In a shocking incident, a soldier of the Assam Rifles opened fire on his colleagues, inflicting injuries to six of them and then shot himself dead in Manipur last night.
The incident took place in an Assam Rifles battalion deployed near the Myanmar border in south Manipur’s Sajik Tampak region, a remote area that happened to be a hotbed of insurgency.
The police informed that none of the injured jawans hail from Manipur and they have been shifted to the Military hospital for treatment. The police also assured that all the injured personnel are in a stable condition now.
Notably, the non-commissioned officer (NCO), who succumbed to the self-inflicted bullet injuries, had recently returned from vacation. The incident unfolded when he suddenly loaded his gun and opened fire at his colleagues before shooting himself during the night.
However, the cops clarified that the shooting incident was not related to the ongoing ethnic strife in the state and asked the citizens to refrain from making any speculations. The police have also said that an investigation has been ordered into the incident.
‘’This unfortunate incident should not be correlated with ongoing conflict, given the fact that none of the injured are from Manipur,” the cops said in a statement.
The police added that all the battalions of the Assam Rifles have mixed class composition, including those belonging to various communities in Manipur.
They further went on to say that all the personnel have been staying and operating together despite polarization of society to maintain peace and stability in Manipur.
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