A wave of protests has swept via numerous states as drivers and truckers categorical their dissatisfaction with stringent ‘hit-and-run’ provision within the new penal legislation.
The felony code legislation, which repealed the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC) gives as much as 10 years of punishment for fleeing an accident spot and never reporting the incident.
MAHARASHTRA
Truck drivers staged “rasta roko” protests at many locations in Maharashtra on Monday in opposition to the supply within the new penal legislation relating to hit-and-run highway accident instances involving motorists.
The protests raised the spectre of a scarcity of gasoline in some locations.
As per officers, truck drivers briefly blocked visitors on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Freeway within the Mira Bhayandar space in Thane district and hurled stones at police personnel, leaving a policeman injured. A police automobile was broken by stone pelting.
Highway blockade protests had been additionally held in Solapur, Kolhapur, Nagpur and Gondia districts, officers stated, including that the state of affairs in Navi Mumbai and different locations is beneath management.
CHHATTISGARH
Drivers of business buses and truckers on Monday stopped work and staged protests at a number of locations in Chhattisgarh demanding the withdrawal of the supply within the new penal legislation relating to hit-and-run accident instances involving motorists.
Greater than 12,000 non-public bus drivers throughout the state stopped work on Monday, leaving a whole lot of commuters stranded at bus stations in Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg, and Rajnandgaon amongst different cities.
Folks queued up at petrol pumps in numerous cities fearing that the agitation might hit gasoline provide in coming days.
The protests precipitated inconvenience to a number of commuters as stranded folks had been seen attempting to make various journey preparations.
WEST BENGAL
A whole bunch of truck and business automobile drivers protesting the brand new penal legal guidelines for hit-and-run instances blocked the nationwide freeway quantity 2 close to Dankuni toll plaza in West Bengal’s Hooghly district on Sunday for round two hours, the police stated.
In keeping with the police, the agitators began blocking the highway at round 10:30 am at Chanditala by burning tyres and parking their autos in the course of the highway.
Senior law enforcement officials from Chanditala and Dankuni police stations rushed to the spot to steer truck drivers to elevate the blockade.
Police cleared the highway blockade and motion of autos began at 1:50 pm, an officer stated.
PUNJAB
A major variety of business autos, together with vehicles and buses, shunned working throughout Punjab on Monday to protest in opposition to the brand new legislation associated to hit-and-run instances.
Truck drivers initiated a protest on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur Highway in Moga, disrupting visitors. As per transporters, truck drivers have additionally assembled on the Shambhu border close to Ambala, obstructing the motion of vehicles.
In keeping with media studies, protesters are garnering assist from drivers related to Punjab Roadways, Punjab Highway Transport Company (PRTC), and personal bus corporations.
MADHYA PRADESH
In Bhopal, drivers staged an agitation at Lalghati and stopped metropolis buses and autos, and a few protesters additionally gathered at Board Workplace Sq. in MP Nagar.
Highway blockades had been seen in some locations within the state as a result of protests by drivers. Lengthy queues had been witnessed at petrol pumps as a result of panic over concern of disrupted gasoline provide in numerous cities.
In Indore, buses had been parked on the highway at Gangwal bus stand as a part of the protest.
With inputs from PTI