Minister's convoy ambushed, none hurt
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 07: Unidentified gunmen ambushed the convoy of Education Minister L Jayentakumar this afternoon while he was returning from Moreh after participating in a valedictory function of a National Integration Camp at a secluded spot near Khudengthabi on the Imphal-Moreh route.

The security personnel who accompanied the Minister claimed that 7 to 8 unidentified gunmen who laid ambush may have been killed in the retaliatory firing.

Security personnel surrounds their Minister from any further trouble and (inset) IRB personnel take pose to retaliate the attack

Apart from mediapersons, the Minister was accompanied by MLAs Ratankumar and Lokeshwore, Transport Commissioner H Ibocha and Transport Director T Sitlhou in 20 convoy vehicles when the ambush was launched at around 2.35 pm.

According to our reporter who personally encountered the incident, the unidentified gunmen fired at the Ministerial team from atop a nearby cliff just half a kilometre from Lokchao situated 3.5 kms of the 24 Assam Rifles post at Khudengthabi.

Before reaching Lokchao, an unidentified person dressed in camouflage and carrying sophisticated weapon stopped the convoy vehicles of the Ministerial team coming one after another from a distance.

Soon after, a volley of shots were fired toward the vehicle of the Minister from atop the nearby hillock prompting the escort personnel to retaliate.

At the time of the attack, MLA Ratankumar was sitting along with the Minister in the latter's Bolero.

The Minister was protected by his PSO who immediately evacuated him to the nearby foothills where they laid prostrate and other occupants took cover in the road side canal.

After 10 minutes of uninterrupted firing toward the Minister's vehicle, the attackers directed their guns on the vehicle of MLA A Lokeshwore and his escort party reacted swiftly in retaliating the firing.

While the exchange of firing took place, some of the security personnel evacuated the Minister and the MLAs to the Assam Rifles post at Lokchao.

After the safe arrival of the Ministerial team at the AR post, reinforcement of IRB personnel in four bullet proof vehicles were pressed in to continue with the retaliation exercise.

There is no report of any casualty on the security convoy of the Minister and the MLAs.

Security personnel claimed that around 7 to 8 attackers may have been killed in the retaliation and the armed attackers are most likely to be highway looters.

Jayentakumar said the ambush was targetted at him.

After participating in the valedictory function of the National Integration Camp at Moreh yesterday along with the Minister, Chandel MLA Thangkhulun Haokip reportedly left the border town for Imphal this morning while the Minister stayed back to inspect the condition of the bus parking and construction of the office of the MSRTC at Moreh.