Guwahati, June 9: JK Tyre and Industries has pulled out of the Aizawl leg of the Suzuki Gixxer Cup motorcycle race because of the ongoing highway blockade in Mizoram along the Assam-Mizoram border town of Kolasib.

The JK Motorsports crew for the event remained stranded along with hundreds of vehicles on the highway for the past four days.

"In the wake of ongoing agitation by student bodies and other organisations in the hilly state of Mizoram, JK Tyre and Industries has been forced to hand over the Aizawl leg of selection for the Suzuki Gixxer Cup tomorrow to Mizoram Motor Sports Association (MiMSA)," reads an official statement from JK Tyre.

"We deeply regret our withdrawal from the Aizawl selections because of circumstances beyond our control," Sanjay Sharma, head of JK Motorsports, said. "Our equipment that ensures safety and comfort for each participant has been held up at Kolasib on National Highway 54, just 100km from Aizawl, for four days. As we at JK Motorsports adhere to all safety norms in our motor sport initiatives, we do not have any choice but to withdraw from this round," he said.

The blockade has been called by several organisations, demanding the return of a surgeon from a Kolasib hospital. He was recently transferred to another location.

Sharma, however, said the selections would continue as planned so that bikers from the Northeast are not deprived of the opportunity to race in the national championship in Coimbatore next month.

"MiMSA is conducting its club selections on the same date at the same time and venue. We have requested them to accommodate all those who have registered with us for tomorrow's event," he said. "Another opportunity will be provided to these bikers to come to our next selection round in Pune (June 18) or Delhi (June 25). Our commitment to give an opportunity to every bike enthusiast in the country to race in our national championship event remains," Sharma added.