Cop turns killer: Commuter succumbs to gun shot injuries in Dimapur

EMN DIMAPUR, AUGUST 23 A disturbing scene – with the potential to spread shock and fear across Nagaland – unfolded on Saturday evening at Rail Bazaar area in Dimapur when the “commander” of an IRB patrol party opened fire on a moving auto-rickshaw, killing one of the three passengers and injuring the driver in the process. Eyewitness accounts suggested that the IRB men, of the 13 NAP (IR), while on duty along the Rail Bazaar area had motioned the auto-rickshaw to stop. It has been learnt that the vehicle was without any registration. When the vehicle did stop, reportedly, the patrol commander, identified as Hav. Samzai Zeliang, opened fire. While a Dimapur police statement said that only a “single shot” was fired from his service weapon, eyewitness account on Sunday morning suggested that around five rounds of AK rifles were fired. Also, the probability of a single shot killing one of the passengers as well as wounding the driver at the same time seems highly unlikely. According to the police account, the driver, one Mitlesh Sahu (31 yrs) received bullet injury in the right shoulder, while one among the three passengers identified as Dipanker Dey (22 yrs), received bullet injury in the chest and suspected splinter injuries in the shoulder and the neck. Both injured persons were immediately rushed to the District Hospital, Dimapur, where the latter succumbed to the bullet injuries. The erring IRB personnel identified was immediately arrested and his service weapon seized, police informed. An FIR has also been lodged by the victim’s family at sub-urban police station. Meanwhile, Dimapur Police has regretted the incident and assured appropriate action against the erring personnel. The Public Relations Officer of Dimapur police on Sunday termed the incident as a case of stray incident involving a personnel who acted beyond the standard operating procedure, where application of such actions were uncalled for. It added that neither the police department nor the Dimapur police approved of such action and that the matter would be treated as criminal in nature.