GUWAHATI: The chief minister of the Indian state of Manipur survived an assassination attempt on Wednesday by separatist rebels that left one militant dead and a security officer injured, police said. Okram Ibobi Singh escaped injury when his convony was attacked outside the village of Lamjao near the Manipur capital Imphal, police officer L Haokip said. Singh, who also survived an assassination attempt in 2003, was travelling to attend a ruling Congress party meeting when the ambush took place, Haokip said. The rebels lobbed a grenade and fired indiscriminately on the security patrol accompanying Singh and a firefight ensued, he said. “The commandos retaliated and in the encounter one militant was killed and one security personnel received bullet injuries.”The identity of the rebel group was not immediately known. There are some 19-odd rebel groups active in the northeastern state of Manipur with demands ranging from secession to autonomy and the right to self-determination. Police suspect rebels of the outlawed Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) were responsible. The attackers fired at Singh’s car from a vehicle that was travelling in the opposite direction.