Mizoram Armed Police Havildar shoots two colleagues to death; arrested

The Havildar, allegedly drunk, got involved in an argument with two of his colleagues and opened fire on them with an AK47 rifle

A Havildar of the Mizoram Armed Police Batallion allegedly shot his two colleagues to death following an argument on Sunday evening, an official said.

The Havildar attempted to flee after the crime but he was arrested. (Representative Image)

The incident took place near Assam-Mizoram border at around 7.30pm on Sunday. The armed police personnel got involved in an argument at a petrol pump near Mizoram Armed Police’s 2nd Batallion camp in Kolasib district.

The accused Havildar has been identified as 51-year-old Bimal Kanti Chakma, who was arrested immediately after the incident.

According to people familiar with the matter, Chakma was drunk and he got involved in an argument with two of his colleagues. At one point, he opened fire on them with an AK47 rifle causing grievous injuries to them.

The two deceased Havildars of 2nd Batallion Mizoram Armed Police were identified as Indra Kumar Rai (43) and J. Lalrohlua (51).

Both of them sustained severe injuries following the firing and Rai died before reaching the hospital. Lalrohlua was also declared dead by the doctors within an hour, an official said.

Lalrohlua was a resident of Mizoram’s Lawngtlai town while Rai used to live in Lunglei. Their bodies were taken for post mortem, police said.

Local police are investigating the matter further but they didn’t comment on the issue. HT tried to talk to the superintendent of police of Kolasib district, Vanlalfaka and other officials. But they preferred not to make any comment.

The areas near Assam-Mizoram border are sensitive and in July 2021, six Assam police personnel died after a face-off between the Assam and Mizoram police. Later, locals in Assam’s side blocked the National Highway 306 (which connects both the states) for 12 days.

After the Sunday night incident, police from both the states stopped vehicle movements from their sides for a while. However, it was restored later.

Officials said that they were concerned about the spread of misinformation on social media, which according to them, could lead to further violence.