HNA declares fatwa on rival group leaders

Aizawl, Oct 9 (UNI) The Hmar National Army(HNA) today served a fatwa on high level leaders of its rival group Hmar People's Convention (HPC-Democratic), for violating a cooling period agreement signed between them on March 6.

The HPC(D) violated the cooling period agreement by killing six HNA members on March 6, following which the HNA declared war on the rival faction.

''Now, we are going to change the course of war and we will capture HPC(D) president Lalhmingthanga and his army chief Lalropuia, either dead or alive, by this year end,'' the HNA said in a statement.

In the statement, HNA secretary L N Thara said, ''We will offer rewards to them if needed. It also accused the two leaders of having masterminded the killing of the HMAR men.

The statement held, ''The HPC(D) men cold-bloodedly killed two Hmar youths Lalropuia and Valtea, both residents of Khawlian village in Mizoram bordering Manipur on the night of September 28,'' the statement held.

Meanwhile, police sources here said Mizoram Police CID(SB) officials acted on a tip-off and seized a pistol and remote controlled bomb devices from suspected HPC(D) members yesterday from an undisclosed location here. The seized items included 20 sticks of gelatin, a .32 Chinese-made pistol and six rounds of ammunition, three detonators, half-a-kg nails and two mobile phones.

Two people had been detained in this connection.

UNI