New Delhi:

The leader of a Myanmar-based militant group was among five people who were arrested by the Mizoram Police in what they said was one of the largest arms bust in the northeast state.

The weapons were for trade between the Myanmar-based militant group Chin National Front (CNF) and the United People’s Democratic Front, a militant group active in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The police in a statement said the operation highlighted the transnational character of arms smuggling in the region.

“Five accused have been arrested in connection with this arms seizure. Among those detained is a notable leader of the Chin National Front (CNF), an insurgent group based in Myanmar. The arrest of such a high-profile individual is a significant achievement in counter-insurgency operations in the state of Mizoram,” the state police said in the statement.

“This operation highlights the transnational character of illegal arms dealings and emphasises the ongoing threats to regional stability… With this catch, a serious threat to regional peace and stability has been neutralised,” the police said.

The operation was carried out “in partnership with a sister intelligence agency”, the police said. The weapons seized from the outskirts of Saithah village in Mamit district included six AK series assault rifles, over 10,000 rounds and 13 magazines.

A case has been filed.

In September 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) searched two locations in Mizoram’s Aizawl in a case linked to the recovery of 2,400 kg of explosives, including 1,000 detonators and 4,500 metres of fuse wires. During the searches, incriminating material including mobile phones and bank documents were seized from the premises of the suspects.

Investigation found the explosives were to be sent to Myanmar-based militant group Chin National Front (CNF).

Mizoram is one of the states in the northeast that shares a border with Myanmar and Bangladesh. With ethnic rebels fighting the junta in Myanmar, over 40,000 refugees have taken shelter in Mizoram. The local population on both sides of the border has ethnic affiliations.

Guwahati:

The Mizoram police on Wednesday said seven people have been arrested for allegedly beating a man to death last week near Aizawl over allegations of stealing money.

The accused were part of a village defence party (VDP) in Tuirial Airfield area, around 18 km east of Aizawl. The victim’s mother, Nunthangmawii, has alleged that the VDP members took her son,  David Lalmuanpuia, from their home around 8 pm after receiving a complaint from the pastor, who claimed that Rs 26,000 had been stolen from his quarters while he was at church on December 18.

The victim, a daily wage labourer, and his friend Lalduhsaka, said the police, were detained by the local vigilantes on suspicion of stealing money from a pastor’s quarters.

David’s death has sparked public outrage, with many demanding stringent punishment for those involved and blaming the pastor for allegedly failing to respond to Nunthangmawii’s plea.

The victim’s mother alleged that the vigilantes interrogated her son for several hours and beat him mercilessly, leading to his death. Despite pleading for mercy and even approaching the pastor to intervene, Nunthangmawii claimed that no one listened to her.

“They were brutally beating my son with a water pipe. Even when I begged the VDPs to stop, they did not listen to us,” Nunthangmawii said.

“We had even gone to the pastor to ask for his forgiveness, but he did not comply. The pastor told us that he had reported his son and the friend to the VDP and that whatever action they are taking is out of his hands,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Environment and Social Justice (CESJ) has demanded that the Mizoram Police Act, 2011, under which the Village Defence Party (VDP) was formed, be amended to prevent community policing outside the boundaries of the law.