Assam Rifles refutes
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 06 2023:
The Assam Rifles has refuted a recently published report that one of its personnel was injured in police firing at Khangabok in Thoubal district on July 4 .
The PRO IGAR (South), in a statement said the personnel was hurt in firing by an unidentified individual from within a mob.
Claiming the report was false and an attempt by purported witnesses with vested interest to drive a wedge between the close functioning of security forces, the AR detailed the sequence of events that resulted in one of its personnel sustaining bullet injury.
The AR said at around 11.15 am of July 4, a crowd of approximately 500 people started gathering at the 3 IRB located at Wangbal with the intent to "loot" arms and ammunition.
Responding to a request from the district administration, at 2.45 pm, one column of AR from Thoubal, consisting of a Xenon car and one Casspir vehicle, was despatched to the 3 IRB location at Wangbal.
Simultaneously, another column from Lilong was also launched towards the same location, it said.
At around 3.30 pm, the columns reached the incident site.
By this time the rioters were being dispersed out of IRB location by AR personnel.
Meanwhile, unknown individuals from within the rioters hurled "petrol bombs" on the AR vehicle, which caught fire.
At approximately 3.50 pm, as AR was preventing the rioters from "burning" of the IRB complex, an AR soldier, who was part of the column from Thoubal, sustained a gunshot wound on his left ankle, fired by "unidentified individual" amongst the rioters.
The nature of the injury indicates the use of AK-47 bullet, said AR.
The crowd swelled up to around 2,000 and was also obstructing the evacuation of the injured AR soldier.
Columns of Army and Assam Rifles extricated the injured soldier through the crowd, while maintaining "highest levels of restraint despite extreme provocation".
The injured soldier was evacuated to the District Hospital, added AR.
Synergised actions by security forces prevented the 3 IRB location from being overrun by the violent mob and weapons/ammunition being looted,
it said.