LONGDING, Apr 3: Several civil society groups of Longding district have vehemently condemned the brutal killing of former ZPM Selem Wangsa and demanded that the law enforcing authority nab the perpetrators of the horrific crime at the earliest.
Wangsa was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Nginu Longchan village, some 30 kms away from the district headquarters here, on Saturday.
“Such cool-blooded murder in the peace-loving land of Wancho has disgraced the community, and it cannot be tolerated,” said Wancho Council chairman Shompha Wangsa, and demanded exemplary punishment for the culprits involved in the crime.
Members of the Wancho Council, the Wancho Cultural Society, the All Wancho Women Welfare Society and the Longding District Students’ Union (LDSU) visited the family of the deceased on Tuesday.
The Longding DIPRO reported that, according to Wangsa’s family members and relatives, three to four armed persons had come to Wangsa’s residence at around 9 pm, forcibly taken him out, and shot him dead some 100 metres away from his residence.
The family members said they are still ignorant as to who the perpetrators of the crime are.
LDSU general secretary Panjam Wangsu said there is still no official confirmation about the involvement of any faction of the NSCN in the killing, as is being rumoured.
The Arunachal Citizens’ Right (ACR) has also condemned the killing of Wangsa and Jaley Anna from Kheti village in Tirap district by suspected NSCN militants, and called for immediate intervention of the governor and the Election Commission of India to ensure security for the people of Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts to ensure free and fair participation of the citizens in the upcoming elections.
“Fear psychosis is completely gripping the minds of the innocent citizens due to excessive interference of many non-state actors in these districts that are trying to curtail the citizens’ right to vote,” the ACR stated in a release.
Urging the political parties and contesting candidates to refrain from “criminalization” of the political process, the ACR appealed to all non-state actors to refrain from being involved in politics for their vested interests and enable the citizens to choose and elect their candidates.
