Guwahati: Mystery shrouds the identity of ten ‘armed cadres’ of a rebel group killed in an operation by the Assam Rifles in a remote area along the India-Myanmar border in Manipur. The incident took place near the New Samtal village in Manipur’s Chandel district, close to the international border, and is ongoing, security sources said.
In a statement posted late Tuesday evening on X, the Assam Rifles said that it launched an operation on 14 May, acting on specific intelligence on the movement of armed cadres near the village. During the operation, troops came under fire from “suspected cadres”, prompting “quick reaction” and retaliation in a “calibrated and measured” manner.
“In the ensuing firefight, ten cadres were neutralized and a sizeable quantity of arms and ammunition recovered,” the statement read. The identity of the cadres has not yet been revealed.
So far, no Northeast insurgent group — either the Kuki-Zo or Valley-Based Insurgents (Meitei) — has claimed any attack or suffering casualties in Wednesday’s encounter. Even anti-junta forces in Myanmar have not confirmed any engagement with Indian security forces or reported losses.
However, sources told this correspondent that the slain cadres possibly belonged to a Buddhist group in Myanmar with temporary shelters inside Indian territory. Sources in Myanmar said that the slain fighters were part of the Public Defense Forces or Pa Ka Pha under the National Unity Government (NUG) — a shadow administration formed by ousted Myanmar parliamentarians and pro-democracy activists.
Speaking to this correspondent, an NUG representative, however, denied the claim stating that the matter is under investigation.
The Pa Ka Pha is one of several resistance groups battling the Myanmar military, alongside Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) and the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) units. It plays a vital role in securing territorial domination and is typically tasked with internal security in areas under PDF influence.
While neither the Assam Rifles nor the NUG has officially issued any statement on the identity of those killed, images circulating on social media show blood-stained gear believed to belong to a Pa Ka Pha soldier in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region.
The Chandel incident comes even as India remains engaged in Operation Sindoor along the western front — an ongoing offensive against terror bases in Pakistan. Wednesday’s incident has brought renewed focus to the eastern frontier and to insurgency-battered Manipur, where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act remains in force.
The state is currently under President’s Rule following two years of ethnic conflict that left hundreds dead and tens of thousands displaced.
India shares a 1,643 km long boundary with Myanmar in four northeastern states including Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km). Large swathes of the border region are currently under the control of pro-democracy ethnic militias, complicating India’s border security dynamics.
Since the military coup in Myanmar in 2021, India has been providing quiet support to people affected by the civil war even as it is not a signatory to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. In Mizoram, thousands of refugees from Myanmar have found shelter, with help from civil society organisations and support from the state government.
At the same time, Indian defence authorities had also evacuated Myanmar army soldiers who had crossed into Indian territory and taken refuge in Mizoram after their camp was overrun by pro-democracy groups.
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