SHILLONG: Chief Minister and NPP national president Conrad Sangma has called upon Northeastern leaders to come together and fight against the politico-militant and politico-criminal nexus.
Reacting to a query from media persons on the sidelines of the meeting of the North East Coordination Committee of the party here on Saturday, he said that it is an issue which concerns everyone.
The chief minister’s call assumes significance as it comes after the party’s Arunachal Pradesh MLA Tirong Aboh and his son among 11others were gunned down by suspected NSCN militants in the frontier state last month after polling for the assembly election was over. Aboh retained the Khonsa West assembly seat.
The Home ministry has asked the NIA to probe the incident.
Closer home, suspected militants belonging to the GNLA had killed NCP candidate from Williamnagar Jonathone N Sangma ahead of last year’s assembly election.
The militants had ambushed his convoy and triggered a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) that killed the young candidate and three others.
A dreaded militant commander of the banned GNLA, Nikam Ch Momin alias Baichung, was accompanying Jonathone in his election campaign when the attack took place.
Similarly, several politicians have fallen victim to militants in the North East in the past.
“Even before the results came out, I met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Union Home Minster Rajnath Singh to raise this issue. We all agreed that strict action should be taken and NIA level inquiry should be instituted to investigate into the matter,” he said
Conrad also said that he had discussed the matter with Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and that the state Cabinet had also decided to ask the Centre to institute an NIA probe.
“The political leadership across party lines agree that this is a big concern. We all agree that everyone should come together to ensure that these things do not happen in the future,” the chief minister said.
CLP leader from Arunachal Pradesh Mutchu Mithi said NIA is probing the matter and the party expects the culprits to be punished.
