Assam Rifles Ambush Prime Accused Nabbed; Huge Cache Of Weapons Seized

Imphal: The prime accused in the September 19 ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur has been arrested. A large cache of arms and ammunition were also seized, the police said.

The ambush took place in the evening when the convoy, carrying personnel of the 33 Bn Assam Rifles, was moving towards Bishnupur from Imphal. Two soldiers were killed and five others injured in the attack that took place at a location that is not covered by the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

According to the police, the arrested man has confessed that he led the attack on the paramilitary force convoy. He also admitted that he is a member of the banned People’s Liberation Army (PLA), a valley-based militant outfit comprising Meiteis.

“On receipt of specific information about the presence of armed militants in the Kameng area, a team of district police Imphal West, Bishnupur, 33 AR and other security forces launched a special operation on September 24 at about 1 am. During the operation, one person, namely Khomdram Ojit Singh @ Keilal (47), was apprehended… He admitted he is a bailed-out member of the PLA… He was directly involved in the ambush,” Manipur DGP Rajiv Singh said in a statement.

The vehicle used by the militants had been seized earlier and two persons were detained on Saturday. The silver-blue coloured van was found at Mutum Yangbi in Imphal West district, around 10 km from the ambush site in the Nambol Sabal Leikai area.

The two jawans killed in the ambush were identified as Naib Subedar Shyam Gurung from Meghalaya and Rifleman Ranjit Singh Kashyap from Madhya Pradesh. This was the first targeted attack on the Assam Rifles since ethnic violence erupted in Manipur in March 2023.

Since the Assam Rifles operate primarily in the hill districts, the valley-based Meiteis often accuse the force of being partisan and partial towards the Kuki-Zo community.