FIR Lodged After Police Vehicle Ambushed Near Mongkot Chepu

IMPHAL – A formal complaint has been lodged at Litan Police Station against unknown assailants who opened fire on a district police team near Mongkot Chepu in Ukhrul district on the evening of April 24, 2026. The complaint was filed by Inspector Chuingam Ningshen, Officer-in-Charge of Chingai Police Station, who was leading the team at the time of the attack, seeking the identification of the culprits and registration of a formal First Information Report. Three photographs of the damaged vehicle were enclosed with the complaint as evidence.

The attack occurred between 5:50 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. as the police team was travelling toward Ukhrul. Unknown miscreants opened fire from the Mongkot Chepu hillside using automatic rifles. Two bullets struck the vehicle — one hit the right rear side window, shattering the glass, while the other struck the lower portion of the right front door. The team had a narrow escape, with no injuries reported among the personnel inside the vehicle. Inspector Chuingam signed the complaint on the same day, emphasising the need for swift action against those responsible.

The attack occurred at the same stretch of the Imphal-Ukhrul highway where two Tangkhul Naga civilians — SW Chinaoshang and Yaruingam Vashum — were killed in a militant ambush on April 18. That killing had already triggered widespread protests, a three-day UNC-called shutdown across Naga hill districts, and condemnation from civil society organisations across communities. The targeting of a police vehicle at the very same location less than a week later points to a continued and deliberate pattern of armed aggression on this critical stretch of highway, raising serious questions about the security of both civilians and law enforcement personnel travelling the route.