MHA labels incident “Scheduled Offence” with “National Ramifications” as NIA takes over probe; calls grow to terminate peace talks and re-designate NSCN-IM as a terrorist organization
By Nengcha Haokip
Ukhrul, July 6, 2026: Two Indian Army soldiers were killed after heavily armed NSCN-IM cadres ambushed an Assam Rifles convoy with IEDs at Lungshang Khong in Hungpung, officials confirmed. The attack has been described as a “brazen act of war” and is now being investigated by the National Investigation Agency.
According to reports, the ambush took place on a route in Hungpung, an area considered a key operational base and regional stronghold of the NSCN-IM. It was at Hungpung’s Bakshi Ground that NSCN-IM leader Th. Muivah had made his high-profile return to Manipur by helicopter after 50 years in exile, before traveling to his native village of Somdal.
The latest attack comes a day after an alleged incident in Thingkhongjang village where, as per reports, an 8-year-old girl and a 56-year-old woman were critically injured during firing.
Security officials also linked the current escalation to events from March 2026. A Manipur Police investigation at the time had stated that NSCN-IM was involved in the kidnapping and murder of two Kuki men, Thengin and Thangboimang. Police said that case triggered a chain of retaliatory abductions, killings, arson and localized clashes in the following weeks.
Citing the specific involvement of NSCN-IM, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalization Division characterized the group as a “terrorist gang” and stated the Central Government believes the attack was carried out with the intention to “Strike Terror & panic in the minds of people.”
The MHA subsequently issued an order declaring the incident a “Scheduled Offence” with “National Ramifications.” The case was transferred to @NIA_India to probe the broader conspiracy, shifting it from a state law-and-order matter to a national security and terrorism investigation.
In the wake of the ambush and rising cross-border militancy, there are renewed calls for the Government of India to permanently end all peace negotiations with NSCN-IM and to formally re-designate the group as a terrorist organization.
Assam Rifles has not released the names of the two soldiers killed. Security has been intensified across vulnerable areas in the hill districts following the incident.
