An Assam Rifles patrol team was ambushed along the India-Myanmar border in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district and one jawan was killed and four others injured in the first incident yesterday in their patrol along the border area where fencing works are under way along the international boundary, according to reports.
According to a report by India Today North East, the attack occurred around 6.30 am near Nampong Nallah under Nampong Circle in Changlang district. The Assam Rifles team was doing routine patrolling in the area when it came under attack.
The deceased personnel was identified as 42-year-old Havildar Jankhokai Kuki, according to the report. Four other people were injured in the ambush, the report added.
The exact circumstances of the attack and the sequence of events leading up to the ambush were still to be ascertained. Security agencies were trying to determine how the attackers approached the patrol team and the direction the attack was conducted.
NSCN-K-YA Cadres Suspected
There are indications that cadres belonging to the NSCN-K-YA, or Yung Aung faction, might have been involved in the attack. We are investigating the involvement of the insurgent group but we cannot yet see if it is responsible for the attack.
After the incident, security forces opened up operations in the surrounding areas in search of the people who carried out the ambush. The operations also seek to secure the border region from any such attack on personnel stationed there.
The incident shows how difficult it is to operate along the India-Myanmar border and especially in the remote and difficult-to-access northeastern part of the country. In areas like this, personnel in the border area patrol and follow people through difficult terrain and track them close to the international border.
The attack took place in an area where fencing work is being done along the India-Myanmar border. Border fencing is part of wider efforts to enhance surveillance and security along vulnerable stretches of the international boundary.
The India-Myanmar border passes through many northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh and passes through difficult mountainous and forested areas. So security in such areas needs to be regularly maintained through patrols, surveillance and coordination among security agencies.
Following Tuesday’s attack, security forces increased vigilance in the area. In the vicinity, the security forces also intensified operations as they searched for and identified the culprits of today’s attacks.
The incident has also brought back attention to the security situation along the border in Arunachal Pradesh. The state shares a long international border with Myanmar and the border area at close proximity to it can be difficult to reach due to dense forests, mountainous terrain and poor road connectivity.
For the Assam Rifles, which has been a pillar of security in India’s northeast and along the India-Myanmar border since the early 1980s and has been at the heart of many Indian soldiers’ lives, the incident represents one more loss among the many people working in an action-oriented environment.
Search and security operations going on will continue to reveal more about the attackers, their movements and what happened during the ambush. The attack was also based on the patrol team or in fact in the border area and investigators will also probe the reasons.
The identities of those involved have not yet been established and the NSCN-K-YA cadres are still suspected of playing a role in this incident, the investigators said. Security agencies are continuing to secure the area while developing information about the incident.
The death of Havildar Jankhokai Kuki and injuries to four other Assam Rifles personnel highlight the dangers for security forces in the remote border areas. More details will be gathered on the investigation and security operations.
