AIZAWL, May 17 – The capital city of Mizoram remained peaceful without any untoward incident after Saturday’s communal flare-up due to a local girl’s murder by two non-tribals, but the district administration clamped night curfew from 8.30 pm last night till 4.30 am Monday as a precautionary measure. Mobile and foot patrolling by the armed police continued day and night even as the Aizawl district Superintendent of Police IT Hrangchal said that the situation was completely under control.
About 20 non-tribals were injured in the indiscriminate attacks against non-Mizos by irate boys Saturday following the gruesome murder of a 20-year-old girl working in a wholesale second-hand garment shop at Zarkawt here by two coolies working in the same shop. The girl’s body was found Saturday morning in the godown of the owner of the shop with her throat slit after she was found missing since Thursday when sent by her employer to deposit Rs 4.14 lakh in a bank. The two had allegedly lured the girl to the shop godown and slit her throat before decamping with the amount.
At least 10 boys responsible for attacking non-tribals on the streets of the city were arrested by the police. A police team was sent to Bihar, the home state of the suspected killers – Mohammad Mister and Mohammad Gulzar – to cooperate with the local police there in apprehending the accused persons.
Meanwhile, in a statement the Chief Secretary HV Lalringa said that the reports, appearing in some national television channels that three non-tribals were killed in the communal flare-up and indefinite curfew was imposed in Aizawl, were baseless and termed it as “irresponsible reporting”. While admitting attacks against non-tribals and their shops and some people injured in the incidents, Lalringa categorically said that no one died in the incidents and the night curfew was imposed as precautionary measures. He told PTI that such reports, though completely false and unfounded, could trigger communal violence in neighbouring states and other states of the country and should be avoided.
“The district administration did everything in its power to defuse the tension and bring the criminals to justice,” he said. Meanwhile, two organisations – Mizo Zirlai Pawl and Mizo Students Union – called a ‘non-tribal curfew’ threatening non-tribals not to venture outside.
The victim was buried at the cemetery at Republic Veng.