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2 Assam Rifles personnel killed, several hurt in ambush in Manipur’s Ukhrul
Manipur police in a separate statement issued on the same day said operations are underway to neutralise the militants
Two Assam Rifles personnel were killed on Monday in an ambush carried out by unknown armed persons in Manipur’s Ukhrul district, officials said.
Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand also condemned the act. “Government will not tolerate such brutal violence and will not remain a mute spectator to these atrocities. Culprits responsible for the murder will be arrested and punished as per the law of the land,” he said, while conveying his condolences to the bereaved families.
The deceased, identified as warrant officer Balwant Singh and Rifleman CM Singh, who was a driver of 40 Assam Rifles Shangshak battalion, were both residents of Uttarakhand, officers said. They were initially administered first aid at the Assam Rifles camp in Shangshak before being shifted for advanced medical treatment. Officials later confirmed that both succumbed to their injuries.
Also Read:Woman, daughter wounded; 3 houses set afire in ethnic violence-hit Manipur
According to officials, the incident occurred around 1.30pm at Nungshangohong village under Ukhrul police station limits, around 16km away from the district town.
Preliminary investigations indicated that suspected militants had planted three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along both sides of a bridge on the convoy’s route. As the convoy crossed the area, two of the IEDs exploded, followed by heavy gunfire from multiple directions. Officials described it as a “coordinated attack”.
Assam Rifles personnel retaliated, leading to an intense exchange of fire that lasted for nearly an hour. During the subsequent sanitisation and search operation, security forces recovered one unexploded IED from the site.
Manipur police, in a separate statement issued on the same day, said operations are underway to neutralise the militants.
However, it is yet to be confirmed which armed groups were responsible for and involved in the ambush.
The ethnic clashes in Manipur first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities before involving almost every community. The state’s Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities shut each other out from the areas they dominate since ethnic clashes began in May 2023 and left at least 260 people dead and displaced 60,000.
