A GRIM WARNING

THE BRAZEN STRIKE ON AN ARMY CONVOY NEAR THE MYANMAR BORDER SHATTERS THE RELATIVE PEACE OF THE RECENT PAST IN THE STATE AND RAISES FRESH CONCERNS ABOUT ONE OF INDIA’S LONGEST-RUNNING INSURGENCIES

- SANDEEP UNNITHAN AND KAUSHIK DEKA

On the morning of November 13, Colonel Viplav Tripathi, 41; his wife Anuja, 33; and their eight-year-old son Abeer set off in a black Mahindra Bolero jeep for Manipur’s Churachandpur district. The family was driving back after a night’s stay at Behiang T village, located a few kilometres from the 1,643-km-long Myanmar border that is guarded by the Assam Rifles. Colonel Tripathi, the commanding officer of the 46th battalion of Assam Rifles, and his family were accompanied by around a dozen armed troopers in three Maruti Gypsies. They were returning from a community outreach programme at the village— officers usually make these visits with their families.

The small convoy had just left the village when multiple explosions ripped through the narrow road. Militants lying in wait in the dense jungle fired at the vehicles with automatic guns and rifle grenades. When the firing stopped a few minutes later, Colonel Tripathi and his family lay dead. Four other soldiers were killed and six seriously wounded.

In a statement released later that day, two militant outfits—the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Manipur Naga People’s Front (MNPF)—claimed responsibility for the attack. Manipur, where at least 40 banned underground outfits operate, has witnessed one of India’s longest-running insurgencies. Yet, for the past six years, militant groups have not carried out such daring attacks. In the last big strike, on June 4, 2015, separatists of the United Liberation Front of Western Southeast Asia (ULFWSA) had ambushed an Indian Army convoy in Chandel district, killing 18 soldiers.

INSURGENCY IN MANIPUR HAS SEEN A SPIKE IN 2021, WITH 162 TERROR INCIDENTS AND 24 DEATHS REPORTED SO FAR