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Guwahati: An Assam Rifles (AR) solider opened fire at his colleagues before shooting himself. The incident that took place near the Indo-Myanmar border in South Manipur left six soldiers injured. The wounded jawans were then taken to a military hospital in Churavhandpur.
Details Of The Incident
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning within the premises of the AR battalion. The AR soldier, Kuki, who succumbed to his injuries hailed from the violence-hit state’s Churachandpur. While the victims of the incident were neither Meities nor did they belong to Manipur.
AR Rifles Issues Statement
Assam Rifles issued a statement in this regard, stating, “There has been an incident of firing by an Assam Rifles Jawan in an Assam Rifles Battalion deployed close to the Indo-Myanmar border in South Manipur. One Assam Rifles Jawan opened fire on his colleagues injuring six of them (all injured are non-Manipuris); later the individual shot himself. All injured have been evacuated to Military Hospital for further treatment and reported to be stable”.
Besides sharing the details of the tragic incident, the statement further mentioned that the ongoing conflict in the state and the incident were unrelated.
Furthermore, the statement added, “All Assam Rifles battalions have a mixed class composition including those belonging to various communities from Manipur. All personnel have been staying and operating together despite polarization of society to maintain peace and stability in Manipur”.
The matter is currently under investigation. The authorities underscored that the motive behind the shooting is yet to be ascertained.
Other Incidents In Manipur
The incident comes a week after five civilians from the Meitei community were killed. In a separate incident that occurred around the same time, four Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were injured in Manipur.
According to State Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh, there may be chances of the involvement of Myanmar-based militants. However, there is no proof of it yet.
Also Read: ‘Assam CM Himanta Sarma Is Nation’s Most Corrupt Politician’: Rahul Gandhi
