A supporter of the National People’s Party (NPP) was allegedly shot dead by an NSCN (IM) member during an election rally in Arunachal Pradesh.
As per reports, the member of the outfit also attacked another man in which he was critically injured.
The incident happened at Kheti village in Tirap district of the state around 10 last night.
The deceased NPP worker has been identified as Jaley Anna and the injured man has been identified as Kham Nai Abhi, who was a friend of Anna.
The NSCN (IM) member has been identified as Eli Kethak, a resident of Kheti village.
According to information, Anna was a supporter of the NPP candidate Tirong Aboh, who is contesting from the Khonsa West Assembly constituency in the State.
While the NPP worker died on the spot after being shot, Kham Nai Abhi has been undergoing treatment at the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) at Dibrugarh.
A number of poll related violent incidents have been reported from various parts of the Northeast.
During the Nagaland Assembly elections last year, one person was killed and three others were injured in a clash between supporters of the ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF) and BJP in the Akuluto constituency of Zunheboto district in the State.
It may be mentioned that a watchdog group, in a first-of-its-kind, has been launched to map poll-related violence in the north-eastern States in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.
In Arunachal Pradesh, both Lok Sabha and Assembly polls will be simultaneously held in the first phase on April 11, 2019.
Accoeding to media reports, the Social Actions for New Alternatives (SANA) promotes ‘clean elections’ in India and electoral violence mapping is a part of its campaign, said Bidhayak Das, executive director of SANA, recently.
Das reportedly said: “The SANA will address the need for electoral reforms in India, particularly in the states inhabited by large indigenous population, generally isolated from the development process.”