Imphal: An Indian Army Colonel, his wife and son, and three soldiers lost their lives in an alleged terrorist ambush, believed to be carried out by Manipur-based terrorist group People's Liberation Army, or PLA, in the Singhat sub-division of Manipur's Churachandpur district on Saturday.
Colonel Viplav Tripathy, the Commanding officer of 46 Assam Rifles, met his tragic end while he was returning from a camp.
According to an NDTV report, sporadic firing is taking place in the region which borders Myanmar. Reports suggest that this is the first time civilian causalities are reported in the terrorists' attack in the region.
Confirming the death of the army officer and his family in the terrorist attack, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that a counter-terrorist operation has been launched.
"Strongly condemn the cowardly attack on a convoy of 46 AR which has reportedly killed few personnel including the CO & his family at CCpur today. The State forces & Para military are already on their job to track down the militants. The perpetrators will be brought to justice," read the Chief Minister's Twitter handle.
Manipur, like many of the north-eastern states, is home to dozens of 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.