Imphal : A large number of miscreants set on fire a vehicle engaged in transporting goods items in Manipur’s violence-hit Kangpokpi district on Wednesday night, fire service sources said on Thursday.

The incident happened at a place between Kangpokpi and Changoubung village in the northern Kangpokpi district on National Highway 102 at around 11 pm on Wednesday. The truck belonged to a Meitei community and was plying towards Dimapur for transportation of goods and it was intercepted by a large number of miscreants who later torched it.

However, the driver and its second driver escaped unhurt. On getting the information, a fire tender from the Kangpokpi district headquarters and police from the Kangpokpi police station rushed to the spot.

The firemen and security forces tried to douse the blaze, but could not save the major portion of the truck, they said.

Those behind the incident are yet to be identified, police said, adding that it was not immediately clear why the trucks were set on fire.  But the motive behind the arson would be the ongoing communal violence between the Kukis and the Meities that started on May 3, 2023.

This torching incident is the second such incident in the district in less than three days. On June 17, a group of miscreants torched and destroyed a bus carrying CRPF personnel at Thomas ground, Khangpokpi.