Kohima, July 1: The Nagaland government has constituted a high-level inquiry committee into yesterday’s attack at Inavi village inside Ntanki National Park, 30km from Dimapur. Two persons were killed and two seriously injured in the attack.
The unidentified gunmen killed village chairman Inashe Sumi and assistant headman Vikheshe Sumi and injured two other villagers Heshito and Pikuto Sumi. The injured have been shifted to Dimapur. The attackers, suspected to be from neighbouring villages, also razed over 40 houses.
Home minister, Imkong L. Imchen said the state government has constituted a three-member inquiry committee, headed by principal secretary C. Ponraj, to probe the incident.
“I hope the committee will submit its report on time,” he told The Telegraph after a security meeting at the police headquarters here and promised appropriate action against the culprits. The committee is required to submit its report within a month.
Terming the attack as a cowardly act, the home minister said all preventive measures have been taken to prevent such incidents.
The high-level security meeting convened by Imchen today was attended by chief secretary Lalthara, commissioner Banuo Z. Jamir, top police officials and security agencies to take stock of the situation in Ntanki National Park and in Dimapur, where two motorcycle-borne riders had exploded a bomb in front of a shop yesterday killing one and injuring two persons.
The state government has not announced any ex gratia to the next of the kin of the deceased or for the injured yet but Imchen said this would be taken up later.
Additional director-general of police S.T. Sangtam told this correspondent that three companies of police and IRB personnel had been rushed to the area to prevent any escalation of tension.
There has been massive encroachment in Ntanki under Peren district in the last couple of years. Different Naga communities claim ownership of the park, which has been declared an elephant habitat by the Centre.
Both Peren and Dimapur district authorities confirmed that the attackers came from the neighbouring villages. Villagers of Inavi vowed justice but said they would move out of the village if other encroached villagers were evicted.
Inavi, which has been renamed as United Naga village, comprises mostly other Naga tribes who are not part of the Tenyimi People’s Organisation while Naga tribes who are affiliated to TPO have been claiming the ownership of Ntanki. TPO comprises 10 Naga tribes from Nagaland, Manipur and Assam and has asked all its members to withdraw their tribesmen from Ntanki so as to save the last remaining park in the state.
Kuki, a non-Naga tribe settled nearby the park has also claimed the ownership of the national park.
Zeliangrong tribe, which is affiliated to TPO, has also encroached into the park claiming it as theirs.
State government has even convened a meeting of Naga organisations but it had no impact on the encroachers. According to villagers of Inavi or United Naga village, some of the attackers had come with sophisticated weapons like AK-47 assault rifles not ruling out involvement of militants.
The home minister Imchen also did not rule out the involvement of strayed cadres in the attack but said government would take necessary action after the report is submitted.
