A truck driver transporting goods for the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was reportedly killed, while another truck driver and a police personnel sustained bullet injuries in a fresh firing incident along National Highway-202 in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Friday afternoon.
The attack occurred near TM Kasom village when armed miscreants allegedly opened fire on a convoy of commercial trucks travelling under security escort along the Imphal–Ukhrul highway.
The identity of the deceased driver was yet to be confirmed at the time of filing this report. The injured police personnel, attached to Litan Police Station, has been identified as Leishingam, while the identity of the injured truck driver remains unknown.
According to sources, the firing was first reported near the cemetery at TM Kasom village, where villagers were preparing a grave for the burial of a community member.
Videos circulated on social media appeared to show villagers taking shelter behind graves amid the gunfire, while two individuals were seen lying inside a freshly dug grave in an apparent attempt to protect themselves. Sources alleged that the firing originated from the area between Mongkot Chepu and Yaolen villages.
Meanwhile, police sources stated that a joint team comprising personnel from the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Rapid Action Force (RAF), and Manipur Police escorted around 15 to 20 commercial trucks that had been stranded at Yaingangpokpi Police Station due to a blockade at Shangkai village near Litan.
The CRPF reportedly fired several tear gas shells to disperse protesters blocking the road at Shangkai.
Security sources said the operation was carried out amid concerns that civil vehicle convoys travelling along NH-202 could come under attack in the Litan area, potentially disrupting traffic and the transportation of essential commodities.
