IMPHAL, February 15 (NNN): A youth was killed on Saturday when an oil tanker truck hit him in Maram area along National Highway-2 in Manipur’s Senapati district. Sadam Ali, 25, from Assam’s Nagaon district, was killed near Maram bridge after being knocked down by the oil tanker about 8:30 am, according to a police source. Shortly after the mishap, a large number of locals attacked oil tankers and damaged at least three of them in protest against the killing.
The police source informed that 145 oil tankers and 35 bullet tankers escorted by personnel of 69 CRPF were on their way towards Imphal after filling up oil and gas from Assam’s Tinsukia when the accident occurred.
The locals detained all the vehicles including the driver involved in the fatal mishap for several hours. The driver was identified as Bikash Bushal, 30, a resident of T Waichong in Senapati district. However, the CRPF personnel managed to rescue the driver from the mob.
Later on, Karong constituency MLA Dr Alexander Pao intervened and pacified the protesters during a negotiation meeting wherein the oil tanker drivers also attended. All the vehicles detained by the protesters were later allowed to resume their journey after the stalemate was settled.
