Aizawl, Sept 21: Eight people, including a woman and two minors, were arrested in connection with the lynching of an Assam Regiment soldier in north Mizoram’s Kolasib district, on Monday. Kolasib Superintendent of Police Lalrinpuia Vartes said six of the arrested adults, all from the Hmar Veng locality of Kawnpui town, had been remanded in judicial custody.

The police are yet to decide on the appropriate course of action concerning the two minors. “Police were investigating the incident and more arrests could not be ruled out.

The post-mortem examination of Zakaria Lalhriattluanga has been completed,” the SP said. The 29-year-old soldier, Lalhriattluanga, was buried with full military honours on Monday.

He was allegedly attacked and killed by a group of youths near Bualpui village on Sunday evening while he was returning to his native New Builum village after availing leave from his posting in Jammu and Kashmir. He was travelling towards New Builum from Lengpui airport near Aizawl in a truck driven by a friend when the incident occurred near the Coffee Board’s coffee plantation area at Bualpui, along National Highway 306.

The incident reportedly followed an altercation between the drivers of two trucks over the poor condition of the road. The damaged stretch had made it difficult for the trucks to pass each other, leading to a heated argument between the drivers.

A group of youths, who were allegedly under the influence of alcohol, subsequently approached Lalhriattluanga and his friend. According to reports, there had been no exchange of words between the soldier and the youths before they approached them.

Lalhriattluanga was allegedly attacked while trying to intervene when the youths assaulted his friend, the truck driver. The village council and the Young Mizo Association (YMA) unit of Kawnpui Hmar Veng on Monday publicly tendered an unconditional apology to the people of New Builum and Mizoram over the incident.

In a statement, the two organisations condemned the violence allegedly committed by youths from the locality and said those responsible should face the harshest punishment under the law. The arrest of the eight accused comes as police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the soldier’s death, including the sequence of events and the roles of those arrested.