Arunachal MLA, ten others gunned down by suspected Naga militants

The Army, the Assam Rifles and the state police have launched the operation to nab the perpetrators involved in the crime, Tirap Deputy Commissioner P N Thungon said

Arunachal MLA, ten others gunned down by suspected Naga militants

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Itanagar: A massive combing operation has been launched by the security forces to trace the suspected NSCN militants who gunned down MLA Tirong Aboh and 10 others near Khonsa in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, an official said on Wednesday. The Army, the Assam Rifles and the state police have launched the operation to nab the perpetrators involved in the crime, Tirap Deputy Commissioner P N Thungon said.

#UPDATE CRPF: Convoy of NPP leader Tirong Aboh was ambushed by unknown militants in which total 11 people got killed including Tirang Aboh & his son. CRPF troops rushed from Khonsu. https://t.co/dBZuJQfta9
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2019

Shocked and anguished by the killing of MLA Tirong Aboh ji, his family & others in Arunachal Pradesh.

It is an outrageous attempt to disturb peace and normalcy in the North East. The perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared. My condolences to the bereaved families.
— Chowkidar Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) May 21, 2019

Strongly condemn the brutal attack and assassination of Arunachal Pradesh MLA Shri Tirong Aboh and 10 others by militants.

My deepest condolences.

Insurgency is rearing it’s ugly head back in the North East under the misrule of BJP. https://t.co/6iH2yRm3F1
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) May 21, 2019

I'm shocked and saddened by the brutal attack and tragic killing of MLA Shri Tirong Aboh of Arunachal Pradesh, his family including 11 people. Strongest possible action will be taken against those responsible for such dastardly attack.
— Chowkidar Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) May 21, 2019

The Army deployed helicopters on Tuesday night to search the area, which is covered by dense jungle. The suspected NSCN rebels gunned down Aboh, his son and nine others in the 12 Mile area, 20 km from Khonsa, the district headquarters town of Tirap, on Tuesday, when the lawmaker was on his way to Khonsa from Dibrugarh in Assam. Aboh (41) had won the Khonsa West Assembly seat in 2014 and was seeking re-election as a National People's Party (NPP) candidate from the constituency.
"So far, no arrests have been made, but the operation has been intensified by the security agencies by cordoning the area," the DC said.

Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma: NPP is extremely shocked and saddened by the news of the death of its Arunachal MLA Tirong Aboh and his family. We condemn the brutal attack and urge HM Rajnath Singh and PM Modi to take action against those responsible for such attack (file pic) pic.twitter.com/cLCu7uKBgT
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2019

The bodies of the victims have been handed over to their relatives after conducting post-mortem.
Defence sources at Dinjan in Dibrugarh confirmed the involvement of NSCN(IM) in the killings, stating that a group of about 10 to 15 rebels were involved in the shootout. The militants had also set ablaze one of the vehicles in Aboh's convoy, the sources said. While a police personnel and a civilian had sustained bullet injuries in the attack, a woman and another police personnel had escaped unhurt.
The civilian and Aboh's PSO were shifted to a Dibrugarh hospital, Director General of Police (DGP) S B K Singh had said.

Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister, Kumar Waii on death of MLA Tirong Aboh and his family: I condemn this incident. This kind of an incident has never taken place before. An inquiry into the incident is important. A political rival has done this. pic.twitter.com/9uSHvNvxNd
— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2019

The DIG (East), the IGP (Law & Order) and the SP from neighbouring Changlang district moved to Khonsa on Tuesday to supervise the operations and coordinate with various security agencies.
This is the second such incident in Tirap district in recent times, after two supporters of Aboh were killed by NSCN(IM) militants in March.

Press Release issued by NPCC condemning the brutal assassination of @nppmeghalaya MLA from Khonsa West, Shri Tirong Aboh and his family members at Bogapani in Tirap District of Arunachal Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/fN3bGn7neI
— Nagaland Congress (@INCNagaland) May 21, 2019

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, his deputy Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu have condemned the attack. Expressing shock over the incident, NPP president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has demanded action against those responsible for it.