IMPHAL, January 21: Four suspected underground cadres have been reportedly killed at Churachandpur district near the border pillar 43 at L Kanan village under Singhat Police station this morning around 2:45am during a gun fight.
Meanwhile, a PIB press statement has claimed that the Red Shield Division launched an extensive operation on January 21 in the border area of Churachandpur district killing four underground outfits while trying to infiltrate into Manipur from the international border.
According to a source, the gunfight reportedly took place between 39 Assam Rifles and a group of suspected UGs.The OC Singhat has however said that there is no acknowledgement of the gun fight from the Assam Rifles.
Meanwhile, sources have informed that the dead bodies of the UG suspects have been handed over to the Churachandpur police by the 39 Assam Rifles at around 5pm today. The AR team have also recovered two AK 47 rifles, two 9mm pistols, two hand grenades and ammunitions from the four, the source informed.
The UGs are suspected to be cadres of the UNLF, the AR said. Sources have also informed that preparations to shift the dead bodies from Churachandpur to the RIMS mortuary late at night have been taken up.
Meanwhile, a PIB press statement has said that based on reliable reports about intentions of militant outfits based in Myanmar to infiltrate into India to carry out Improvised Explosive Device attacks against the Security Forces and the local population, troops of the Red Shield Division launched an extensive operation on January 21 in the border area of Churachandpur District.
It said at about 3am in the morning, a group of cadres of the “UNLF/PLA group” attempted to infiltrate into Manipur across the international border. The group was intercepted by the SF and in a fierce firefight, the soldiers of the Red Shield Division shot dead four cadres, it claimed.
“Two AK-47 Rifles, two Pistols and large quantity of arms, ammunition and other stores were recovered from the site”, the statement said.
Incriminating documents found amongst the personal belongings revealed a dastardly plan to carry out extensive Improvised Explosive Device blasts in the area of Imphal, Bishenpur and Churachandpur in the days preceding the Republic Day Celebrations, the statement claimed.
Major General K K Sinha, Sena Medal, General Officer Commanding, Red Shield Division and Brigadier Advitya Madan, Commander Churachandpur visited the encounter site to meet the Commanding Officer Colonel Vineet Sharma and his team who undertook the operation, it said.