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Journalism of Courage
After an emergency meeting at Home Minister R Lalzirliana’s residence on Thursday night,senior police officials led by two DIGs on Friday headed towards northern Mizoram bordering Manipur and Myanmar to firm up security in five constituencies (Tuivawl,Chalfilh,Lengteng,Serlui and Champhai North) there.
This scaling up of security is happening two days after a middle-aged local political leader was shot twice in the ankle by armed militants near Khawlian village,which falls within the Chalfilh constituency. The Chief Election officer had also been briefed of the situation.
While DIG (northern range) Zorammuana and 1st Mizoram Armed Police (MAP) battalion commandant Lalbiakthanga Khiangte headed for Sakawrdai town in Tuivawl constituency,DIG (HQ) V Lalthakima headed towards Saiphai and Saipum villages in Serlui constituency,where sitting MLA K Rinthanga,two-term Rajya Sabha MP Lalhmingliana of the MDA and Mizoram’s richest candidate R Lalawia of the ZNP are battling it out.
The Congress has in the past couple of days alleged that Zoram Nationalist Party,largely tipped to be the dark horse in this elections,is working with two sets of ethnic rebels in these areas.
The ruling party has alleged armed men in a white Bolero bearing a Manipur registration plate has been moving around half-a-dozen Paite (a tribe) villages in Champhai North constituency asking people to vote for the ZNP.
The ZNP has however denied having links with any ethnic rebel groups. At a press conference,ZNP Vice-President K Liantlinga said the party does not work either with armed rebels or ethnic groups and alleged the Congress has in the past worked with these very rebels,even staging a kidnapping of candidates in 2003 to win empathy from voters.
It in turn alleged Congress workers of physically assaulting a campaigner for it’s Tuirial constituency candidate Joseph Ralte and condemned the incident.
“The Congress is making these baseless allegations because they are scared of the ZNP,” Liantlinga said.
ZNP President Lalduhawma had in the past told The Indian Express his party will,if it comes to power,work towards declaring all the state’s eight districts into autonomous tribal districts under the 6th schedule of the Indian constitution but not necessarily as Autonomous Districts for specific tribes such as those for the Chakma,Lai and Mara tribes in southern Mizoram.
Senior leaders of the church-led election watchdog Mizoram People’s Forum had recently met ZNP leaders in Aizawl asking them to explain their position on working with armed groups,particularly highlighting the party’s fielding of a peace talks delegate of the armed group Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic),Lalmuanpuia Punte,in the Tuivawl constituency.
Punte,a Hmar tribal who has for decades been a student leader based in Aizawl,has been a delegate of the HPC(D) (active in northern Mizoram though based in Manipur’s Churachandpur region) apparently because he has championed the group’s demand,which is to set up an for the Hmar community in northern Mizoram.
The Paite Tribe Council had last month also issued a press statement saying they will contest the state-wide polls to push for an autonomous council for the Paite tribe. They have however not fielded any candidates this time.
Security has been tightened ahead of the November 25 assembly polls in Mizoram with the ECI granting 31 companies of paramilitary forces to maintain law and order in the peaceful north-eastern state. These include more than 3000 personnel made up of 12 companies from Nagaland,5 companies each from Assam,Tripura and Manipur and 4 companies from Sikkim.
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