A Tata 407 carrying Assam Rifles personnel was ambushed in broad daylight. Eyewitnesses reported intense firing and chaos in the residential area.
BY PC Bureau
September 19, 2025 – In a brazen attack in Manipur’s volatile Bishnupur district, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a convoy of Assam Rifles (AR) personnel near Nambol Sabal Leikai, leaving two jawans dead and several others critically injured.. Cadres of valley-based armed outfits are suspected to have carried out the attack.
Eyewitnesses and preliminary reports indicate that the assailants targeted a Tata 407 vehicle carrying AR personnel returning from the Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMP) area toward Bishnupur (BPR). The vehicle was traversing a stretch under the jurisdiction of Nambol Police Station (NBL-PS) when militants, reportedly hiding in nearby foliage, opened heavy fire. The attack lasted only minutes but was intense enough to shatter the evening calm in the residential Sabal Leikai neighborhood.
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According to sources, two AR personnel succumbed to gunshot wounds at the scene, while at least two to three others sustained serious injuries, including bullets to the upper body and limbs. The wounded were first taken to a community health center in Nambol before being airlifted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal for advanced treatment. As of late evening, their condition was described as “critical but stable,” with surgical interventions underway.
#Manipur #Nambol
19.09.25
Reports coming in of an #AssamRifles convoy being ambushed in Bishnupur Valley District, Manipur.
Two reported martyred so far. 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/pYskb03SrG— Adv. Siam Phaipi (@SiamPhaipi) September 19, 2025
Manipur Police and AR officials launched a joint operation to cordon off the area and hunt for the perpetrators. “We have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those pertaining to murder, attempt to murder, and waging war against the state,” said a senior NBL-PS officer, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Forensic teams are combing the site for shell casings and other evidence, with initial assessments pointing to the use of sophisticated automatic weapons, possibly AK-series rifles commonly employed by insurgent groups in the region.
The attack comes against the backdrop of Manipur’s protracted ethnic violence, which has pitted the majority Meitei community against the Kuki-Zo tribes since May 2023, resulting in over 250 deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands. No group has claimed responsibility, but security analysts suspect valley-based insurgent outfits like the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) or United National Liberation Front (UNLF), both known for targeting central forces perceived as aligned with the state government.
Nambol, a Meitei-majority town in Bishnupur, has witnessed sporadic clashes, including a July 2025 assault on police by Arambai Tenggol vigilantes and the recent arrest of PLA cadres linked to extortion. Local residents expressed outrage and fear, urging enhanced patrolling along the IMP-BPR route, a known ambush hotspot.
As night fell over the bullet-riddled streets of Nambol, the ambush served as a grim reminder of Manipur’s unending cycle of violence. With the death toll from insurgency-related incidents rising, pressing questions remain: Will this attack trigger a renewed crackdown, or deepen the divide? Investigations continue, but for the families of the fallen and wounded, answers cannot come soon enough.
