NEW DELHI: Strongly condemning the attack on an Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur that claimed seven lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Five soldiers including the Commanding Officer of 46 Assam Rifles, and his two family members were killed in the attack on their convoy at Churachandpur in Manipur on Saturday.
Modi tweeted, "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."
The convoy was targeted by suspected militants of the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), a militant group in Manipur demanding a separate homeland.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed anguish over the killing of five Assam Rifles personnel in Manipur on Saturday and described the attack by militants as "dastardly".
"I strongly condemn the dastardly attack by militants on a convoy of 46 Assam Rifles in Manipur. It pains me to learn that we have lost five brave soldiers, including the CO & his family members," she tweeted.
"Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. The entire nation awaits justice!" Banerjee said in the Twitter post.