Tirong Aboh, Arunachal MLA gunned down by militants retains seat

Itanagar, May 24: Arunachal Pradesh MLA Tirong Aboh, who was killed near Bogapani in Tirap district by suspected NSCN militants won Khonsa Westassembly constituency by defeating his lone rival Phawang Lowang of the BJP by 1,055 votes.

Aboh, who was elected from the constituency during 2014 as a People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) candidate, though provided a succour to the NPP, who had set its foot in the state's electoral scene for the first time, but in a temporary manner as the Election Commission of India would soon announce the seat as vacant and would go for by-poll.

Aboh, who was seeking a re-election from the West Khonsa Assembly seat, was on his way to his constituency when suspected militants opened fire at his vehicle near Bogapani village in Tirap district. Ten others, including Aboh's son Longgem, were also killed in the ambush allegedly laid by an insurgent outfit active in the region.

This is not the first time that an NPP leader has been killed in Arunachal Pradesh. On March 29, NPP worker and Aboh's supporter Jaley Anna and his friend Kham Nai Abhi were shot at by an alleged NSCN-IM member at Kheti village in Tirap district. While Anna died on the spot, Abhi was admitted to the Dibrugarh Medical College Hospital in Assam.