Manipur: In a brazen act of violence in an AFSPA denotified area of Manipur, unidentified miscreants attacked a column of Assam Rifles troops moving in vehicles through a built-up area at around 05:50 PM on 19 September 2025. The vehicle-based column of troops of an Assam Rifles unit was moving on National Highway 2 in the general area, Nambol Sabal Leikai, in Bish nupur District of Manipur, which is an AFSPA denotified area, during hours of darkness. The column came under unprovoked automatic weapons fire from unidentified terrorists on the highway.
In the ensuing action, two soldiers of Assam Rifles lost their lives and five were injured, who have since been evacuated to RIMS and are currently stable. The two martyred include: Nb Sub (GD) Shy am Gurung and Rfn (GD) Ranjeet Singh Kashyap. As of now, no group has claimed responsibility.
Search operations are on-going to eliminate the terrorists involved in the incident. A day after two Assam Rifles personnel were killed in an ambush at Nambol Sabal Leikai in Bishnupur district, residents of the area staged protests on Saturday morning, condemning the brutal attack.
The brutal ambush of an Assam Rifles convoy at Nambol Sabal Leikai in Bishnupur district on September 19 has triggered widespread outrage and condemnation from both Meitei and Kuki communities.
Wearing traditional mourning attire, locals gathered near the ambush site, raising slogans and holding placards denouncing the violence for “creating fear and panic among the public.” Women later led a protest rally, voicing outrage over the firing in a crowded area and demanding an end to such assaults on security forces.
The Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United Peoples Front (UPF), the umbrella bodies of Kuki-Zo militant groups currently under Suspension of Operations (SoO) with the Governments of India and Manipur, have strongly condemned the deadly attack. The ambush, which took place barely 18 km from the state capital, claimed the lives of two Assam Rifles personnel and left five others critically injured. The Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills (KISH), apex body of the Kuki tribes in Kangpokpi, expressed profound grief and saluted the fallen soldiers. “Their supreme sacrifice shall never be forgotten. They stood as guardians of peace, laying down their lives in the service of the nation and its people,” the Inpi said.
Calling the ambush a “grave assault on peace, humanity, and the very spirit of our nation,” the Inpi urged swift and decisive action from the authorities. It also prayed for the injured, describing them as the “living flame of our people’s hope and the shield that protects our land.”
The Zou Sangnaupang Pawlpi (ZSP), General Headquarters, denounced the “despicable ambush” and called for public solidarity. On September 20, a large crowd joined a march from Lamka Public Ground to Peace Ground, Tuibuang, culminating in a candlelight vigil to honour Nb Subedar Shyam Gurung and Rifleman Ranjit Singh Kashyap. This comes at a time when Manipur has seen massive security operations in both the valley and hill areas, leading to an improved situation.
Along with the security operations, a tripartite meeting among representatives of MHA, Government of Manipur, and Kuki National Organisation/ KNO and United People’s Front/UPF was also held at New Delhi. The meeting concluded with the signing of a tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement on re-negotiated terms and conditions (ground rules) to be effective from the day of signing of the Agreement for a period of one year.
The ambush has brought the security issue back to the forefront, as Manipur has seen violence after a period of relative calm.
