Villagers say 25-year-old Sumithang Chisu died after camp doctors allegedly turned him away and checkpoint guards delayed his evacuation to Imphal.
BY PC Bureau
November 17, 2025: Tension flared in Saibol–Sairem village of Tengnoupal district on Monday morning after a group of tribals — mostly women armed with sticks — stormed an Assam Rifles camp near the Myanmar border.
The protesters, believed to be from the Maring community and backed by other tribal groups, accused the Assam Rifles of medical negligence that allegedly led to the death of a 25-year-old villager. A video circulating online shows agitated women pulling down parts of the camp’s structures and damaging property.
According to locals, Sumithang Chisu, 25, collapsed on Sunday night and was rushed to the nearest Assam Rifles camp for urgent medical help. Villagers alleged that the camp’s doctors refused to treat him, forcing the family to attempt shifting him to Imphal.
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However, at a security checkpoint en route, Assam Rifles personnel allegedly stopped the vehicle, demanding identity documents such as Aadhaar cards. The delay, villagers say, proved fatal — the young man died at Pallel along NH-102 in Kakching district.
With little or no well-equipped civilian medical care close by, villagers often treat any nearby security-force medical post as the fastest hope for immediate help. In remote Tengnoupal, primary health centres are sparse and the nearest government hospital (the Sub-Divisional Hospital at Moreh) is many kilometres away; in an emergency, an Assam Rifles camp — staffed, reachable and offering on-the-spot attention — can appear to be the only viable option for urgent treatment.
Saibol (Saibol–Sairem) is a remote Tengnoupal village and is reported to be roughly 40–47 km from the sub-district headquarters at Moreh, so any facility in Moreh is well over 20 km away.
A Maring civil body in Tengnoupal district has condemned the conduct of the security personnel and demanded immediate action against those responsible. The Assam Rifles is yet to issue an official response.
