The Commanding Officer of 46 Assam Rifles, Colonel Viplav Tripathy<\/a>, had gone to a forward camp on Saturday and was returning when his convoy was ambushed.\u00a0\u00a0Colonel Viplav Tripathi, his wife and son, and four soldiers were killed in this ambush near the border with Myanmar in Manipur.\u00a0 The ambush on the Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur took place at 10 am.<\/p>\n The terror attack – one of the deadliest in the region in recent times – took place at 11 am in Manipur’s Churachandpur district.<\/p>\n “Five soldiers including Colonel Viplav Tripathi, Commanding Officer of 46 Assam Rifles, have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. The family of the Commanding Officer – wife and child – also lost their lives. DG and all ranks of Assam Rifles offer condolences to the brave soldiers and families,” the Assam Rifles said in a statement.<\/p>\n Manipur-based terrorist group People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, is believed to be behind the attack, though no group has claimed responsibility yet, police sources have said.<\/p>\n Manipur Police sources said they speculate at least four insurgent groups active in the area carried out the ambush where there was an invented explosive device, or IED, blast before heavy firing from both sides of the road started, the sources said.<\/p>\n This is the first time that civilians have died in an ambush in this remote area of the district. The location is an extremely isolated village around 50 km from Churachandpur.<\/p>\n Colonel Tripathi was posted in Mizoram before Manipur. People in Mizoram’s capital Aizawl who knew the Colonel said he was a very polite officer and would often help civilians in his area of operation.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences and condemned the attack on the Assam Rifles convoy. “Strongly condemn the attack on the Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur. I pay homage to those soldiers and family members who have been martyred today. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of sadness,” PM Modi tweeted.<\/p>\n Strongly condemn the attack on the Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur. I pay homage to those soldiers and family members who have been martyred today. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of sadness.<\/p>\n — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 13, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n