Community leader shot dead

FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

IMPHAL, Aug 22: One S Wangnuilong, a community leader of the Aimol tribe in Manipur and father of five children, was gunned down in his house at Ngairong village at 4:30 am on Saturday. Recalling the incident, his wife, Chingneillia, who came to the JNIMS mortuary in Imphal along with the dead body, said that 20 ga militants armed with AK rifles and in combat fatigue raided the village and dragged out her husband from the bed. He was shot in the head near the house. He died on the spot. For over one month the ga extremists have been coming to the village asking the villagers to get assimilated to the ga group. However the Aimol is one of the small tribes in Manipur who has been saying that it will remain as Aimol and not get assimilated to any major tribe. In the past there had been reports of beatings and killings of the community leaders to resist the plan to expand the ga family. The militants also lobbed a grede in the house of the victims elder brother and fired indiscrimitely for more than 30 minutes.  It may be mentioned that police and Assam Rifles personnel are not allowing jourlist to go to the crime spot.