[ Bengia Ajum ]
LONGDING, 30 Apr: It has now emerged that one of the two civilians abducted by cadres of NSCN-Yung Aung from a work site in Pongchau was killed during the encounter between security forces and NSCN-KYA cadres on Sunday.
According to sources, Giyas Uddin, a construction labourer employed by PSK Enterprise at the Government Higher Secondary School in Pongchau, was killed in the crossfire.
He had been abducted along with site supervisor Janlung Wangpan on 25 April from the construction site. The abduction triggered a massive manhunt, culminating in a fierce gunfight between NSCN-KYA cadres and security forces, in which three NSCN-KYA cadres were gunned down. Site supervisor Wangpan was rescued by the security forces and has safely returned home.
The slain NSCN-KYA cadres were reportedly Myanmarese nationals. Additionally, two other cadres-one from Arunachal Pradesh and the other from Nagaland-were apprehended during the operation.
The bodies of the suspected militants were retrieved from the site of the encounter and taken to Mon district in Nagaland by the Nagaland police for further investigation, as the incident occurred near the border between Longwa (Nagaland) and Pongchau (Arunachal Pradesh).
Earlier, media reports had claimed the involvement of NSCN-K (Angmai-Mulatonu) cadres. However, the group issued a clarification stating that it is currently engaged in peace talks with the government of India and that none of its members were involved in the confrontation. NSCN-K (YA) later confirmed in a statement that their cadres were the ones killed in the encounter.
