June 25 killing was a case of mistaken identity : UNLF

IMPHAL, July 20: The central committee of the banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF) has clarified that the unfortunate incident on June 25 at Leingangpokpi near Jiribam divisional headquarters occurred while its armies were lying in wait to ambush a team of Indian armed force. The banned UNLF has issued a press clarification in this regard. In the statement, the central committee said the UNLF received information that a group of Indian Armymen in civil dress was coming towards Jiribam in a Tata Sumo on that day. Following the information, a group of its armed cadres were waiting at the area to ambush the team. But due to some mistake, the unfortunate incident took place, it clarified. Expressing that it was not a case of giving capital punishment but a mistake on the part of the cadres, the UNLF appealed to the bereaved families of the victims to pardon the party. It also appealed to the people of the state not to succumb to the designs of Indian intelligence agencies to drive a wedge between them and the UNLF. The statement further said that necessary actions as per the policies of the outfit will be taken after getting the whole truth behind the incident and the action initiated by it will be announced. Sharing the grief and sorrow of the bereaved families, the UNLF has sought the permission of the bereaved families to donate something in the name of the victims as an act of atonement. If this is accepted, then UNLF will consider that it has been pardoned. In the meantime, a combined team of the Bishnupur district police and commandos have conducted a search operation at the site of the July 18 ambush on a CRPF party at Lamdan in Bishnupur district and recovered six bombs planted by the assailants. Police sources here said the police team recovered three bombs from the site at 10 am on Wednesday while three others were recovered at 10.30 am. The bombs include grenades, mortar bombs and Chinese-made bombs, police said, adding that all the six bombs were defused by the bomb experts. It may be mentioned here that four personnel of 112 Bn CRPF including one sub-inspector were killed in an ambush carried out by the armed cadres of the banned Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) on Tuesday morning at Lamdan. One CRPF personnel was also injured during the attack. After conducting post-mortem at the RIMS morgue, the dead bodies have been despatched for their respective hometowns.