The Assam Rifles (AR) has today refuted the reports published in various newspapers today indicating that the AR was not guarding the NH-102 and did not respond to distress calls of the police personnel as “false and mischievous.”
A statement issued by the PRO IGAR (S), clarified that the ambush site was three km away from Lokchao post and eight km from Khongkhan post on NH-102.
There was no ROP operation planned on the road from Tengnoupal to Moreh on December 14 and 15, it said adding that road opening and convoy protection is a specialized operation which is planned considering the requirement and is time specific to avoid routine setting in.
It claimed that the “complete ambush” was over in three to five minutes and time frame considering the distance.
Besides sanitization, domination and search of the area, an ambulance was provided to evacuate injured police personnel by AR immediately, it said adding the injured police personnel were administered first aid at Tengnoupal post before moving them to Imphal for further treatment.
The AR has always stood besides the state administration and operated in close coordination with state police.
Such allegations and fabricated reports are “engineered” by “inimical forces” to create disturbance and malaise in the environment. Both the security forces and the police have been working tirelessly to maintain peace in the state, the release said.
Source: Imphal Free Press
