Gunmen Attack CRPF and Mob Pelts Supply Convoy in Manipur

Imphal: Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Manipur CRPF 152 Battalion road opening party Thursday evening. The shooting happened at 5:30 PM in the Khonghampat area of Imphal West. Assailants fired from a moving white four-wheeler heading toward Sekmai before they escaped. No security personnel suffered injuries. Sekmai police have cordoned off the area and opened a formal investigation.

Violence also erupted on National Highway 37 on September 10. Mobs pelted a supply convoy carrying 150 fuel tankers and trucks with stones. The incident occurred in two phases near Awangkhun and Noney. The convoy was moving from Jiribam to Imphal when it hit an economic blockade organized by the United Naga Council. The group is demanding justice for six Liangmai Naga men abducted and killed on May 13.

Transport representative Naoroibam Abit noted the convoy stopped near Noney at 1:00 PM. It restarted at 3:00 PM under CRPF escort but faced intense stone-pelting at the Noney bridge. Over 20 vehicles sustained damage. Drivers Aheibam Punshiba and Kumukcham Sanatomba suffered severe head injuries. Abit also reported that armed individuals extorted money from stranded drivers. The convoy reached Keithelmanbi, where medics moved the wounded to Imphal for CT scans.

Drivers have launched an indefinite strike in response. Maibam Anil, General Secretary of the Manipur Road Transport Drivers and Motor Workers Union, stated that operations will stay suspended until authorities bolster security and reach a formal agreement. As one protesting driver said, "Attacking drivers who serve the public is entirely unacceptable."