Assam Rifles seizes cache of illegal arms in Manipur

Imphal, Sep 20 (IANS) A day after two Assam Rifles personnel were killed and five others injured by an unidentified armed group in Manipur's Bishnupur district, the paramilitary force on Saturday recovered a significant number of illegal arms from Churachandpur district, officials said.

Defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Amit Shukla said that in a resolute counter-insurgency effort, Assam Rifles conducted a swift operation at G. Khonom village in Churachandpur district leading to the recovery of a significant cache of illegal arms.

Acting on credible intelligence, the operation was launched with precision to ensure minimal disruption to the local population, he added.

During the operation, security personnel recovered eight single-barreled 12-bore rifles, suspected to be intended for use by anti-national elements.

According to the spokesman, the seizure of these weapons represents a critical step in neutralising potential threats to peace and public safety in the region.

The operation was carried out by a coordinated team of troops whose disciplined approach and tactical efficiency ensured the mission's success without compromising civilian comfort or security.

This recovery adds to a series of proactive measures undertaken by Assam Rifles to dismantle networks that pose risks to civil harmony and regional stability.

Lieutenant Colonel Shukla said that the paramilitary force's continued vigilance and operational readiness reflect its dual commitment to maintaining law and order and supporting the welfare of the communities it serves.

Churachandpur and Bishnupur districts are two adjacent districts in southern Manipur.

Tribal-inhabited Churachandpur shares unfenced border with Myanmar and Mizoram.

Meanwhile, a police official in Imphal said that massive combing operations by the joint Central and state forces continued to nab the perpetrators of Friday's killing of two Assam Rifles personnel and injuring five others.

It is reported that a Maruti van, suspected to have been used by the armed attackers in the Nambol Sabal Leikai area ambush, was intercepted by the security forces during the search operation on Saturday.

Two Assam Rifles personnel, including a Naib-Subedar, were killed and five others injured when a group of unidentified armed cadres attacked a vehicle of the paramilitary force along the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2) in Bishnupur district's Nambol Sabal Leikai area.

A Defence spokesman said that a column of troops of Assam Rifles was moving from its Patsoi company operating base to Nambol company operating base when it was ambushed in the general area of Nambol Sabal Leikai by unidentified terrorists on the highway in the denotified area of Manipur.

In the ensuing action, two personnel of Assam Rifles were killed and five were injured.

The injured personnel are now under medical treatment at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal, the spokesman said, adding that they are currently stable.

The slain Assam Rifles personnel are Naib-Subedar Shyam Gurung (59) and Rifleman Ranjit Singh Kashyap (36).

Gurung hails from Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district while Kashyap is a resident of Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.

The Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958, (AFSPA) was earlier lifted from the Nambol Sabal Leikai area.

As of now, no militant group or organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack, the first major violent incident after the imposition of President's Rule in Manipur on February 13 this year.

--IANS

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