Imphal, September 23: Three passengers were pulled down today morning around 9.30 am at Nungba from a bus from Jiribam going to Imphal (MN0l/ 1336) and beaten up by suspected militants.

Nineteen persons including one woman were traveling on the said passenger buses when suspected well armed militants stopped the bus and started searching the bus.

They pulled down Laishram Bocha 26 son of Khommei and Moirangthem Devan 30 son of (L) Ibohal of Bishenpur and started beating them up.

They sported long hair.

The suspected militants enquired if the two were members of UNLF.

Takhellambam Ibobi 47 son of Tomcha of Bishenpur tried to stop the suspected militants from beating the two.

Those who were beating the two persons detained Ibobi and started assaulting.

They asked the bus to go away leaving the three behind.

The three are members of Satjal.

After detaining for almost two hours during which they were beaten up black and blue the three were asked to board the next bus.

Meanwhile the passengers services operating on national highway no 53 for the time being have hinted that they may stop operating as they are not in a position to pay the huge amounts of money demanded by three insurgent groups, two Kuki organizations and NSCN(IM) on the highway.

The passengers also feel extremely unsafe.

The bus owners feel that there would be a major crisis if any incident occurs on the highway.

There is no proper security on the highway and some organizations have already started asking for huge amounts of money as annual tax, goods tax etc.

It is not economically feasible to operate considering the amount of money taken by the militants the bus owners pointed out.

They also discussed the problem threadbare today.

The tyres wear out very soon, two bridges are on the brink of breaking, and the roads are in a deplorable situation, an owner of a bus said.

The passengers have to get down before they cross the bridges.

After every vehicle passes by a handy man of the next vehicle moves forward to put the wooden planks together so that they can proceed he added.

Meanwhile the tankers which assembled at the gate of 1st Manipur Rifles to go towards Nagaland did not go.

The drivers refused to drive the tankers.