Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said at least three suspected Hmar militants have been killed and three police personnel injured in a fierce encounter in Cachar district.
"In an early morning operation, @cacharpolice killed 3 Hmar militants from Assam and neighbouring Manipur. Police also seized 2 AK rifles, 1 other rifle and 1 pistol," the chief minister said in a post on X.
The deceased militants were part of a larger group, which was preparing to carry out "subversive activities" along the Assam-Manipur border areas, a senior police officer said.
Addressing a press conference later, Cachar SP Numal Mahatta said police received an input regarding movement of suspected militants at Krishnapur road area.
"A police team rushed to the location. Three persons were arrested along with sophisticated weapons near Ganganagar while on way towards Bhuban Hills in an autorickshaw," he said.
Mahatta said as per preliminary investigation, the apprehended trio were members of a Hmar extremist organisation and trained cadres. Two of them were from Cachar and one was from Churachandpur in Manipur.
From them, one AK-47 rifle, a single-barrel rifle and one pistol were recovered along with live ammunition, he said.
"During interrogation, they revealed that some of their cadres were hiding in a nearby jungle in Bhuban Hills and planning to carry out some subversive activities along the Assam-Manipur border with a huge cache of arms," the SP said.
Subsequently, a special operation was launched led by the district additional SP along with commandos on the Bhuban Hills side for apprehending more militants on the basis of inputs provided by the three arrested insurgents, who accompanied the security forces.
"The moment we reached there, they started indiscriminate firing. Six-seven militants were hiding at the spot. The police team immediately retaliated. There was heavy exchange of fire from both the sides," Mahatta said.
The apprehended militants, who were wearing bulletproof jackets and helmets, suffered grievous injuries during the encounter and were immediately shifted to Sonai Primary Health Centre and later to Silchar Medical College and Hospital, where the attending doctor declared them dead, he said.
The SP also said that three police personnel got severely injured during the exchange of fire and were admitted at the SMCH.
"On the other hand, the six-seven militants managed to flee, taking cover of the darkness and uneven terrain," Mahatta said.
The place was thoroughly searched and police recovered one more assault rifle along with live ammunition and a number of empty cases, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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