SRINAGAR: An Assam Rifles havildar from Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district was killed while four of his colleagues and a civilian were injured in a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Nagaland’s Chümoukedima district on Monday. The attack targeted an Assam Rifles vehicle near Shokhuvi during an operational movement, officials said.
The deceased was identified as Havildar Md Iqbal, a resident of Mendhar in Poonch district, who was serving with the Assam Rifles Training Centre and School (ARTC). He succumbed to injuries after the powerful explosion ripped through the convoy near the training establishment. Four Assam Rifles personnel sustained serious injuries and were shifted to the Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR) in Dimapur, while a civilian also suffered injuries from flying debris.
Officials said the blast occurred around 2 pm when the convoy was passing through the Shokhuvi area. Preliminary investigations indicate that the explosion was caused by a suspected IED planted along the route. Security forces immediately cordoned off the area and launched a massive search operation to trace those behind the attack. No militant outfit had claimed responsibility till late Monday evening.
The incident comes barely a week after two Assam Rifles personnel were killed in an ambush in neighbouring Manipur, highlighting continuing security challenges in the Northeast.
The death of Havildar Iqbal has cast a shadow over Poonch district, with people mourning the loss of another soldier from the border region who laid down his life in the line of duty. Messages of condolence poured in after news of his sacrifice reached his native area.
Nagaland Governor Nand Kishore Yadav, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Assam Rifles Director General Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera paid tributes to the fallen soldier and expressed condolences to his family, while assuring that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice.
