Five soldiers including the Commanding Officer of 46 Assam Rifles, and his two family members were killed in an attack on their convoy at Churachandpur in Manipur on Saturday.The incident occurred in Churachandpur district close to the Myanmar border.
“46 Assam Rifles convoy was attacked by militants near Sehken Village of Behiang in Churachandpur on Saturday,” read a statement.CO Col Viplav Tripathi, along with his wife and son were in the vehicle that was ambushed.
Describing it as a “cowardly” attack, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said its perpetrators will be brought to justice soon.
“The cowardly attack on an Assam Rifles convoy in Churachandpur, Manipur is extremely painful and condemnable. The nation has lost 5 brave soldiers including CO 46 AR and two family members,” he tweeted. “My condolences to the bereaved families. The perpetrators will be brought to justice soon,” Singh said. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the state forces and paramilitary troops are already on their job to track down the militants.”The perpetrators will be brought to justice,” the chief minister said on Twitter.
Strongly condemn the attack on the Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur. I pay homage to those soldiers and family members who have been martyred today. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of sadness. PM Narendra Modi
“Anguished over a cowardly attack on Assam Riffles convoy in Manipur. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. The entire nation stands firmly with our valiant security forces. The sacrifices of our brave soldiers will not go in vain,” said Home Minister Amit Shah.
PLA-MNF claim responsibility
Manipur-based People’s Liberation Army and the Manipur Naga People’s Front (MNPF) have claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in which a commanding officer of the Assam Rifles, his wife and son, besides four personnel of the country’s oldest paramilitary were killed on Saturday in a welter of IED blasts and a burst of gunfire in Manipur’s Churachandpur district.In a joint statement released Saturday evening, the groups said that the attack was ‘to protect our people’ and that they were revolting against the attempts to ‘suppress the rights of our land and the people’. The militants also claimed that they had not been aware of the army officer’s wife and son presence in the convoy.“We are not going to sit silently till we get our rights and our sovereignty,” they said.
