Imphal, Apr 2 : Ukhrul remained tense today after suspected militants shot dead a former chairman of the Ukhrul Autonomous District Council last night while a lone gunman attacked a warden of Sajiwa Jail in Imphal East district this morning.
Police said three gunmen entered the house of Khathing Tangkhul, 67, former chairman of Ukhrul Autonomous District Council, at 8pm last night and shot him dead.
“The gunmen entered the house at Khayai Ashat about 1.5km west of Ukhrul police station, and shot him dead,” a police official said today.
This is the second case of murder in Ukhrul district since last month.
Cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) abducted three officials, including a sub-divisional officer, on February 17 from Ukhrul and killed them in Senapati district a few days later.
The police could not establish the identity of the assailants in last night’s case and also the motive. They also could not say whether the killing had anything to do with the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. “We are investigating the case and cannot say anything at this moment,” a police official said over phone from Ukhrul.
In another incident, a lone gunman chased and shot a warden of the Sajiwa Jail in Imphal East this morning. The jail official, Haobijam Khunjao Singh, 52, was admitted to Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital with multiple bullet injuries. His condition is serious.
The police said the warden was coming to Sajiwa Jail, located at Khabeisoi, at about 10am on a scooter from his house when a motorcycle-borne youth chased him and fired several rounds. The spot where the warden was attacked is just 500 metres from the jail.
The warden could not identify the attackers. “The man on a motorcycle asked me to stop. Sensing trouble, I did not stop. Then he chased me and fired several rounds. I do not know why the man attacked me,” the warden said.
The police said the attacker could be a militant. “Some militants lodged inside the jail could have some grudge against the warden,” a police official said.