A senior leader of the banned People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the armed wing of the proscribed Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), was killed in a gunfight along the Manipur-Myanmar border on January 27. The ongoing clashes between Manipur-based insurgent groups and Myanmar’s Kuki-National Army (Burma) [KNA(B)] have resulted in heavy casualties, with reports suggesting that over 17 people were killed, including 16 KNA(B) cadres, and 16 sophisticated weapons were recovered from the battle site near Border Pillar 78.

The slain militant, identified as Henthoiba alias Salam Nganba Meitei (28), was a self-styled captain of the PLA/RPF and hailed from Komnao village in Manipur’s Kakching district. Following his death, the PLA/RPF posthumously promoted him to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, acknowledging his “contributions to the organization”.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the PLA/RPF alleged that Henthoiba was killed in a “proxy war” backed by Indian paramilitary forces along the border. The encounter brings to fore the intensifying conflict in the region, with growing tensions between armed factions operating along the India-Myanmar frontier.

Very often PLA blames all its loses on Indian forces despite not having proof.