IMPHAL, June 10: Five drivers of the State and a helper of Imphal-Guwahati night bus service were on Saturday, brutally assaulted by locals of Datchuchi, Assam inside the Guwahati Inter State Bus Terminus using iron rods, alleged the All Manipuri Night Super Bus Drivers Welfare Association.
The association called a press conference at the Manipur Press Club today.
Secretary L Irabot said three of the drivers reached Imphal yesterday, whereas the others including the handyman are still at Guwahati owing to a mechanical glitch in their vehicles.
The drivers are identified as Chingtham Biren, 50, son of Omor of Khongjom Patpal, Leichangbam Balbir, 42, son of Kumar of Kangchup Chingkhong, Ningombam Ratan, 25, son of Tomba of Kongjom Patpal, Thokchom Inao, 42, son of Nimai of Khongjom PatpaL and handymen Md Yaima, 32, of Minuthong Hatta.
On June 7, around 8pm, the drivers and the handyman were preparing to have their meal inside the ISBT campus, when three locals came and urinated just a few feet away from them, he said.
Speaking for the drivers, he said when one of the drivers asked them to get a little farther as they were about to have their dinner, they started arguing back.
And then the locals turned back soon, he continued.
However, after a gap of about 20 minutes, the locals accompanied by some 10 others came running shouting, “Kill the Manipuris,” in their language, he said.
The locals who were holding gear levers and iron rods, attack the drivers and the handyman, he continued.
However, the security personnel of the ISBT remained silent spectators, and never even tried to intervene while the drivers and their handyman were getting mercilessly attacked, L Irabot continued.
The assault stopped only after a gap of about 30 minutes, when the personnel from the nearby police outpost intervened, he asserted.
However, before going away, the locals warned that they will be done away if they interfere with anything that the local drivers do inside the ISBT complex, he continued. The drivers and the handyman were then taken to a nearby Primary Health Centre and treated.
They have lodged a complaint with the police station concerned to take action against the miscreants and to provide security to the Manipuri drivers inside the ISBT, he continued.
Such incident is not a one off, he said while appealing to both the Manipur and Assam governments to take collective effort to prevent such incident in the future inside the complex.
L Irabot also said that the association will be submitting a memorandum to the State Chief Minister and transport minister for necessary actions.
Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/06/drivers-allege-assualt-at-guwahati-seek-protection/