Indefinite Strike At Fulertal Ghat After NIA Arrests Ferry Drivers

The Barak Valley Boat Association has announced an indefinite suspension of motor launch services from Fulertal Ghat (Cachar, Assam) to Tipaimukh (Jiribam, Manipur) from Sunday (August 17), demanding the immediate release of launch driver Thanglienlal Hmar alias Boya and his brother Lalrosang Hmar, who were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on charges of kidnapping and murdering six Meitei women and children during the height of Manipur Violence last year.

On Saturday (August 16), coinciding with the weekly market day at Fulertal Ferry Ghat, launch drivers and members of the association staged a protest programme. Later, addressing a press conference, association president Kosang Hmar, secretary Jowelsanglien Hmar, along with Sushendra Das and Abdul Salam, claimed that the accused were innocent.

“We are innocent launch drivers. Our only work is to carry passengers from one place to another. But if extremists threaten us with guns and force us to ferry them, we have no choice but to comply out of fear for our lives. Thanglienlal was also a victim of such threats. He is a religious person with no criminal background,” the association leaders said.

According to the NIA, Thanglienlal and his brother were arrested on July 31 under case number RC-15/2024/NIA/IMP for their alleged involvement as “active conspirators” in the abduction and killing of six Meitei women and children in November 2024, by militants in the Borobekara area of Jiribam, Manipur.

Thanglienlal was apprehended on July 31, after his motorboat reached Fulertal Ferry Ghat, briefly interrogated at Lakhimpur Police Station, and then taken to Manipur.

The association leaders argued that nearly 150 motor launches operate daily between Tipaimukh, Shibpuri in Manipur, and Fulertal in Cachar, carrying 2,000–3,000 passengers. “It is impossible for us to check what passengers are carrying. Many times, criminals throw away contraband when sensing police presence, and innocent boatmen get arrested while the real culprits flee,” said launch driver Sushendra Das.

More than a hundred boatmen, including Chonga Hmar, Kripa Das, Piyush Das, Karim Hossain, Eden Hmar, and Kalyan Das, joined the protest. The association made it clear that the strike will continue indefinitely until Thanglienlal and his brother are released unconditionally.