’Outfits violating ceasefire ground rules’

FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
IMPHAL, January 9: All these years, sigtories of the ceasefire have been violating the ground rules with impunity. The latest instance is the kidpping of two drivers and one cleaner of a truck which was transporting cement bags from Dimapur to Imphal along NH 102. Driver Mohammad Rafi was driving the truck on Monday night when a jeep overtook the slow moving vehicle about 3 km away from Kohima. The jeep blocked the highway and sigled the two drivers and a cleaner to get down at gun point. They were whisked away in the jeep. The truck and the cement bags were left at the highway. From eye witnesses, police learnt that the kidppers had taken the three persons towards Wokha. Till the time of filing this report the kidpped persons have not been rescued. Reports say that the transporter of the cement had been asked to pay a ransom of Rs 15 lakh as godown tax to an insurgent group which had signed ceasefire with the Indian government. If this is not paid the truck cannot ply again along NH 102 and the transporter cannot lift any items in future.