Northeast Desk, 2nd March: Sikkim Police have apprehended six individuals in connection with the assault on former Sikkim Assembly Speaker KN Rai in Namchi district, as confirmed by an officer on Saturday.
Rai, a senior leader of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), along with party spokesperson SK Timshina, was attacked by unidentified assailants in Melli town on Friday afternoon. Rai was subsequently admitted to a private hospital in Siliguri, West Bengal, where doctors reported his condition as stable with an estimated recovery time of five to six days.
Pawan Kumar Chamling, president of the SDF and former chief minister, visited Rai in the hospital to express his support and wish him a speedy recovery. Chamling condemned Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, holding him responsible for the “prevalence of lawlessness” in Sikkim and demanded his resignation on moral grounds, attributing the attack on Rai to the governance style of the current administration.
Namchi district’s Superintendent of Police, Tshering Namgyal Gyatso, informed reporters that an intensive combing and search operation led to the arrest of six suspects: Laxman Rai, Jiten Rai, David Rai, Avan Tamang, Karan Tamang, and Saroj Thapa. They are charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including attempted murder, wrongful restraint, causing grievous harm with dangerous weapons, mischief causing damage, and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.
Interrogations are ongoing to ascertain the motive behind the assault, with an FIR filed at Melli police station by SDF functionary Dr. Shiva Prasad Timsina detailing the incident. According to the complaint, the accused individuals arrived in an SUV at Maji Gaon, assaulted Rai and others, and fled the scene.
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