Despite Indian Army denials, Myanmar resistance fighters are maintaining their accusations that their cadres were abducted and tortured. They continue to demand accountability and dispute the Indian narrative of a border clash.
BY PC Bureau
On May 14, ten members of a local People’s Defense Team (PDT) from Tamu Township in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region disappeared from their outpost near the Indian border. Subsequent reports allege their abduction from the outpost by India’s Assam Rifles on May 13th, followed by torture and execution.
A resistance fighter from Tamu, speaking to The Irrawaddy, detailed the events. According to their account, Assam Rifles troops inspected the PDT outpost on the morning of May 13. Later that day, displaced individuals witnessed Assam Rifles personnel abducting the PDT members around 6:30 pm. The following morning, another PDT member found the outpost deserted.
PDT officials contacted the Assam Rifles about the missing individuals and were informed of a clash. The bodies were handed over to the Myanmar side on the morning of May 16, and cremated later that day. The resistance fighter vehemently denied Indian authorities’ claims that the PDT members were killed in a clash after illegally crossing into Indian territory. They argued that nearby units would have heard gunfire and that even if the PDT members had crossed the border, they should have been arrested, not killed.
‘Indian Troops Killed Myanmar Resistance Fighters to Send a Message’ https://t.co/Y2HiY9C8BN
— Navin Upadhyay (@Navinupadhya) May 22, 2025
The PDT outpost was located within 10 miles (16 km) of the border. The resistance fighter also alleged that the bodies, transported by the Assam Rifles, showed signs of maggot infestation, and that senior PDT officials were temporarily detained by the Indian paramilitary force. Furthermore, they claimed that the Assam Rifles coerced PDT and People’s Authority officials into signing a pledge not to oppose their border fence construction project near New Samtal village in Manipur, in exchange for the return of the bodies.
The resistance fighter believes the killings were deliberate, intended as a message to deter opposition to the border fence. Myanmar’s civilian National Unity Government (NUG) has urged India to investigate the deaths, and the resistance fighter expressed hope for strong action and justice for their fallen comrades, emphasizing the potential for future similar incidents if the matter is ignored.
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Indian Army Refutes claim:
The Indian Army has strongly refuted reports alleging the intentional killing of 10 armed militants in Manipur’s Chandel district on May 14, 2025. The Army dismissed these claims as factually incorrect and misleading. In a statement, the Defence PRO for Manipur, Nagaland, and southern Arunachal Pradesh highlighted the volatile Indo-Myanmar Border region and explained that an Assam Rifles patrol, securing the area for fence construction, was fired upon. The troops responded, neutralizing 10 suspected PKP cadres and recovering weapons. The Army emphasized the operation was a response to a direct threat, and no group has claimed the deceased.
