Manipur: 7 held with arms, fuel transporters complain of 'highway extortion'

Security forces have arrested seven people for allegedly possessing illegal firearms across Manipur's hill and valley districts, police said on Thursday, 16 July, as petroleum and LPG transporters warned of suspending operations over alleged rampant extortion along a key highway.

The arrests come amid intensified security operations following the 6 July ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy in Ukhrul district, in which two personnel were killed after suspected militants opened fire near Shangshak, around 17 km from the district headquarters.

Acting on specific intelligence, security forces on Tuesday arrested four residents of Sikibung village in Ukhrul district during an operation aimed at tracing those involved in the attack, police said. Earlier, three persons had been detained in connection with the ambush.

Police said two single-barrel breech-loading (SBBL) guns, live cartridges and a wireless communication set were seized from the four accused.

In a separate operation on Wednesday, security forces arrested an active cadre of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party-MC (Progressive) from Khurai Ahongei in Imphal East district for allegedly possessing an illegal firearm.

Later the same day, two more persons from Khurai Lairikyengbam in Imphal East were arrested, with police recovering a pistol, two magazines and 11 live rounds from their possession.

Security forces have been carrying out search operations and area domination exercises across vulnerable and fringe areas of the state since ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities erupted in May 2023, leaving more than 260 people dead and thousands displaced.

The arrests come as transporters of petroleum products and cooking gas warn of disrupting supplies unless the state government curbs alleged extortion along National Highway-37, one of Manipur's principal lifelines.

In a memorandum submitted to chief minister Y. Khemchand Singh on Wednesday, nine transporters' organisations, including the All Manipur Petroleum Products Transporters Association, alleged that tanker operators travelling between Imphal and Jiribam under Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) escort were still being forced to pay illegal "taxes" to "looters" along the highway.

According to the associations, around 100 petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) and LPG tankers travel in each escorted convoy along the route, which has served as the state's primary supply corridor since ethnic violence disrupted traffic on NH-2.

They claimed the extortion amount had risen from Rs 200 per truck initially to Rs 7,000 per truck despite repeated representations to the authorities.

"We have raised this extortion issue many times, but it is still continuing. The transporters are no longer in a position to bear these expenses," the memorandum said.

The associations have urged the state government to eliminate the alleged extortion by 30 July, warning that they will suspend the movement of petroleum and LPG tankers from 31 July if no effective action is taken.

With PTI inputs