Assam Rifles colonel, family among seven killed in Manipur

A colonel of the Assam Rifles, his wife and eight-year-old son, and four soldiers have been killed in an ambush near the border with Myanmar in Manipur.

Colonel Viplav Tripathi, the commanding officer of 46 Assam Rifles, had gone to a forward camp on Saturday and was returning when his convoy was ambushed, according to the Indian media.

Citing police sources, broadcaster NDTV said Manipur-based terrorist group People's Liberation Army, or PLA, is believed to be behind the attack, though no group has claimed responsibility yet. There was an improvised explosive device, or IED, blast before heavy firing from both sides of the road started, the sources said.

This is the first time that civilians have died in an ambush in this remote area of the district, according to NDTV. The location is an extremely remote village around 50 km from Churachandpur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were among those who gave condolences and condemned the attack. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh tweeted that a counter-operation has been launched to track down the terrorists.

Manipur, like many of the north-eastern states, is home to several armed groups fighting for either greater autonomy or secession. For decades, the Army has been deployed to the area that has borders with China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

In 2015, 20 soldiers were killed in an attack by terrorists in Manipur, after which the Army launched a surgical strike on their camp.

The Assam Rifles is a paramilitary force that operates under the Army's control and is used mainly for counter-insurgency operations in the northeast, though it comes under the home ministry for administrative purposes. It acts as an interventionist force of the central government for internal security when the situation goes beyond the control of central paramilitary operations.