Top Khaplang faction leader gunned down

KOHIMA, August 19: The general secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) Dali Mungro, 55, and two other activists were gunned down by rival insurgents at Jotsoma, nearly 4 km from here last night. Sources said nearly 30 militants armed with sophisticated weapons surrounded the house where Mungro and his wife, Thokuli, were temporarily staying. They broke open the door, dragged out Mungro and killed him nearly 100 yards away from the house. Sources said the killers were suspected NSCN(Isak-Muivah) activists. An official spokesman of the NSCN(IM) said the outfit would clarify its position in a couple of days. The militants also raided the adjacent house and killed two of Mungro's men hiding there. One of them, Zhekhevi Sema, was the secretary of the outfit's Dimapur unit while the other, Zubenthung of Pangtong village, was a self-styled corporal. Sema was gunned down inside the house and Zubenthung was killed outside along with Mungro. The Khaplang faction leader's body was taken to his native village, Longkhum, in Mokokchung district after a brief funeral service in Kohima. Shops in the city remained closed following the killing. A pall of gloom descended over Jotsoma village and a large number of Congress leaders and NSCN(K) cadres gathered there to pay their homage. Mungro's wife Thokuli said the incident took place at around 9 pm. "The assailants ignored my husband's pleas to speak to me before his death,'' she said. When asked why Mungro did not have any armed bodyguards, she said, "We did not want to violate the unilateral ceasefire which prohibits carrying of arms in public. '' Mungro had come to the Angami village with his wife four days ago , Thokuli said. A senior NSCN(K) member admitted to an intelligence lapse on part of the outfit and hinted at the possibility of Mungro being betrayed by his own men. This is the first major incident of NSCN rivalry after the extension of the ceasefire on August 1. A high-level emergency meeting was held at the chief secretary's office in Kohima today to take stock of the situation. Police sources said security has been tightened to thwart retaliatory violence and massive combing operation was under way in the residential areas of the state capital. Mungro's killing has put a spanner in the efforts of the Naga Hoho, the apex tribal council, which was preparing modalities for the unification of all militant outfits in the state. The killing is likely to intensify the ongoing feud between the two NSCN factions-the Isak-Muivah and the Khaplang- and have a cascading effect on the peace process as the Centre was trying to bring the Khaplang faction to the negotiating table. The faction recently responded to the Centre's call for a peaceful settlement but laid down certain pre-conditions for talks. They demanded revocation of the Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act, withdrawal of the "disturbed area'' status for Nagaland and wanted the Centre to declare the outfit as legal. The NSCN(K) had also responded positively to the Army's unilateral ceasefire offer. The killing will also compound the insurgency scene in neighbouring Manipur as most of the Naga inhabitants of the state are supporters of the Isak-Muivah faction. The NSCN(K) is active only in Chandel and Tamenglong districts, but the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) of Manipur had recently teamed up with the Khaplang faction.