he told HT on Thursday evening.
Officers said that the two policemen who were injured during Thursday’s operation were Nabajeet Tanti and Santosh Biswas.
Dongal’s body has been sent for post-mortem and his past activities are being examined further, police said. His family members also contacted Silchar to receive the body but they refused to talk to the media.
