Two Assam Rifles personnel were killed on Monday after suspected militants launched a coordinated ambush involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and heavy gunfire in Manipur’s Ukhrul districtofficials said. Security forces have launched a search operation to trace those responsible for the attack.
The deceased were identified as Warrant Officer Balwant Singh and Rifleman C.M. Singhthe driver of the 40 Assam Rifles’ Shangshak Battalion. Both personnel were residents of Uttarakhand.
According to officials, the attack occurred at around 1:30 pm near Nungshangohong villageunder the jurisdiction of Ukhrul Police Stationapproximately 16 kilometres from Ukhrul town.
Preliminary investigations indicate that suspected militants planted three IEDs along both sides of a bridge on the convoy’s route. As the convoy crossed the area, two explosives detonatedtriggering heavy gunfire from multiple directions in what officials described as a coordinated attack.
Assam Rifles personnel immediately retaliated, resulting in 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.
The injured personnel were initially given first aid at the Assam Rifles camp in Shangshak before being shifted for advanced medical treatment. Officials later confirmed that both soldiers succumbed to their injuries.
In a separate statement, Manipur Police said operations are continuing to neutralise the militants involved in the attack. However, authorities have not yet identified or confirmed the armed group responsible for the ambush.
Condemning the attack, Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand said the government would take stringent action against those behind the killings.
“The 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,” the Chief Minister said while expressing condolences to the bereaved families.
The latest attack comes amid the continuing security challenges in Manipur, where ethnic violence that erupted between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in May 2023 has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced around 60,000 people. Although security operations have intensified in recent months, sporadic incidents of violence continue to be reported from several parts of the state.
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