Imphal: A truck driver from West Bengal was killed and a police constable was injured after armed miscreants opened fire on a convoy carrying essential food supplies in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Friday morning, police said.The victim was identified as 65-year-old Nitish Das from Hooghly district in West Bengal. He was driving a truck loaded with rice for the Food Corporation of India (FCI) from Imphal to Ukhrul, when he was fatally shot on the spot.The convoy, travelling from Imphal along NH-202 to Ukhrul under security escort, came under heavy gunfire from the Patleijang village side near TM Kasom village. The injured constable was posted at the nearby Litan police station.Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh condemned the attack. The chief minister’s secretariat said he expressed condolences over the death of the driver and described the incident as a “cowardly act”.“Ambushing goods vehicle and taking 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 and intends to further aggravate the tense situation prevailing in the area,” the statement quoted the CM.He said the ambush appeared to have been carried out by vested interest groups with “ill-motives” to derail the state govt’s initiatives to restore peace and normalcy. The CM extended condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the injured constable’s speedy recovery, adding that search and cordon operations were underway to track down and punish those responsible.Separately, it was reported that armed men also fired on villagers of TM Kasom village as they were preparing for the funeral service of an elderly villager who had died due to kidney-related illness.Earlier around 9am, security forces fired tear gas and smoke bombs at Shangkai villagers after they blocked the convoy from proceeding to Ukhrul. A woman was reportedly injured in the melee.The firing occurred at the same location where two Tangkhul Naga men — Chinaoshang Shokwungnao and Yaruingam Vashum, a retired Army personnel — were killed in an ambush by suspected militants on April 18.Repeated incidents of firing at civilians, transporters and villagers have heightened concerns for commuters along the highway, a key lifeline connecting Ukhrul and Imphal.
About the Author
