Our Correspondent
Kohima, Dec. 17 (EMN): In an unfortunate turn of event over the Kezoltsa-Dzukou (Koziirii-Dziiko by Mao people) land dispute, a Manipur-bound truck, reportedly belonging to a person from Tungam Khullen, a Poumai village in Senapati district, was set ablaze at Viswema in the early hours of Saturday.
The sand-laden truck bearing registration number NL01Q 4710 was burnt down around 12:20- 01:30 am on December 17 at Viswema in Kohima district.
Reliable sources from Nagaland Police confirmed the same to Eastern Mirror on Saturday.
The incident came amid Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO) prohibiting the Mao people from travelling or entering the Southern Angami area with effect from December 15 till the Tenyimi People’s Organisation (TPO)’s Board of Arbitration (BoA) resolve the Kezoltsa issue.
Sources said that when the volunteers manning the vehicular movement in the Southern Angami area asked about the ownership of the truck, the driver, a Nepali, told them that it first belong to one P Hesso Mao but was later sold to S Thonii, a resident of Tungam Khullen village, P.O Tadubi, Senapati district in Manipur.
A copy of the sale deed dated December 14, 2019, which is available with this newspaper, also confirmed that the vehicle had been sold to S Thonii.
It was informed that the driver of the truck alerted the police about the incident only after reaching Khuzama side in another vehicle. But when the police personnel reached the scene and fire tenders were pressed into action, the vehicle was already burnt.
Sources informed that police were deployed at Khuzama, Jakhama and other strategic locations. It added that additional police personnel had been deployed following the unfortunate incident.
A case has been registered under Khuzama Police Station in connection with the Saturday incident.
A reliable source also informed this newspaper that the District Administration, Police and representatives of the Southern Angami leaders had a meeting on December 16 at Jakhama SDO headquarters, where the government agencies appealed to the civil societies to abstain from taking stringent measures and wait for the verdict of TPO’s Board of Arbitration which is scheduled to be announced on December 19, and was agreed.