Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Sunday survived, but two of his security guards were killed and four others seriously wounded when militants attacked his convoy at Wangjing, about 35km from capital Imphal, official sources said.
Heavily-armed militants opened fire at the chief minister and his security convoy at around 1055 IST, soon after he left Wangjing area, Brigadier E J Kochekan, Commander of 9 Sector Assam Rifles at Thoubal, told PTI in Imphal.
As per intelligence reports, Kochekan said, some militants had been sighted in the area prior to the attack.
Brigadier Kochekan told PTI that the attack was carried out by the separatist People's Liberation Army (PLA) and was led by Gojen Singh.
The PLA is the armed wing of the banned Revolutionary People's Party (RPF), which is a constituent of Manipur People's Liberation Front.
The attack was a major incident relating to insurgency in the Northeastern state this year.
The chief minister was in Thoubal district to inspect the construction of a dam at Sangaiyumpham.
He was safely escorted by security personnel to his official residence in Imphal, the sources said.
Minutes after the attack, normal communication between capital Imphal and Thoubal district was stopped to prevent militants from intercepting wireless messages, sources said.