A press statement released by the MIP, Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim (GPRN) on Sunday refuted that it had been taken by surprise by “fabricated story” of the Manipur Police regarding the alleged shootout between the Manipur police/Assam Rifles and NSCN cadres in Bishnupur district in Manipur on Saturday whereby two NSCN cadres namely Mr Jaiolen Chiru and Mr Jenthaingam Longmei were reported to be injured and hospitalized.
According to the statement, NSCN was “constrained” to clarify that there was no encounter whatsoever, and the claim of “recovery of arms and ammunitions by the Manipur police was baseless”. It also maintained that what actually happened was that the Manipur police personnel along with the Assam Rifles personnel came in civvies and surrounded the house where the NSCN members were staying and caught the NSCN members by surprise with a volley of indiscriminate firings, resulting in the injury of the two NSCN cadres. “The two injured NSCN cadres were reportedly admitted to hospital by the Manipur police, awaiting their formal arrest upon recovery,” the statement said.
The press release also claimed that the allegation levelled by the Assam Police against NSCN members, Mr. Khampai W and Mr. Khunghee Mikkam, who were arrested last Friday in Tezpur, Assam was not factually correct. “They were never in possession of arms and ammos and had no connection with the ambush on Assam Rifles personnel in Nagaland as alleged by the Assam Police in the media,” it added.
Refuting outrigthly that charges levelled against its members were “baseless”, NSCN said that the Manipur Police and Assam Police should refrain from inventing “cooked up stories” to suit their interest.