By A Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 14: Drivers and bus owners of several transport organisations plying along Imphal-Mao route today organised a protest sit in at Khoyathong against unreasonable detention and harrassment given to driver and handymen of a passenger bus playing between Mao and Imphal by police and Assam Rifles in the aftermath of the attack on AR personnels who boarded a passenger bus on the way to Imphal from Maram on December 7.
Mention may made that two AR personnels who were travelling in a passenger bus recieved grevious injuries when they were attacked by some gunmen at Khonghampat area after the passenger bus was forced to drive to a secluded area. One the AR personnel later succumbed to injuries.
The protest was participated by members and bus owners of the Northern Transport Joint Action Committee, Imphal-Mao Transporter Association, Motbung-Sapermina-Imphal Transport Cooperative Society and Kangpokpi Senapati Transporter Association.
The protest at Khoyathong was held in connection with the harassment of the Bus owner L Rajen of Nilakuthi by AR personnel and state police personnel in the aftermath of the killing of a jawan of the 5 Assam Rifles and injuring another while coming to Imphal on the bus by armed miscreants at the Khongampat Matri Leikai.
The sit in protest was also against the act of the Sekmai police for arresting bus driver and conductor namely Narendra alias Sanathoi and Premjit along with the bus even though the crime was committed by unknown assailants who have fled from the scene after the incident.
Participants of the sit in protest appealed to the concern authorities to look into the matter and release the arrested bus driver, conductor and the bus as they are not the culprits. They appealed to concern authorities not to harass the family of the bus owner further.
The sit in protest today caused various inconvenience to the people as the passenger buses and other vehicles stopped from plying along the Imphal-Mao route.
It may be reminded that one among two injured personnel of the 5 AR, Maram post who were coming to Imphal for their vacation on the said passenger succumbed to injuries after they were attacked by armed miscreants who had alighted the bus on the way to Imphal on Decmber 7.