New Delhi: Militant troops across the India-Myanmar border fired at the Assam Rifle troops in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap on Tuesday morning, reported news agency ANI. Quoting Defence PRO, Tezpur as saying the news agency reported that a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) sustained a minor injury on his hand.
No other injury or damage has been reported, the PRO said further.
The patrol was fired upon from across the border when Assam Rifles troops were undertaking enhanced patrolling activities in view of heightened vigil ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, Public relations officer (defence) Lt Col A S Walia told Hindustan Times.
United Liberation Front of Asom - Independent (ULFA-I) and the Yung Aung faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) (NSCN-KYA), which have camps in Myanmar, are suspected to be involved in the attack based on the initial probe, as per the HT report quoting officials.
The attack comes just three days after these two groups called for a shutdown in North Eastern states of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, and Meghalaya and asked people not to participate in “fake Independence Day activities”.
According to the report, the groups said that it was “worthless” to celebrate Independence Day citing declining standards of living and an economic slowdown following the Covid pandemic as its reasons.
“It is unfair, historically irrelevant and worthless for a state, which is unable to stand by the suffering problem in such a time of declining living standards to celebrate the 76th pretentious Independence Day,” the statement said.