AR jawan may have been victim of campaign against non-locals : Officiating GOC
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 09 2010: Officiating GOC of 57 Mountain Division Brig RS Grewal has expressed suspicion that the December 7 night incident in which two unarmed Assam Rifles personnel were attacked with knives and guns by some unidentified armed persons, may be related to the campaign launched to target non-locals.

Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of offering the last military salute and tributes to Naik Runkhna Ramana who succumbed to his injuries at the post of 12 Maratha Light Infantry located within Imphal Tulihal Airport complex before being his body was flown to his native place today, the Army officer described the attack on unarmed Army personnel as an act of cowardice.

Brig RS Grewal paying his salute to mortal remains of the jawan

He informed that some definite leads have been gathered in connection with the attack.

Let the killerattackers hide anywhere they like, but we would ensure that they are arrested and punished in accordance to the law of the land, the Officiating GOC said.

To a question on which UG group is suspected to be behind the attack, the Army officer observed that it would be premature to say anything at this moment.

Prior to this, the Officiating GOC led other Army officers in offering military salute and floral tribute to late Naik Ramana before being flown his body to his native Andhra Pradesh.

Officials and jawans of 5 Assam Rifles and 12 Maratha Light Infantry were also present at the occasion.

It may be recalled here after taking leave to visit his native place, Ramana was coming along with two other personnel from their Maram post in Senapati district when some unidentified armed persons intercepted the passenger bus in which they were travelling near Khonghampat Mantri Leikai on the night of December 7 .

From there, the bus was taken to a spot little further away from NH-39 and after singling out the three AR personnel, the armed persons started attacking them with knives.

Of the three AR personnel two of them, both non-locals, were stabbed while the other, a local man, managed to escape and reported at the AR transit camp at Minuthong, Imphal.

Ramana succumbed to the injuries at RIMS in the wee hours yesterday.

The other injured personnel identified as P Mahesh, also from Andhra Pradesh, is currently undergoing treatment.