Imphal, February 05 2010: A loaded truck met with an accident in stoning by blockade supporters on Friday, even as 114 have left Mao gate for Imphal this afternoon.

A trucker sustained serious injury in the accident.

In the meantime, Mao Police has registered a case against unknown, suspected to be volunteers of the striking Senapati District Students' Association (SDSA) with regard to the stoning and attempt to set fire to a truck on last Wednesday.

The truck, bearing registration no.AS0-1DC-4336 heading towards Imphal met with the accident at Somorii river near Mao on the highway when blockade supporters attacked the vehicle with stone at about 3.20 pm.

One of the truckers suffered serious injury in the accident.

He has been evacuated at a hospital Imphal, the report added.

According to police report received here, the ill-fated vehicle was one of the 10 loaded trucks which left Mao gate without security escort after a total of 114 trucks left with escorts.

The 10 trucks suffered heavy shower of stone when they reached near the Somori river located hardly one kilometer away from the Mao police station.

In the attack, windshields of all the trucks were also shattered.

All the truck turned back to and are now stranded at Mao gate in the aftermath of the stoning.

This afternoon, a total of 144 goods loaded trucks, stranded since yesterday at Mao gate owing to the indefinite blockade, headed for Imphal this afternoon with security escort of the Manipur Rifles.

No further attack to the trucks reported.

The Senapati District Students' Association has imposed an indefinite blockade along the Imphal-Mao section of the highway with effect from February 1 after cutting short the five day chakka bandh, which commenced from midnight of January 30, to two days.

Meanwhile, Mao Police has registered a case against unknown, suspected to be volunteers of SDSA with regard to the attack on the loaded trucks and attempt to set ablaze one of the trucks proceeding towards Imphal with security escort on February 3 last.

The case said that suspected volunteers of SDSA pelted stones to the loaded trucks moving with security escorts.

In the stoning windshields of two trucks, NL-07A-2441 and MN-01-7155 were damaged.

They also attempted to torch the truck bearing registration no MN-01-7155 after breaking the windshields of both the vehicles.

Some portions of the tarpaulin cover of the trucks were damaged in the fire.

Mention may be made that despite repeated appeal from the state works minister, K Ranjit to withdraw the economic blockade informing that the road improvement works at the Mao to Senapati portion had already begun, but the SDSA stuck to their stand.

The body imposed the blockade as state government failed to respect the agreement signed with them on many occasions with regard to the improvement of the badly deteriorated condition of the stretch of NH-39 .

Comment