Imphal, May 29 (IANS) A truck driver was killed and a Manipur Police personnel injured after suspected militants ambushed a convoy of goods-laden vehicles in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Friday, officials said.

A police official said that suspected Kuki militants opened heavy fire on the convoy of goods-laden vehicles at Litan, killing the truck driver identified as Nitish Kumar (57), a resident of Hooghly district in West Bengal. The shooting reportedly originated from hilltops overlooking Litan Bazar and T.M. Kasom village, triggering panic among local residents.

In the firing, the civilian truck driver was hit by bullets fired from the hilltop while the goods-laden trucks were moving along the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway (NH-2) under security escort. Security forces retaliated, leading to a brief exchange of fire with the militants. During the encounter, a Manipur Police personnel — Disingam Maringmei (35) — also sustained injuries.

Earlier in the morning, a joint team of security forces comprising the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Rapid Action Force (RAF) of Manipur Police and district police had escorted 15 to 20 goods-laden commercial trucks stranded between Yaingangpokpi and Mahadev, while also clearing the blockade at Shangkai Kuki village along the National Highway.

The situation remains tense in the Litan-T.M. Kasom areas following the incident.

Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh condemned the Ukhrul district incident in the strongest terms.

An official statement issued from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat said that unknown armed miscreants had carried out the ambush on a goods vehicle along National Highway-2 under Litan Police Station in Ukhrul district. The Chief Minister expressed his deepest condolences over the death of the truck driver from West Bengal, who succumbed to bullet injuries in the unfortunate incident.

“Ambushing a goods vehicle 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 and is intended to further aggravate the tense situation prevailing in the area,” he said.

The Chief Minister further stated that the ambush appeared to have been carried out by vested interest groups with ill motives aimed at derailing the initiatives of the state government to restore peace and normalcy in the state.

Singh also prayed for the speedy recovery of the police constable who sustained a bullet injury on his knee during the ambush. The Chief Minister informed that search and cordon operations are being carried out in nearby areas to nab the culprits and punish them as per the law of the land.

–IANS

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