Just days ahead of the 2024 assembly and parliamentary elections, the specter of NSCN militants casts a long shadow over the region. In a concerning turn of events on Tuesday evening, Sangam Wangsu, the Gram Parishad Chairperson (GPC) of Pumao and a member of the BJP, was reportedly abducted from his village by militants. The locals were notified, and efforts to locate Wangsu were initiated.
According to local sources, Wangsu returned home on Wednesday evening, raising questions about his whereabouts during the intervening period. However, details regarding the exact location where he was held captive and the identity of the group responsible for his abduction remain unclear.
This incident adds to the atmosphere of tension in the region, exacerbated by recent developments. Earlier, a letter purportedly issued by Peyong Wangsa, a self-styled major general of the NSCN (K-YA), surfaced. The letter, addressed to the Longkhao village council, urged residents to support NPP candidate Thangwang Wangham, sparking panic among voters.
"In the upcoming Indian general election under your esteemed constituency, all the people/voters in the village/town are mandatory to support Thangwang without fail. In this upcoming election, Thangwang must win the election. Henceforth, there will be strict action against anyone who doesn’t support him," the letter stated ominously.
However, NPP candidate Thangwang Wangham disavowed any association with the letter, asserting that he neither endorsed nor authorized its distribution.
"I want to make it unequivocally clear that I do not know about, nor have I given consent to, the creation or circulation of this letter. The content of the letter may have been their decision alone. I completely disown this letter and any potential consequences arising from it," Wangham said.
In light of these developments, Wangham appealed to voters in the 59-Longding-Pumao constituency to exercise their franchise independently, without succumbing to external pressures or influences.