Key Points

A police official said that massive combing operations by the joint Central and state forces continued to nab the perpetrators.

It is reported that a Maruti van, suspected to have been used by the armed attackers in the Nambol Sabal Leikai ambush, was intercepted by the security forces during the search operation on Saturday.

Two Assam Rifles personnel, including a Naib-Subedar, were killed and five others injured when a group of unidentified armed cadres attacked a vehicle of the paramilitary force along the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2) in Bishnupur district's Nambol Sabal Leikai area.

A defence spokesman said that a column of troops of Assam Rifles was moving from its Patsoi company operating base to Nambol company operating base when it was ambushed in the general area of Nambol Sabal Leikai by unidentified terrorists on the highway in the denotified area of Manipur.

In the ensuing action, two personnel of Assam Rifles were killed and five were injured, and have since been evacuated to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal, the spokesman said, adding that they are currently stable.

The slain Assam Rifles personnel are Naib-Subedar Shyam Gurung (59) and Rifleman Ranjit Singh Kashyap (36).

Gurung hails from Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district while Kashyap is a resident of Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.

The Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958, (AFSPA) was earlier lifted from the Nambol Sabal Leikai area.

As of now, no militant group or organisations has claimed responsibility for the attack, the first major violent incident after the imposition of President's Rule in Manipur on February 13 this year.

A large number of women and men of all ages held massive protests in Nambol area, nearly one km from the ambush spot, vehemently denouncing the egregious assault on paramilitary personnel on Friday.

During the protest, demonstrators carried placards with powerful messages, "We condemn the attack", "Condemn attack on Assam Rifles", "Condemn gunfire in public places".

The protesters also vocalised their outrage through slogans echoing the sentiments on their placards, strongly condemning the attack and emphasising the need for safety and security in public spaces.

Police officials observed that this display of unity highlights the community's determination to stand against such acts of violence.

Later, women also took out a protest rally strongly condemning the heinous attack.

An uneasy calm prevailed in the Imphal West and Bishnupur district on Saturday with the identity of the armed attackers yet to be known.

- IANS