Truck driver killed and policeman injured after suspected militants attacked essential goods vehicle along NH-202 in Manipur’s Ukhrul district.
Share
IMPHAL — A truck driver carrying essential commodities was killed and a police constable injured after suspected armed militants allegedly opened fire on a vehicle along National Highway-202 in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Friday.
Sources said the incident occurred around 11 am between Leingangching and TM Kasom under Litan Police Station when the truck transporting essential goods was travelling along the highway.
The driver of the truck bearing registration number WB15C/2403, identified as Nitish Das, reportedly died on the spot. The injured policeman, identified as constable D Maringmei, is attached to Ukhrul Police Station, the sources added.
Security forces rushed to the area soon after the attack, and additional personnel were reportedly deployed to prevent further escalation. The bodies were later sent to Imphal for post-mortem examination.
Also read: Manipur CM hails Centre’s demographic study panel as ‘historic intervention’
The stretch has witnessed similar attacks in recent months. On April 18, two civilians travelling along the same route were killed in an alleged militant attack. Later, on April 25, a team from Ukhrul district police led by the officer-in-charge of Chingai Police Station also came under attack while travelling from Litan towards Ukhrul near the same location.
Earlier on Friday, a large number of women from the Kuki community reportedly blocked the Imphal–Ukhrul road near Sangkhai Kuki village, disrupting the movement of trucks carrying essential commodities towards Ukhrul until security forces cleared the route.
It may be recalled that the Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki community in the state, has been enforcing shutdowns in Kuki-inhabited areas over the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh condemned the ambush in the “strongest terms”.
Expressing condolences over the death of the truck driver from West Bengal, the chief minister, according to a press release issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, described the attack as “one of the most cowardly acts” aimed at aggravating the already tense situation in the region.
“Ambushing goods vehicles and taking the life of a driver, who plays a crucial role in ensuring uninterrupted supply of essential items across the state, is one of the most cowardly acts,” the statement quoted him as saying.
Khemchand further alleged that the ambush appeared to have been carried out by vested interest groups seeking to derail the state government’s efforts to restore peace and normalcy.
He also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured police constable, who sustained a bullet injury to his knee, and informed that search and cordon operations were underway in nearby areas to apprehend those responsible.