Inter-state bus services suspended over burning down of state bus in Assam; Two charred to death inside locked bus
IMPHAL, Oct 24: The All Manipur Inter State Bus Association has suspended all inter-state passenger bus services from this morning in protest against the burning down of an Imphal-Guwahati passenger bus of the Imphal Airbus Travels at Naorijan in Assam, near Dimapur, on last Thursday evening by two unidentified gunmen resulting in the death of two passengers, including one woman.
A Budha Luwang, president of the AMISBA during a press conference held at North AOC in Imphal this noon narrated the inhuman and barbaric act of last Thursday at Naorijan.
He said the ill-fated passenger bus bearing registration No. MN01-1664 was travelling from Imphal towards Guwahati when it was stopped and set ablaze after dousing it with petrol by two unidentified gunmen from Dimapur after the passengers numbering 32, including women and children, were locked inside the bus. The incident took place on last Thursday evening around 8.30 at Naorijan under Khatkhati police station.
He said the passengers inside the bus managed to escape after breaking the windows and jumping out of the bus. Many of them received burn injuries in the process and two passengers including a female who could not get out of the bus were charred by the flames inside the bus.
The two deceased were identified today as Robert Golmei, 35, from Tamenglong district and his mother-in-law Jinthailiu Gangmei of Pengba Chalungthou village in Churachandpur district. Robert Golmei was serving as a jawan in the Indian Army, the source added.
He further mentioned that the association while taking the matter very seriously called an emergency meeting this morning where it strongly condemned the incident and decided to suspend all passenger bus services including Imphal-Guwahati, Imphal-Dimapur, Imphal-Shillong and Guwahati-Imphal via Dimapur and Shillong-Imphal from this morning till the armed persons involved in the incident were booked and punished by the concerned government authority and till the state government provided necessary highway protection to the association.
The meeting also decided to organise a joint meeting with various civil society bodies of the state to consider the future course of action regarding the matter.
The association also submitted a memorandum to the chief minister yesterday asking for provision of land for booking counters and bus parking at Imphal, Guwahati, Shillong and Dimapur and also provision of land at Khatkhati for the travellers to take shelter during bandhs and blockades along with proper construction of and maintenance of the NH-39, NH-53 and NH-150.
The spokesperson further said that more than 110 inter-state buses were plying daily from Imphal to Guwahati via Dimapur and to Shillong and the association had been serving the people of the state for the last more than 20 years on NH-39 despite facing serious difficulties caused by law and order problems.
Mentioning some of the grievances faced by the transporters of the state, he said drivers, handymen, bus owners, association members and innocent passengers had been victims of kidnap, extortion, rape, murder, dacoity, bandhs and blockades for several years. Besides, Dimapur had now become a den for kidnappers, looters and other criminals.
Despite being aware of all these facts the government had not taken up any arrangements for redressing the grievances of the transportes of the state and the innocent passengers till now.
Because of all this there was immediate need for providing sufficient security at the various vulnerable areas along the national highways, the spokesperson added.
Source: Imphal Free Press
IMPHAL, Oct 24: The All Manipur Inter State Bus Association has suspended all inter-state passenger bus services from this morning in protest against the burning down of an Imphal-Guwahati passenger bus of the Imphal Airbus Travels at Naorijan in Assam, near Dimapur, on last Thursday evening by two unidentified gunmen resulting in the death of two passengers, including one woman.
A Budha Luwang, president of the AMISBA during a press conference held at North AOC in Imphal this noon narrated the inhuman and barbaric act of last Thursday at Naorijan.
He said the ill-fated passenger bus bearing registration No. MN01-1664 was travelling from Imphal towards Guwahati when it was stopped and set ablaze after dousing it with petrol by two unidentified gunmen from Dimapur after the passengers numbering 32, including women and children, were locked inside the bus. The incident took place on last Thursday evening around 8.30 at Naorijan under Khatkhati police station.
He said the passengers inside the bus managed to escape after breaking the windows and jumping out of the bus. Many of them received burn injuries in the process and two passengers including a female who could not get out of the bus were charred by the flames inside the bus.
The two deceased were identified today as Robert Golmei, 35, from Tamenglong district and his mother-in-law Jinthailiu Gangmei of Pengba Chalungthou village in Churachandpur district. Robert Golmei was serving as a jawan in the Indian Army, the source added.
He further mentioned that the association while taking the matter very seriously called an emergency meeting this morning where it strongly condemned the incident and decided to suspend all passenger bus services including Imphal-Guwahati, Imphal-Dimapur, Imphal-Shillong and Guwahati-Imphal via Dimapur and Shillong-Imphal from this morning till the armed persons involved in the incident were booked and punished by the concerned government authority and till the state government provided necessary highway protection to the association.
The meeting also decided to organise a joint meeting with various civil society bodies of the state to consider the future course of action regarding the matter.
The association also submitted a memorandum to the chief minister yesterday asking for provision of land for booking counters and bus parking at Imphal, Guwahati, Shillong and Dimapur and also provision of land at Khatkhati for the travellers to take shelter during bandhs and blockades along with proper construction of and maintenance of the NH-39, NH-53 and NH-150.
The spokesperson further said that more than 110 inter-state buses were plying daily from Imphal to Guwahati via Dimapur and to Shillong and the association had been serving the people of the state for the last more than 20 years on NH-39 despite facing serious difficulties caused by law and order problems.
Mentioning some of the grievances faced by the transporters of the state, he said drivers, handymen, bus owners, association members and innocent passengers had been victims of kidnap, extortion, rape, murder, dacoity, bandhs and blockades for several years. Besides, Dimapur had now become a den for kidnappers, looters and other criminals.
Despite being aware of all these facts the government had not taken up any arrangements for redressing the grievances of the transportes of the state and the innocent passengers till now.
Because of all this there was immediate need for providing sufficient security at the various vulnerable areas along the national highways, the spokesperson added.
Source: Imphal Free Press
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