S Moangkaba Ozukum, National People’s Party candidate for 24 Angetyongpang Assembly Constituency in Mokokchung district, claimed that the shots fired in Yimsemyong area on 23 February were blank shots fired by his bodyguard to take him to safety.

Yesterday, the supporters of NDPP candidate from the constituency, Tongpang Ozukum, had alleged Moangkaba’s supporters of ambush and “attempt to kill the occupant” and had filed an FIR at Mokokchung Police Station-1.

At a press conference, the NPP candidate condemned the incident and the allegations where he and his supporters are presented as “the attackers” and said that it was not as speculated.

Read more: Nagaland Polls: Supporters of candidate from Mokokchung alleges ambush, fired upon

Moangkaba claimed that on Thursday morning, he had left for Mokokchung town from his village Mongsenyimti for some official works. He had knowledge that his supporters had been asked to leave Mongsenyimti village which he took lightly, but upon reaching Mokokchung, he got the information that his people were leaving so he rushed back with just one car and his two allotted bodyguards.

On his way to Mongsenyimti, he came across a good number of his supporters as well as the opposition candidate’s supporters in Yimsemyong area.

“I went down to the other side to Imkongtemjen, leader of the NDPP party, where we had a very cordial talk and told them to part our ways respectively,” he stated.

“From my village, Mongsenyimti to Yimsemyong is about 4 kms, they have came up all the way to that area chasing my supporters”, Moangkaba said.

“My supporters were stopped and arguments were going on, when I reached the spot”, he claimed.

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The NPP candidate said that his discussion with the opposite party leader “was coming to an understanding”, but verbal exchanges continued from both sides. At that time, “a man named Akumwapang from the opposite party came straight and assaulted my supporters which let to physical assaults between the two parties… during this commotion stone pelting started,” he told the media persons.

Moangkaba said that it was during the commotion that one of his bodyguards fired blank shots in the air for safety reasons and during that few seconds after shots were fired, both sides dispersed, and the bodyguard took him out of the safe spot since he was in the middle of the confrontation.

“To protect me, this is what my bodyguard did,” he clarified.

The candidate further said that had it not been for his bodyguard, he would have been seriously injured as he was in the middle of the melee with stones being pelted from both directions.

“My bodyguard said around six blank shots were shot in the air,” Moangkaba replied when asked how many blank shots were fired.

S Moangkaba Ozukum suggested that the gypsy might have got damaged during the stone pelting and not as suggested.

Later, on the way to Mokokchung we met some observers at Longkong Junction and narrated what had happened and the same statement was also given to SP Mokokchung, he added.

Furthermore, the NPP candidate stated, “The car was not an accident but toppled. The gypsy might have got damaged during the stone pelting,” while referring to the pictures and videos circulating in the social media.

In the FIR filed by the NDPP supporters, the eye witness had claimed that the car met with accident when “the attackers” were fleeing the spot.

“My supporters were made to leave the village and they were on their way, so why did the opposite party came so far from the village to that area, so it is very clear from the incident that what they are saying is complete wrong,” he maintained.