CEM, Deputy killed, CM summoned

Haflong, Jun 4 (UNI) Suspected rebels of the DHD (Jewel Garlosa faction) today trapped and gunned down Chief Executive Member (CEM) of North Cachar Hills Autonomous District Council (NCHADC) Purnendu Langthasa along with Executive Member Nindu Langthasa.

Official sources said the militants invited the council head, Purnendu Langthasa, and the other Executive Member of the council for ''discussion'' at Longei Basti near Umrangso police station and shot them dead.

Two of their PSOs were also critically injured in the firing.

Both had gone to make a deal with the underground Garlosa faction of the DHD militants as the District Council is going to poll on June 12. The incident has shaken both the district council and the state government.

This evening Asom Governor Lt Gen Ajay Sinha summoned Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and demanded to know how the CEM could be shot so easily by the militants, a Raj Bhwan source informed. He also condemned the incident and tomorrow morning would be flying to the spot where he was killed.

Asom Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi also today reviewed the situation in the NC Hills following the killing and condemned the incident. This is the biggest political killings at the hand of militants since the death of former Asom Minister Nagen Sharma in 2000.

Purnendu Langthasa is the eldest son of former Asom cabinet minister and senior most Congress MLA Gobinda Chandra Langthasa. His another son was also killed by militants two years back.

Significantly, the elder brother of DHD head Jewel Garlosa is contesting the same election as a Congress candidate would have been a potential rival to Mr. Langthasa for the top job of the district council. The Dilip Nunisa faction of the DHD has condemned the incident.

Meanwhile, the entire Haflong town, the district headquarters, was shut down after the incident, while the police have launched a major combing operation to track the militants.

UNI