UKHRUL: Lower Dibang Valley Police have arrested one person in connection with the alleged assault on Sikkim-based rapper Ugen Namgyal Bhutia, popularly known as UNB, with police stating that 12 other people involved in the incident have been identified.
Lower Dibang Valley Superintendent of Police Ringu Ngupok said Nabam Tapang was arrested from Doimukh in Papum Pare district in connection with the case.
UNB and his team were allegedly attacked by a group of men near Tiwari Gaon in Lower Dibang Valley on Monday evening while returning to Roing after performing at a festival in Anini.
According to UNB’s manager Deep Dhar, the team was travelling towards Roing at around 6 pm when two vehicles allegedly followed their car for nearly an hour before intercepting them on an isolated stretch. The vehicles allegedly had mud-covered number plates, and the attackers allegedly confirmed UNB’s presence before assaulting the rapper and his manager.
The attackers allegedly damaged the vehicle with rods and assaulted UNB and Dhar, while other members of the team were not attacked. UNB sustained injuries to his head and face, including swelling around one eye, and was later medically examined. He was reported to be stable with minor injuries.
Roing Police Station Officer-in-Charge Taniya Uli said police received information about the incident at around 7:50 pm, with poor mobile connectivity in the area cited as a reason for the delay in reporting.
Police subsequently alerted check gates and later accompanied the complainants to the reported site, where they began gathering evidence and information. The secluded location, absence of eyewitnesses and poor network connectivity have posed challenges to the investigation, police said.
An FIR has been registered at Roing Police Station under Sections 126(2), 115(2) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation.
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Meanwhile, Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay has spoken to Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu over the incident and sought his intervention to ensure UNB’s safety and well-being.
Tamang-Golay said Khandu assured him of prompt intervention and necessary action. The Sikkim chief minister thanked his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart and expressed confidence that the matter would be appropriately addressed.
The North East India Tourism Confederation (NEITC) has also urged Arunachal Pradesh home minister Mama Natung to ensure a fair and time-bound investigation into the incident.
In a letter to Natung on Wednesday, NEITC president Tsering Wange and general secretary Yangchen Tongden Lepcha expressed concern over the alleged assault and said artists, performers, tourists and visitors travelling to Arunachal Pradesh for cultural events should be able to do so in a safe environment.
The organisation also referred to another recent alleged assault involving filmmaker Dominic Sangma and reiterated its support for cultural exchange, responsible tourism and the safety of people travelling across the Northeast.
UNB, who gained wider recognition after appearing on MTV Hustle 2.0 in 2022, is known for using hip-hop to address issues of identity and discrimination faced by people from the Northeast. He founded independent label KAUSO Records in 2017 and has continued to represent the region through his music.
