Bhubaneswar, March 9: At a time when police are contemplating to introduce pink autorickshaws in the city for women, involvement of auto drivers in a number of crimes has become a major concern.

Three days ago, an auto driver brutally assaulted a passenger with an iron rod following an argument over fare. Besides, in the recent past, the police found involvement of many autorickshaw drivers in other crimes, including snatching, apart from violation of traffic rules.

“Autorickshaw associations often come to the rescue of auto drivers. Such back up is often leading to a spurt in crimes committed by the drivers or operators,” said a police official.

In the past four months, the police have nabbed around a dozen autorickshaw drivers on charges of theft, forging of identification cards and harassment of passengers, he said.

Besides, many commuters are of the view that the autorickshaw stands in the city have become a safe haven for drunkards. Frequent brawls often take place at these places, making it a risky affair for commuters and pedestrians to pass by the areas.

The police have also caught some drivers using fake identity cards. A few years ago, the identification card system was introduced for the auto drivers, who were asked to wear it around their neck and put up another copy of it behind the driver’s seat.

“The passengers are often forced to argue with drivers over auto fare. At times, the drivers assault the passengers in retaliation,” said city resident Bimal Jena.

On the other hand, an autorickshaw association member said they had been co-operating with the police.

“Any autorickshaw driver indulging in crime should be strictly dealt with. However, the crux of the problem lies elsewhere. In the city, a number of autorickshaws are operating and many of these three-wheelers are not registered with any autorickshaw association. Therefore, at times, it becomes quite difficult for us to keep a tab on them,” said general secretary of the Bhubaneswar Autorickshaw Mahasangha Padman Kumar Samal.

However, the police said they were keeping an eye on the drivers.

“Criminal antecedents are being verified before issuing them licence,” said a police officer. He said the police were also planning to introduce uniforms for the auto drivers.