Two Assam Rifles jawans were killed and at least three were injured when a group of armed men attacked a vehicle of the paramilitary force in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Friday.
The incident took place in the district's Nambol Sabal Leikai area around 6 pm. The jawans were travelling in a 407 Tata vehicle from Imphal when the attack took place, say media reports.
Defence Ministry PRO & Spokesperson (Manipur, Nagaland, and Southern Arunachal Pradesh) stated that the incident occurred around 5:50 pm. "...A vehicle-based column of an Assam Rifles unit, was moving on NH-2, during hours of darkness through the built-up area of Nambol Sabal Leikai in Bishnupur district of Manipur. The column was ambushed by unidentified terrorists on the Highway, in the denotified area," he said.
"In the ensuing action, two personnel of the Assam Rifles are martyred and five are injured. The injured have been evacuated to RIMS, Imphal and are currently stable. As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the incident. Search operations have been launched to nab the terrorists responsible for the incident," added the spokesperson.
The injured have been taken to a hospital by the police and locals. The area has been cordoned off for further investigation.
Condemning the attack, former Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh said he is deeply shaken to hear about the ambush on our brave 33 Assam Rifles personnel.
"My deepest condolences to the families of the fallen and prayers for the quick recovery of the injured. Their courage and sacrifice will remain in our hearts forever. The perpetrators of this heinous crime must face the harshest punishment," he said in a social media post.
