The 27th Assam Rifles, Ukhrul has stated that after receiving an input of NSCN IM cadres ‘illegally’ staying at Namrei village, launched a surprise operation and apprehended the three cadres from a private resident of the village. After conducting a mandatory investigation and compilation of basic information and data from them, the three NSCN IM cadres were released as a goodwill gesture.
According to the reports of the AR officer, the arrested cadres revealed possession of weapons by them and intimated that weapons are hidden in a house in the village. However, before further details could be established, the village womenfolk/ Shanao Long members of Namrei village equipped with sticks obstructed the Assam Rifles personnel from carrying out their task and heckled the troops and snatched the cadres from their custody and started aggressively protesting with sticks.
It further mentioned that while the AR officer was in the process to hand over the seized mobiles phones of the three cadres, the womenfolk forcefully took away the cadres anddenied interaction with the cadres and demanded that Assam Rifles troop handover the mobiles to the Shanao Long and move out of Namrei forthwith. When the AR officers insisted that cadres be produced to collect their mobile phones, the women agitated and started misbehaving with the CO of 27 AR.
Among the women, one obstructed the CO from moving ahead, got dangerously close and tried to snatch the mobile of the CO of 27 Assam Rifles from his hand while another tried to take out the mobiles of the cadres from his pocket. The CO, in a bid to move away, blocked him and attempted to snatch his mobile. Subsequently, the officer pushed at the head of the woman with his hand without hurting her. The lady snatched away the weapon of the officer.
And in the meantime, the AR officer apologized to the lady and urged her not to get involved in the scuffle. Later, the mobiles were finally handed over to Shanao Long president of Namrei village. However, the women continued heckling the Assam Rifles troops and forced them to move.
First published in The Sangai Express, Sep 12, 2020