Imphal, Aug. 14 -- A Kuki-owned Bolero pickup was allegedly hijacked from Mayangkhang Thangal village in Manipur's Kangpokpi district and later set ablaze in Senapati district near the Nagaland border, according to the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO), Sadar Hills.

The vehicle, owned by Lamtinchon Chongloi, a daily wage earner, was reportedly taken by armed individuals and driven to Senapati, where it was torched. The KSO condemned the incident as a "heartless and barbaric" act, saying it had further damaged the livelihood of a family already facing financial hardship.

The student body linked the incident to the economic difficulties currently affecting Kangpokpi district amid the three-month-old economic blockade imposed by the United...