Suspected PLA cadres Ambush AR Patrol in Tengnoupal district; Kuki Inpi condemns coward attack

Three days after the Ministry of Home Affairs had extended a ‘ban’ on nine Meitei militant outfits, suspected cadres belonging to the People's Liberation Army (PLA), one of the banned outfits, have carried out ambush on the 20 Assam Rifles personnel in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district on Thursday.

The Assam Rifles patrol was targeted in an attempted improvised explosive device (IED). However, none of the personnel – around 10 – in the targeted vehicle were injured in the blast, officials said.

The incident took place at around 8.15 am in the general area of Saibol in Tengnoupal district, an area with a mixed population of different communities. An Assam Rifles official stated that the attack had been carried out by “unidentified insurgents”.

A patrol of the 20 Assam Rifles Battalion from the company operating base in Saibol was out on a routine area domination patrol that had begun early Thursday morning when the incident took place.

“At around 8-8.15 am, a group of unidentified insurgents attempted to attack the patrol while it was moving in a mine-protected vehicle, and there was an IED blast. There were also bursts of firing. The Assam Rifles personnel retaliated immediately,” said the official.

Meanwhile, the Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal (KIT) district vehemently condemned the attack on 20 Assam Rifles by suspected valley-based insurgency groups (VBIGs) in Kuk-Zo areas in Manipur's Tengnoupal District.

The suspected banned Meitei militants ambushed a troop of 20 Assam Rifles by planting and exploding two powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Saibol area of Tengnoupal district on Thursday morning. The militants also opened fire on the Assam Rifles following which the AR retaliated. Fortunately, none of the AR personnel were injured in the incident.

The incident came three days after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared several Meitei extremist groups, based in Myanmar, as outlawed organisations under UAPA.

In its press condemnation on Thursday, the Kuki top body of the district mentioned that an Indian Aadhaar Card of one Moirangthem Premananda was among the items seized by anti-junta democratic forces when they captured the camps of the combined forces of Junta Army and Meitei extremists in Tamu District, Myanmar. "Taking advantage of the porous border, these Meitei terrorist groups had been carrying out their terror activities on Assam Rifles and Kuki-Zo civilians," it alleged.

While the attack was suspected to be the handiwork of the Meitei militants, several Imphal- based Meitei medias had implicated an SoO group - UKLF over the incident. However, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), one of the banned Meitei secessionist group, has claimed responsiblity in its social media post.

The Kuki body said that the Myanmar based Meitei terror groups, who have been declared as "outlawed" by MHA, should stop such activities in Kuki-Zo areas. "If they have the guts to challenge the Indian government, let them do so in their valley areas," it said, alleging that several Meitei media houses which often implicated the Kuki-Zo community in such incidents were nothing but a media house without media ethics and a mouthpiece of terrorist groups.

The Kuki Inpi also stated that attacking the Indian security forces in Kuki-Zo areas and then blaming and implicating the Kuki insurgent groups under 'Suspension of Operation' clearly showed the intention of the Meitei terrorists and Meitei media to create rift between Assam Rifles and Kuki-Zo community and to derail the SoO agreement.

Stressing that such attacks on central security forces performing their duty must be put down with a firm hand, the Kuki Inpi Tengnoupal district called upon all authorities concerned to work in a close concerted effort to bring the assailants of the coward attack to justice.