Driver Killed In Ambush On Manipur Highway, Cop And 5 Protesters Injured

A truck driver from West Bengal was killed in an ambush by unidentified people on a highway in Manipur's Ukhrul district today, the police said. A policeman was also injured in a gunfight that broke out following the ambush on National Highway 202 in an area that has seen tension between the Naga and Kuki tribes in recent weeks. The injured policeman was taken to a hospital in Imphal.

In a separate incident, five people from the Kuki tribes were injured in tear-gas firing by the security forces, who were in the area to clear roadblocks for movement of trucks carrying essentials.

The two incidents happened as the security forces tried to open the highway for carrying supplies from the state capital Imphal in central Manipur's valley area to the Naga-dominant hill district in the east 80 km away. There are many villages of other communities and tribes including Kuki between the two districts.

The security forces had been clearing blockades on the highway since this morning amid protests by villagers. More forces rushed into the area after the ambush and began a combing operation to find the attackers.

Members of the Kuki tribe had blocked a part of the Imphal-Ukhrul road to demand the safe return of 14 missing people from their community. Six men of the Naga tribes are also missing and the community has been holding protests demanding they should be freed.

Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh in a statement condemned the attack and offered condolences to the family of the truck driver.

"Ambushing goods vehicles and taking the life of a driver, who plays a crucial role in ensuring uninterrupted supply of essential items across the state, is one of the most cowardly acts and intends to further aggravate the tense situation prevailing in the area," the chief minister said.

The truck driver killed in the ambush was identified as Nitish Kumar, 57.

Just two days ago, the chief minister had met representatives of the Manipur Truck Owners' Welfare Association to discuss the law and order situation on the national highways and the movement of goods.

The Kuki-Naga conflict between 1993 and 1998 killed 750 people and sporadic incidents continued for a decade, according to government data presented to parliament in April 2025.

The 2023 Kuki-Meitei violence has claimed over 260 lives.