Former Arunachal MLA Shot Dead By Suspected Militants Near Myanmar Border

The police initiated a manhunt for the perpetrator. While the SP refused to disclose on the identify of the militant, defence sources suggested that the NSCN-KYA was involved in the killing.

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A suspected militant on Saturday killed a former Arunachal Pradesh MLA in a hamlet in Tirap district where he had gone on personal business, officials said, news agency PTI reported. The incident happened at 3 p.m. near Raho village, close to the Myanmar border. Yumsen Matey, a former Congress member, and three of his followers had gone to the area for some personal business when he was taken to a jungle on some pretext and shot at, killing him on the spot, according to Tirap SP Rahul Gupta. 

"Ex-MLA from 56 Khonsa West constituency, Yumsen Matey was shot dead by unknown assailants in a jungle near Raho village in Lazu circle, close to the India-Myanmar border, at around 2 pm on Saturday. FIR has been registered in Lazu Police Station. Further details are awaited," Tirap District Police stated, ANI reported. 

Tirap, Arunachal Pradesh: Ex-MLA from 56 Khonsa West constituency, Yumsen Matey was shot dead by unknown assailants in a jungle near Raho village in Lazu circle, close to the India-Myanmar border, at around 2 pm on Saturday. FIR has been registered in Lazu Police Station. Further…

— ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2023

The police initiated a manhunt for the perpetrator. While the SP refused to disclose on the identify of the militant, defence sources suggested that the NSCN-KYA was involved in the killing.

Matey was elected to the 56th Khonsa West Assembly Constituency as a Congress MLA in 2009. He served as Parliamentary Secretary, managing the Departments of Women and Social Welfare, Social Justice, and Tribal Affairs.

He joined the BJP in 2015 and stated his intention to run in the 2024 assembly elections earlier this year.

He worked as a district adult education officer in Changlang district before entering politics.

According to government figures, 183 of the 239 insurgency-related deaths in the state have occurred in the Tirap-Changlang-Longding (TCL) region since March 2000.

(With Inputs From Agencies)