AR officer, 3 troops die in Manipur ambush

Imphal, February 21: Four Assam Rifles personnel, including the captain commanding the 7th AR post at Yairipok, were killed and at least three others, including a major injury in an ambush carried out by cadres of the underground UNLF last night at around 7.00 pm near Yairipok?s Top Chingtha. The AR team was ambushed while returning from the site of the earlier attack yesterday by suspected Kuki militants on a polling party in the Maphou dam area yesterday in which two polling personnel were killed. Sources said that when the nine vehicle convoy of the 7th AR returning from the Maphou dam are was nearing Yairipok Top Chingtha, a powerful bomb exploded, which directly impacted the Gypsy in which the AR captain, Samir Bhan, was riding, followed up with a hail of gunfire from both sides of the road. Captain Samir Bhan, 26 who hails from Delhi was grievously injured and died later, along with three other personnel, identified as Bishnu Prasad 28 of Bihar, Arun Rana, 28 and R Radhakrishna 28 of Kerala. A major, identified as Major Chatterjee and two riflemen were also injured in the ambush. According to reports, the army personnel also retaliated against their attackers, but there is no report of casualties among the latter. In the meantime, some villagers of Yairipok Top Chingtha were reportedly beaten up by the AR personnel while some others were picked up. The latter have not been release yet. In the meantime, several other villagers have reportedly fled their homes fearing retribution from the security forces.