Two jawans of the Assam Rifles were killed in action after their truck was ambushed by a group of gunmen on the outskirts of Manipur’s Imphal this evening.
The unidentified gunmen fired at the paramilitary forces’ 407 Tata vehicle, which was travelling from Imphal to Bishnupur, in the Nambol Sabal Leikai area, around 8 km from the Imphal airport.
Visuals showed one official with severe injuries and a heavy police presence in the area.
The ambush site is in the middle of Imphal and Churachandpur.
Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla condemned the attack and expressed profound grief and extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the soldiers who were killed in the line of duty. He also conveyed prayers for the speedy recovery of those who sustained injuries in the incident.
The Governor of Manipur has strongly condemned the attack on security forces this evening, in which two brave jawans of the Assam Rifles made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.
The Governor expressed profound grief and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved…
— RAJ BHAVAN, MANIPUR (@RajBhavManipur) September 19, 2025
Mr Bhalla said that such acts of violence will not be tolerated under any circumstances and warned that they will be met with the strongest resolve to safeguard peace and stability in the region.
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is applicable in the entire state of Manipur, except in 13 police station areas of five districts in the valley region. Nambol comes under the Bishnupur district, which is not under AFSPA coverage.
There are nine banned Meitei terrorist groups in Manipur, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs’ list of banned organisations. They have been responsible for attacks on the Assam Rifles in the past, including the killing of Colonel Viplav Tripathi, his wife and son in an ambush in Churachandpur district in November 2021.
The incident took place near Sehken village as the heavily armed terrorists fired upon the convoy of the Assam Rifles Colonel, killing him, his wife, their son and three Quick Reaction Team jawans on the spot.