Transporters suspended their operations in Manipur on Saturday (May 30, 2026) to protest the killing of a trucker from West Bengal’s Hooghly in an ambush by Kuki militants in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Friday (May 29). The militants had attacked a convoy of food trucks, and LPG and oil tankers on a stretch of National Highway 202, police said.

The suspension of operations threatens to disrupt the supply of essentials to Imphal, the State’s capital, and beyond, from southern Assam’s Barak Valley via NH-37, one of Manipur’s two lifelines. NH-2, the other highway that enters Manipur via Nagaland, has been blocked since May 13, when the killing of three church leaders led to a hostage crisis involving the Kuki and Naga communities.

On Saturday (May 30), the operators of some 400 trucks and oil tankers, stranded in the Keithelmanbi area of Imphal Valley, protested against the killing of Sushil Kumar, 57, the driver who had been transporting Food Corporation of India (FCI) rice on NH-202.

Convoy ambushed

This highway, less frequently used than the other two, connects Imphal and Ukhrul, the headquarters of the Naga-majority Ukhrul district. The place where the convoy was ambushed is dominated by the Kuki community, and on Saturday (May 30), police confirmed that the attackers were Kuki militants.

A joint team of Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Manipur police, and Rapid Action Force had been escorting the trucks when the attackers rained bullets on them from “tactical positions along the route”. A Manipur police constable was injured in the attack. 

“The security forces have launched search operations and area domination in the area to nab the perpetrators,” the police said.

‘Foolproof security guarantee’

The drivers said it was too risky to operate on these highways unless the government gave a foolproof guarantee regarding their security. They also demanded action against Kumar’s killers and the reopening of NH-2, which is a shorter and better-maintained route than NH-37.

Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh met the representatives of the All Manipur Road Transport Drivers and Motor Workers’ Union, along with the members of the slain driver’s family.

“I conveyed my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and assured them that the safety, security, and welfare of truck drivers and transport workers remain a top priority of the government,” he said in a post on X.