Two Jawans Killed in Manipur Ambush

April 01, 2015: Two Assam Rifles personnel and one suspected cadre of an underground outfit died and one AR personnel was injured in an encounter at a place between Kamjong and Kongkan villages under Chassad police station of Kamjong sub-division in Ukhrul district on Tuesday morning.

According to a reliable source, a foot patrol team of 44 Assam Rifles, who were on road opening duty, came under attack at around 5.30 am. The suspected militants exploded an IED before they rained bullets on the troops killing two AR personnel on the spot and injuring one personnel. The AR soldiers immediately retaliated and the two sides exchanged fire for about an hour. Later, the suspected UG cadres managed to escape into the thick jungle. After the encounter, the troops recovered the bullet riddled body of a suspected militant from a nearby jungle while the injured AR personnel was evacuated to Leimakhong military hospital by an army helicopter.

The encounter site is located 3 kms from Kamjong block headquarters and about 100 kms away from Ukhrul district headquarters. The injured AR man has been identified as Rifleman GD Shastra and the two deceased personnel as Havildar NK Dolly and Havildar BN Kshetri. A team of Chassad police station rushed to the area and took up a case in connection with the incident. A search operation was still going on at the area at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Eastern Area Tangkhul Villages Association, a joint body of 64 villages, W Shimray strongly condemned the incident, which according to him had disturbed the peaceful atmosphere of the border villages. He also appealed to the armed groups/militants to restrain from violence. He further said that border villages have been reeling under different forms of hardships because of the consistent occurrence of violent incidents.

He said that villagers are living in panic and their free movement and normal life and activities are paralysed due to these violent incidents. Kongkan villagers are also facing the inconvenience of frequent break down of phone connection due to these incidents. However, the State Government has failed to look into the hardships being faced by the villagers, he added.