Imphal, January 12: After four days of intense gun fight with cadres of the Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF), the umbrella organisation of the RPF, PREPAK and UNLF, near Pardai village at Sajik Tampak, troops of the BSF have started pulling out from the site of the encounter.

Disclosing this to The Sangai Express at his office chamber straight after his arrival from Sajik Tampak today, BSF DIG PK Misra said that the two BSF personnel who went missing during the encounter are yet to be traced.

During the gun fight which started from January 8 and stretched on till January 11, the BSF troops used rocket launchers, grenade launchers and UMGs, informed the DIG and added that Sajik Tampak is naturally well fortified and it would be very hard for the security force to launch a crackdown on the militants there.

To a query, Misra said that choppers could hot be used to retrieve the body of the Assistant Commandant of 2 Bn BSF and a Constable as the militants were armed with anti-aircraft guns.

Narrating the turn of events that led to the four day fierce encounter, Misra said three companies of the BSF led by the CO of the 2 Bn BSF were pressed into service to conduct search operations on getting specific information that militants were planning to attack the BSF posts at Sangaikot and Sugnu.

The security personnel conducted search operations at Chakpikarong and proceeded forward.

While the security team was approaching Pardai near Sajik Tampak they came across 40/50 well armed militants which triggered the shoot out, said Misra.

Assistant Commandant Vivek Saxena and Constable Harinder Singh were killed on the first day of the encounter.

The two deceased personnel showed exemplary courage in the gun fight, said Misra and added that the militants took away one AK-47 rifle and one wireless set from" Saxena.

BSF troops- however managed to retrieve the LMG used by the Constable, said the DIG.

Misra claimed that Saxena's body was found mutilated while Constable Harinder Singh managed to kill three militants and inflicted injuries on another before he too fell to the bullets of the militants.

The fierce gun fight dragged onto the second day too (Jan 9), said DIG who claimed that one militant was killed while another three were injured.

The BSF officer however admitted that he did not see the bodies of the slain MPLF cadres and added that BSF received the information from the villagers.

On the two missing BSF personnel, Misra said they have received information on January 11 that the two are alive.

However their whereabouts are not yet known.

The two missing personnel are Laloo Bhai of Gujarat and L Nandakishore of Leimakhong.

The two personnel had one rifle each and a wireless set.

Altogether 8 companies of the BSF were pressed into service during the four day encounter, informed the DIG.

Misra said he alongwith the IG of BSF BK Dey also visited the site of the encounter.

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