Indian border forces shell Myanmar junta position in Tamu hours after Min Aung Hlaing meets National Security Advisor in Delhi

Mizzima

An exchange of heavy artillery fire erupted along the India-Myanmar border between Indian security forces and the Myanmar military, coinciding with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing’s official visit to India.

The cross-border engagement between junta troops and the Indian military began on the night of 31 May and persisted until the morning of 1 June.

Local sources reported that the confrontation was initiated when heavy artillery was fired from within Tengnoupal District in India’s Manipur State targeting Min Thar Village, situated roughly one mile from the international border and 13 miles from Tamu Town. Junta troops and their proxy forces are currently entrenched in the village.

According to a local resident tracking the incident, the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary border security force under India’s Union Home Ministry, fired heavy weapons 13 times between last night and 3:30 am this morning. The junta forces retaliated with three rounds of counter-battery fire.

“They have a habit of firing randomly and unexpectedly. They have been firing intermittently since last night until this morning. We haven’t heard any news regarding casualties yet,” a local resident living near the site told Mizzima under the condition of anonymity.

Sources added that there were no infantry columns or active ground battles in the vicinity, leaving the specific catalyst for the sudden artillery exchange unclear.

Nay Win Aung, a Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) Sergeant from the Air Force, noted the timing on social media: “What is going on? Just as Min Aung Hlaing arrives, the Indian AR (Assam Rifles) border guards have been shelling the Military Council troops in Mintha, Tamu Township, with heavy weapons since around 9:00 pm tonight.”

Military intelligence indicates that Min Thar Village currently houses approximately 300 personnel. This garrison includes junta troops, their subordinate Pyu Saw Htee people’s militias, elements of the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), alongside Meitei and Naga insurgent groups actively conducting armed campaigns against the Indian government.

Only a handful of locals aligned with the military administration remain in Min Thar, as the broader civilian population has long fled the recurring conflict.

The Indian military has previously conducted cross-border operations and drone strikes targeting Myanmar-based Meitei and Naga sanctuaries, occasionally causing civilian casualties on the Myanmar side.

The border skirmish broke out just hours after a high-level meeting in New Delhi on 31 May between Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Indian Ambassador to Myanmar, and a junta delegation led by Min Aung Hlaing.

The junta chief’s delegation included his Foreign Minister, the Minister of the President’s Office, and Lieutenant General Moe Myint Swe.

While state media reported that the New Delhi talks focused on strengthening bilateral friendship and defense cooperation, the immediate shelling of a junta-held border base underscores the volatile security dynamics along the shared frontier.

At the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the junta leader is on an official visit to India from 30 May to 3 June.