Heavily armed rebels ambushed and killed six Indian paramilitary soldiers, including one Junior Commissioned Officer, on Sunday, 22nd May. This is the latest attack in India’s insurgency-wracked north-eastern region which borders Myanmar.
The security personnel was returning after inspecting a landslide site in the interior tribal district Chandel in Manipur when the insurgents ambushed and fired at a three-vehicle convoy.
The convoy was of 29 Assam Rifles. All six occupants of the front jeep were killed in the attack. The soldiers in the other two vehicles sped away and managed to escape the attack.
Apart from the casualties, the militants took off with one LMG, four AK 47s, and one Insas Rifle.
Chandel has been one of the most violent districts of Manipur, due to its shared border with Myanmar making it easy for militants to enter the country, attack and then escape across the border.
The region is infested with active militant groups that operate from both sides of the India-Myanmar border. The attack occurred on the Indian side, about 15 kilometers from the border.
In one of the same incidents in Manipur in June last year, the NSCN(K) rebels used rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons to ambush an Indian military convoy, killing 18 soldiers in the same area of the 6 Dogra Regiment.
The reason for the attack was the separatist groups’ accusations on Indian government regarding the exploitation of the region’s rich natural resources while neglecting local development. However, the motive behind this attack so far remains unclear.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh directed the security forces to take “strongest possible action” against the militants involved in the killing of the 6 Assam Rifles personnel including a JCO.
Reinforcements have been rushed to the scene of the ambush and a massive combing operation is under way.
The martyrs are Subedar BK Sharma from Himachal Pradesh, Hav Surjeet Barla from Jharkhand, Rifleman Mahesh Gurung from Uttrakhand, Rifleman AK Pandey from Bihar, Rifleman Pawan Kumar from J&K and Rifleman Bhupinder Singh from Himachal Pradesh.
The mortal remains of the martyrs are being flown to their hometowns by a team of Assam Rifles personnel.
