Assam Rifles vehicle after an ambush in Nambol Sabal area last month
NEW DELHI: Intelligence agencies suspect that last month’s attack on an Assam Rifles convoy in Nambol, Manipur, may have been a politically motivated “contract killing.” Officials, quoted by PTI, say it could have been aimed at destabilising the state’s fragile situation, undermining President’s rule.Officials alleged that certain vested interests could be seeking to weaken President’s rule, which has helped curb severe ethnic violence in the state. According to them, these groups are promoting the view that the present administration is ineffective and pushing for the immediate reinstatement of the suspended state assembly. The attack, which killed two Assam Rifles personnel on September 19, was unusual as the PLA, a banned valley-based insurgent group, did not claim responsibility—breaking its 48-year tradition of owning operations. PTI Sources indicate the PLA leadership may have been unaware of or had not sanctioned the assault. In a major crackdown following the attack, security forces arrested 15 PLA members, including key suspects Thoungram Sadananda Singh alias Purakpa (18) and Khomdram Ojit Singh alias Keilal (47), within 72 hours of the incident. Authorities recovered six weapons likely stolen from a police armoury during earlier ethnic clashes and a van believed to have been used in the ambush. The Nambol attack, carried out in Sabal Leikai where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is not in force, marked the first assault on central forces since the outbreak of ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos in May 2023. Naib Subedar Shyam Gurung and Rifleman Ranjit Singh Kashyap were killed when their vehicle was attacked en route from Patsoi to the Nambol base. Officials are also probing potential political support for the PLA, particularly following the UNLF’s recent announcement to cease hostilities and join the Union Home Ministry’s Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement. Analysts warn that disaffected members of PLA, UNLF, KYKL, and PREPAK could exploit the ceasefire to target civilians. Thoungram Sadananda Singh had previously been with the UNLF before transferring to the PLA. The PLA, originally known as ‘Polei’, seeks Manipur’s independence and a separate Meitei homeland in the Imphal Valley. Other insurgent groups, including KYKL, PREPAK, and KCP, maintain significant presence in the valley and along the India-Myanmar border. Manipur has witnessed sustained ethnic tensions since May 2023, resulting in over 260 deaths and nearly 50,000 displaced, driven by disputes over land rights and political representation.
