3 detained in connection with Manipur ambush that killed 2 Assam Rifles personnel

Imphal, Jul 14 (PTI) Three persons were detained in connection with the ambush that killed two Assam Rifles personnel in Manipur's Ukhrul district last week, police said on Tuesday. The detentions were made during search operations in TM Kasom, Litan and Sikibung areas, they said. "An intelligence-based operation has been launched by security forces in the areas of TM Kasom, Litan and Sikibung to arrest the perpetrators of the ambush on security forces in Ukhrul district on July 6. Three persons have been detained," they said in a statement. Police said normalcy prevailed in the area despite the ongoing operations. "Farming activities are continuing unhindered, shops remain open and regulated traffic on NH-202 is moving as planned," the statement added. On July 6, Warrant Officer Balwant Singh and Havildar CM Singh were killed when suspected militants ambushed a convoy returning to the 40th Assam Rifles Battalion headquarters at Shangshak near Nungshang Khong, about 17 km from the Ukhrul district headquarters. Meanwhile, the Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), the apex body of the Tangkhul Naga tribe, alleged that four civilians had been picked up by security forces during the search operations and demanded their immediate release. The organisation said Wungphayo Kasar (24), AS Ninglum (29), Yaoreingam Lungleng (24) and Vareiyo Lungleng (56), residents of Sharkaphung (Sikibung) village in Kamjong district, were "whisked away" during the combing operations. The TNL demanded their release within 24 hours, warning that failure to do so could trigger widespread protest against the state government. PTI CORR SOM