Officials say vested interests want to weaken President’s rule by projecting the state as unstable after the September 19 Assam Rifles convoy attack.
BY PC Bureau
October 5, 2025: Intelligence agencies suspect that last month’s deadly ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur’s Nambol was a politically motivated “contract killing” designed to destabilize the state and discredit President’s rule, officials told news agency PTI.
According to them, vested interests are seeking to portray the government as ineffective—despite its success in curbing large-scale ethnic violence—in order to push for the reinstatement of the suspended state assembly.
The September 19 attack, which killed two Assam Rifles personnel, has puzzled investigators because the valley-based insurgent group People’s Liberation Army (PLA) broke its 48-year tradition by not claiming responsibility. Sources believe the strike may have been carried out without the PLA leadership’s knowledge or authorization.
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Within 72 hours of the assault, security forces launched a major crackdown, arresting 15 PLA members, including key suspects Thoungram Sadananda Singh (alias Purakpa) and Khomdram Ojit Singh (alias Keilal). Six weapons looted from a police armory during earlier ethnic clashes were recovered, along with a van allegedly used in the ambush.
The convoy was attacked in Sabal Leikai, an area outside the purview of AFSPA, while moving from Patsoi to the Nambol base. Naib Subedar Shyam Gurung and Rifleman Ranjit Singh Kashyap were killed. This marked the first assault on central forces since Meitei–Kuki-Zo clashes erupted in May 2023.
Officials are also probing possible political patronage for the PLA, particularly after the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) announced a ceasefire and signed a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Union Home Ministry. Analysts caution that disaffected members of the PLA, UNLF, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), and People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) could exploit the ceasefire vacuum to target civilians.
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Singh, one of the arrested suspects, earlier belonged to the UNLF before shifting to the PLA. The outfit, originally called Polei, seeks Manipur’s independence and a separate Meitei homeland in the Imphal Valley. Other groups, including KYKL, PREPAK, and Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), continue to wield influence across the valley and along the India–Myanmar border.
Manipur has remained on edge since May 2023, with ethnic tensions claiming over 260 lives and displacing nearly 50,000 people, driven largely by disputes over land rights and political representation.
