One Assam Rifles jawan and another civilian were reportedly injured in an alleged grenade attack by suspected insurgent cadres at Chenloisho under Mon district on August 12 at around 11am.
According to Mon police PRO, the suspected cadres lobbed three grenades on a JCB belonging to ‘D’ Coy of 28 Assam Rifles in the vicinity of Chenloisho village.
PRO said two of the grenades reportedly failed to detonate and the explosion of the other grenade caused injury to one personnel of Assam Rifles and one civilian identified as one Kaipa Konyak (60) of Chenloisho village. PRO said both the injured persons, who were rushed to the medical facility located within the Assam Rifles camp, were reportedly out of danger. The injured civilian has been shifted to the district hospital Mon. PRO said that a team of 28 AR ‘D’ Coy personnel along with JCB were assisting the local populace to clear the rood at a place called Thromjon located between Chenloisho and Wongti village when they were attacked.
PRO said a police team has rushed to the spot and investigation was underway.
In another statement, PRO (Def) Kohima, Lt Col Sumit K Sharma claimed that the incident was the handiwork of Yung Aung led NSCN (K).
Narrating the incident, PRO said the AR had responded to the assistance sought by the chairman of Chenloiso to clear the landslide at COB Chenloiso (from the track of Chenloiso-Hydro project).
On August 12, a team of AR personnel along with necessary tools and JCB commenced the clearance of the landslide with the help of local villagers from Kangynu, Wangto and Chenloiso.
While returning from the area the same evening along with the villagers, PRO said that three hand grenades were lobbed from a height above the dense foliage.
“Unfortunately, the grenades landed in front of civilians, out of which two didn’t explode however one grenade exploded causing shrapnel injuries to a 75 yrs old local Mr Keipa of Kangynu village,” PRO said. The security forces immediately swung into action and fired several rounds towards the location from where the grenades were lobbed.
The injured local was immediately rushed by security forces to the AR company base, where he was given first aid and stabilised, and further moved to Mon for treatment.
PRO said that the “cowardly action against locals and security forces while involved in assistance to locals displays that the NSCN (KYA) is desperate since the villagers have denied any support with respect to money or ration to these cadres.”