The Truck Owners’ Association, Kwakta, has demanded the arrest of those responsible for setting a truck on fire near Upokpi and Toupokpi under Bishnupur Police Station at around 6.30 pm yesterday.
Addressing a press conference at Kwakta Pangalkhaida, association president B.M. Azad Khan urged the authorities to arrest the culprits within five days and take appropriate legal action against them.
He warned that failure to make the arrests within the stipulated period would prompt truck drivers’ unions and owners’ associations across Manipur to suspend transport services and launch various forms of protest.
The association also condemned the recent incidents at Ngahang Sangaiyumpham and Khangabok, expressing solidarity with the affected families.
Truck driver Md. Najir Rahaman, a resident of Terakhongsangbi Laithel, said the truck was travelling from Imphal when some people stopped it at Oinam. Following a verbal altercation, the vehicle resumed its journey.
However, before reaching Ningthoukhong, unidentified persons reportedly stopped the trucks, forced the occupants to get down and set one of the vehicles ablaze.
The association urged the authorities to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of truck drivers and prevent further attacks on transport vehicles.