IMPHAL, April 18: A 24 hour state wide bandh has been called by the All Manipur Road Transport Motor Worker`s Union against the killing of a Tata truck driver by suspected hill based underground militants at Charoi Phangdongba in between K Sinam and Tupul under Khongnom police station in Senapati district yesterday night at around 8:30 pm.
A JAC formed against the brutal killing imposed a bandh along the Mayai Lambi road today noon after the news of the driver being killed filtered in.
According to the police, the incident happened yesterday night at around 8.30 pm when about 10 well armed suspected hill based militants started to burn down one standard Tata truck carrying rice (bearing registration number MN04-A-3991) coming towards Imphal side from Jiribam at Charoi Phangdongba village, a few meters away from the 68 Battalion CRPF.
A second truck was also burnt a few metres away from the first truck and some rounds of firing were heard in the vicinity, police said.
When the police team reached the spot, they found one driver with bullet injury and rushed him to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment in a CRPF ambulance where he was declared brought dead.
The driver, identified as Saorokhaibam Babu, 41, son of (L) Kesho of Samurou Awang Leikai under Imphal West district sustained bullet injuries on his left and right leg and reportedly died due to excessive bleeding, police said.
Police further said that search operations are on in the area for the two persons of the first Tata truck who are suspected to have been picked up by the unidentified armed cadres after the incident yesterday.
Narrating the turn of events, Lalhauthang, 27, son of Thuwama of Bongkol (Mizoram), the handyman of the truck who also happens to be Babu`s brother-in-law told the media that they had left Jiribam after loading rice from Jiribam FCS godown and were headed towards Imphal along with the security escort provided to them.
While coming along the road, the truck had an engine failure and so he had to stay back at an isolated place along with his brother in law (Babu), he said.
The next morning, Babu went and brought the required tools and material to fix the truck, after which they started their way upto Imphal .
“When we reached the Charoi Phangdongba area, we saw a burning Tata truck along the Imphal-Jiri road. Suddenly, our vehicle was stopped by a group of 10 well armed men in combat uniforms. They asked us to turn off the light of the Tata truck and forcibly pulled us down from the vehicle and took away our mobile phones, money and other valuables from our possessions,” said Lalhauthang.
He continued that the armed men asked the truck to move towards a bushy part of the road stretch and just as they set out, two persons from among the armed group started firing towards the direction of the truck in which Babu was hit.
He further said that after the incident of firing, a large number of police personnel arrived at the spot and rushed Babu to the hospital.
Speaking to the media at the RIMS morgue, M Anil joint secretary of the All Manipur Road Transporter Motor Worker`s Union (AMRTMWU) said the union strongly condemn the act of killing an innocent driver who was doing his duty for the people of the state in the worst road conditions along both Highways- 2 and 37.
“It is not the first time that a driver has been killed by unknown persons. For the past many years and despite our appeal to the state government to take up appropriate security measures for the safety of drivers plying on state highways, nothing concrete has been done, he said.
Meanwhile, the Transporter Drivers Council President H Ranjit said that the TDC will provide a sum of Rs 50,000 to the deceased family from their side as an immediate relief measure.
On the other hand, the two persons who were suspected to be picked up by the unidentified armed person following the incident yesterday turned up at the Noney police station under Tamenglong district. The two are identified as Gaichamdin Kamei and Lovingson Kamei, both from Nungba.
Additionally, the JAC against the brutal killing of Sorokhaibam Babu has resolved and announced a 48 hour General Strike from April 18 onwards in protest against the killing. A JAC meeting held in the matter also resolved to hold the Government responsible for the trucks being burnt and the killing of driver Babu as the truck driven by Babu belonged to FCI, Government of Manipur and has demanded for the arrest of the perpetrators. Asking the Government to take due steps and to share the sufferings of the bereaved family and do the needful, the JAC has also sought the support of civil society organizations in Manipur to make the agitation a success and not to claim the dead body of Babu until their demands are fulfilled.
The JAC has however informed that educational institutes, medical, religious ceremonies and other essential services are exempted from the purview of the bandh.