Imphal, September 02 2009: Normal movement of people along the Imphal-Churachandpur section of the NH-150 was disturbed Wednesday as irate drivers of buses on this route launch steering down strike decrying the shooting to dead of one of their colleagues by suspected militant yesterday evening.

Suspected militants shot dead, a driver named Ngashepam Ngongo alias Basanta (28) son of Mani of Nambol Thangtek inside the driver's cabin in front of the passengers, yesterday evening at about 5.30 pm at Phoubakchao along the Imphal-Churachandpur section of the NH-150 under Moirang police station in Bishnupur district.

Militants step in into the bus stopping for picking up passengers at Phoubakchao Bazar and shot at the driver at point blank at the head without saying anything.

The driver of the bus heading Churachandpur from Imphal succumbed to bullet injury at the spot.

None of the militant outfit so far claimed responsible for the killing of the driver even though police suspect PULF cadres who had recently attacked another passenger bus with guns and even attempted to torch the vehicle behind the shooting to dead.

Irate over the killing of their colleague in brutal manner, drivers of buses playing along the Imphal-Churachandpur section of the NH-150 today suspended passenger service of the day, demanding arrest of the culprits involved in the shooting and The drivers are demanding booking of the culprits by the authority at earliest and taking up appropriate security measures along his route to prevent repetition of such incident in future.

The drivers community in a statement dispatched today also demanded clarification with regard to the killing if any of the militant groups behind it.

It also called up drivers of buses serving on various routes to extend support in pressing the government in booking the culprits.

The dead body of the driver is keeping at RIMS morgue, Imphal after Moirang police station brought up for postmortem examination but family refused to receive demanding immediate booking of the culprits behind the killing with the support of the locals of Nambol area where the driver hailed from.

Sit in protest was also staged at Phoubakchao, the place where the incident took place and at Torbung denouncing the killing of the driver.