Preliminary intelligence indicates the 10 insurgents killed in the May 14 encounter were likely members of Myanmar’s People’s Defense Forces (PDF), operating temporarily from Indian territory near the Chandel district.
BY PC Bureau
After the Assam Rifles gunned down ten armed insurgents near New Samtal village in Manipur’s Chandel district on May 14, security forces have recovered a hufge cache of sophisticated weapons and war-like stores. Preliminary intelligence now suggests that the ten militants neutralised in the May 14 operation were most likely members of a sub-unit of Myanmar’s pro-democracy People’s Defense Forces (PDF).
During an extensive combing operation that followed the encounter, troops recovered:
- Seven AK-47 assault rifles
- One M4 carbine
- One RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) launcher
- Four single-barrel breech-loading (SBBL) rifles
- A large quantity of ammunition and other military-grade supplies
According to a senior Army official familiar with the investigation, the type and origin of the weapons strongly indicate cross-border movement. “The recovered arms are consistent with the kind typically used by various resistance groups active in Myanmar. These were not linked to any of the local insurgent outfits operating in Manipur,” the official said.
Assam Rifles has neutralised ten cadres and recover a significant cache of weapons, including, seven AK-47 rifles, one RPG launcher, one M4 rifle and four single-barrel breech-loading (SBBL) rifles, ammunition and other war-like stores in near New Samtal village in Chandel… pic.twitter.com/rrwrBszLAr
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2025
Further, intelligence inputs and markings on the fatigues and gear suggest that the slain militants likely belonged to Pa Kha Pha (PKP)—a Buddhist unit under the PDF umbrella, which is affiliated with Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG). The PKP is believed to have established temporary shelters inside Indian territory, operating discreetly in the forested areas of Chandel district, close to the Indo-Myanmar border.
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Sources in the security establishment say that the PDF factions have increasingly been relying on cross-border sanctuaries as they face heavy retaliation from the Myanmar junta. “Their presence in India remains a sensitive issue, given the country’s stance of neutrality on Myanmar’s internal conflict. However, any armed incursion across the border cannot be tolerated,” said a senior paramilitary commander.
The Assam Rifles, which was conducting the patrol under the Spear Corps, had acted on specific intelligence inputs regarding the movement of armed insurgents. The patrol came under sudden fire but responded with tactical precision, leading to the deaths of ten armed individuals dressed in camouflage fatigues.
So far, no Indian insurgent group—neither the Meitei valley-based groups nor the Kuki-Zo outfits—has claimed any involvement or acknowledged casualties, reinforcing suspicions that the militants were foreign operatives.
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Investigations are ongoing, and efforts are being made to confirm the identities of the deceased through facial recognition and forensic analysis. Meanwhile, border surveillance and joint operations have been intensified along the Indo-Myanmar border to detect and dismantle any remaining PDF cells.
This development highlights the increasingly transnational nature of insurgent activity in the region, as the fallout of Myanmar’s internal conflict continues to spill over into Indian territory.
