India Faces Backlash Over Killing of Myanmar Fighters at Border

[geovalin]

PTI

 

 

Tensions are rising along the India–Myanmar border after ten Myanmar resistance fighters were killed by Indian paramilitary forces in Manipur last week — a move that’s sparked outrage across the border and raised questions about cross-border rules of engagement.

 

India’s government has labelled the deceased as “armed extremists” involved in insurgent activity, claiming the Assam Rifles — a paramilitary unit under the Indian Army — acted in self-defence after being fired upon near New Samtal village in Manipur’s restive Chandel district.

 

But sources in Myanmar tell a different story. The men, they say, were members of the People’s Defense Team (PDT) from Tamu Township in Sagaing Region — part of the resistance movement fighting Myanmar’s military junta. According to residents, Indian forces fired across the border after spotting a PDT outpost visible from Indian territory.

 

“They’d never crossed into India,” said one fighter. “The killings happened on Myanmar soil. They were resistance fighters, not criminals.”

Photos shared by Myanmar sources allegedly show the bodies wrapped in tarpaulin, bearing gunshot wounds and facial injuries. The Indian military confirmed the recovery of weapons — including AK-47s, an M4 rifle, and a grenade launcher — but has not released the names or nationalities of the dead.

 

The bodies were handed over to Myanmar resistance fighters on 16 May. In response, the country’s parallel National Unity Government (NUG), which opposes the junta, said it was seeking clarification from Indian authorities and urged an investigation.

 

“This incident has shocked many,” said a PDT member. “India is a democracy. It should not side with a military dictatorship.”

 

The killings have stirred ethnic and political tensions in the region, where clashes between Myanmar resistance forces and junta troops — including ethnic Shanni and Meitei units — have intensified in recent months.

 

India, which has long walked a diplomatic tightrope with Myanmar, now finds itself in a precarious position — accused of violating sovereignty, and potentially undermining its image as a democratic ally in the region. Whether this incident will escalate or be quietly buried remains to be seen.

 

-2025-05-21