Kohima, Nov 12: Senior Nagaland legislator and veteran political leader Imkong L. Imchen died on Tuesday at a private hospital in Guwahati, Assam, following a brief illness. He was 75.
Family members stated that Imchen was admitted to the Naga Hospital Authority in Kohima on Saturday due to health complications and was airlifted to Guwahati on Monday for advanced treatment.
A five-time MLA from the Koridang constituency, Imchen was serving as an advisor to the Information & Public Relations and Soil & Water Conservation departments. His political career spanned over three decades.
Imchen began his political journey in 1989 as general secretary of the Mokokchung District Congress Committee and later became working president of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee. He was first elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly in 2003 as an Independent candidate and subsequently won four more terms — three with the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and the latest in 2023 as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate.
He also served as general secretary of the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) from 1983 to 1985 and as president of Ao Senden, the apex body of the Ao community.
Nagaland Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla paid tribute to Imchen, calling him a “sincere and dedicated leader.” He expressed condolences, saying, “On behalf of the people of Nagaland and on my own behalf, I convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved family. May the Almighty grant them strength and solace in this hour of grief.”
The Government of Nagaland will accord a state funeral at 9:30 am on Wednesday at his official residence in Kohima. The mortal remains will then be taken to Mangmetong Village in Mokokchung, where the final rites will be performed on Thursday. The funeral will be live-streamed on the official YouTube channel of DIPR Nagaland.
Tributes have been pouring in from ministers, MLAs, political parties, and organizations including the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee, Ao Senden, Kohima Press Club, and the NSF, which remembered him as a “towering figure” dedicated to the welfare of the Naga people.
