The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Violent twist to autorickshaw drivers' dharna

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Wednesday, Dec 27, 2006
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Violent twist to autorickshaw drivers' dharna

Staff Reporter

30 injured in stone-pelting and lathicharge; union leaders arrested

PROTEST AND AFTERMATH: The police taking away an autorickshaw driver in Rajahmundry on Tuesday during the dharna. — Photo: S. Rambabu

Rajahmundry: At least 30 persons, including 10 policemen, were injured in stone-pelting and lathicharge at a dharna by autorickshaw union members on Tuesday. The rasta-roko was organised to protest against alleged police and road transport officials' highhandedness against autorickshaw drivers.

According DSP Ramakrishna, police and RTA officials had been imposing fine on those autorickshaw drivers, who ply vehicles packed with passengers and those who cross 20-km speed limit for the past ten days.

Cancelling licences

However, the auto unions alleged that in guise of GO 213, the police and RTA officials are imposing fine up to Rs.1,500 per trip on autos, registering cases and even cancelling licences. The autorickshaw drivers union affiliated to BMS gave a call for rasta-roko on Monday and TNTUC joined them.

However, other unions abstained from dharna till Tuesday, but later they too joined the agitation. Traffic came to a standstill on National Highway No.5 for more than an hour. Police had to resort to lathicharge to control the agitating drivers near Bommuru and Lalacheruvu. Many auto drivers sustained bleeding injuries. They began pelting stones on RTC buses and on police mobile vans.

After the police arrested 13 union leaders, hundreds of auto-rickshaw drivers drove to Bommuru police station and staged dharna.

They pelted stones at the police station too, demanding release of their leaders.

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