Bhubaneswar, Aug. 27: Autorickshaw drivers demonstrated against assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Binod Kumar Das today for allegedly beating up one of their colleagues at Vani Vihar Square.
The protesting auto-rickshaw drivers said Dharanidhar Mallick, 30, suffered injuries on his right hand when the police officer thrashed him with a stick this morning.
Around 50 autorickshaw drivers stopped plying their vehicles as they protested under the banner of Rajdhani Autorickshaw Mahasangha. They gathered in front of the traffic police station this afternoon and blocked Sachivalaya Marg that passes in front of the state Assembly and the secretariat for around 15 minutes before police forced them off the road. Then they sat in front of the police station demanding action against the ACP and compensation for the injured.
“We protested against police atrocity against autorickshaw drivers in the city. A large number of private vehicles are parked on the Janpath, which creates traffic jam, but the police never take action against them. They harass autorickshaw drivers even though they park their vehicles for a few minutes to pick or drop passengers,” said Naba Kishora Mohanty, president of the protesting group.
Senior police officers including deputy commissioner of police Nitinjeet Singh rushed to the traffic police station. He assured the protesters to look into the matter and provided Rs 10,000 from the Red Cross fund of the commissionerate police to the victim.
Mallick, the injured, said he was picking up a passenger from in front of the Titan showroom near Vani Vihar Square when the Das attacked him with a stick.
“He hit hard on my right hand and fractured it. I did not know why he hit me because I was not breaking any traffic rule. My vehicle was standing on the roadside when I was beaten up,” said Mallik, who was from Nayagarh and had been driving a rented autorickshaw in the city for 10 years.
Das dismissed the allegations of beating up the driver. However, he said Mallik was picking up passengers by parking his vehicle in the middle of the road.
“Many vehicles were stranded behind his vehicle, but he was not giving way. I rushed there when I got a complaint. Even though I asked him to move his vehicle, he did not pay any heed to my words. Since I forced him to move away the vehicle, he has brought this allegation against me,” he said.
Das said since he had joined as the traffic assistant commissioner of police two weeks ago, he had been getting several complaints against autorickshaw drivers driving recklessly on the road posing threat to the safety and security of commuters.
“They were even causing many traffic-related problems on the road. We do not target anyone intentionally. But those who create problems for others will definitely be punished following the law,” said the police officer.
“I will look into the matter and take action accordingly,” said deputy commissioner of police Nitinjeet Singh.