Arunachal: Assam Rifles Jawan Killed, Four Injured in Changlang Ambush

Our Bureau

JAGUN/DIGBOI: In a tragic incident along the sensitive India-Myanmar border, an Assam Rifles patrol team came under attack near Nampong Nallah in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday morning, resulting in the death of one Assam Rifles personnel and four others injured.

The deceased has been identified as Havildar Jankhokai Kuki (42), who reportedly sustained critical injuries during the attack and succumbed while on duty, making the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the nation.

According to preliminary reports, the team of Assam Rifles was conducting a routine patrol in the border area when armed militants allegedly opened fire on them near Nampong Nallah. The sudden attack triggered a brief exchange of fire, creating tension in the strategically important border region.

Initial information indicates that the ambush may have been carried out by cadres belonging to the NSCN (K-YA) faction, though official confirmation is still awaited.

Following the incident, security forces launched extensive search and combing operations in and around the area to track down the perpetrators. Additional personnel have reportedly been deployed, and surveillance has been intensified along vulnerable stretches of the border.

The attack has once again highlighted the security challenges faced by forces deployed in the remote and rugged border areas of Changlang district, where difficult terrain and dense forests often provide cover to insurgent groups operating along the international boundary.

The sacrifice of Havildar Jankhokai Kuki has cast a pall of grief among his colleagues and well-wishers. Security officials have expressed their resolve to bring those responsible for the attack to justice and to ensure that peace and security are maintained in the border region.

The Nampong-Longvi sector has already witnessed repeated militant activity this year. On August 14, suspected ULFA-I and NSCN-K-YA cadres opened fire on an Assam Rifles camp at Longvi under Nampong Police Station. The attack triggered a firefight lasting around 15 to 20 minutes before the attackers withdrew into the surrounding forest. No casualty was reported, while six empty shell casings were subsequently recovered from the firing side, according to reports.

The latest attack also comes against a wider backdrop of militant activity and extortion in the Tirap-Changlang-Longding belt. A security assessment reported that NSCN-K-YA had revived an extortion network in Changlang in May, with written demands reportedly targeting vehicle owners, businessmen and heavy-machinery operators. Poclain/JCB owners were allegedly asked to pay Rs 50,000 and truck owners Rs 25,000 annually.

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