 "Here's why truck drivers demand roll-back of new 'hit and run' law")
Scores of truck drivers on Monday launched massive protests against the stringent punishment prescribed in the 'hit-and-run' provision under the new penal law, leading to clashes with the police at some places.
Protests erupted in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab where the agitators blocked roads and cautioned of serious implications for the supply chain if the provision was not withdrawn.
New 'hit and run' provision
The Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, which is set to replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, has a provision to punish drivers for up to 10 years and impose a fine of Rs 7 lakh in cases of serious road accidents due to negligent driving and fleeing without informing officials.
Stone pelting in Maharashtra
During the agitation in Navi Mumbai, a policeman got injured after being attacked in a stone-pelting incident in Nerul. "A policeman was injured when a group of motorists attacked him near NRI police station in Nerul in Navi Mumbai. When police personnel reached the spot and tried to speak to truckers about the new law, some of them became violent, forcing us to use force to bring the situation under control," a police official said. Protests also took place in Solapur, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Raigad and Gondia districts.
The protests, if not called off soon, can result in a crunch of fuel at petrol stations and a supply of vegetables and goods, among other services dependent on these transportation services.
Similar protests occurred in Chhattisgarh and Punjab where the drivers stopped working and demanded a complete withdrawal of the provision. "Around 1 lakh drivers, including those engaged in operating buses, trucks, transport and school buses, have launched a protest on Monday as a part of 'steering chhodo andolan'," Chhattisgarh Vahan Chalak Sangh convener Jitendra Shukla said.
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In Gujarat, the agitators blocked the highways passing through Kheda, Valsad, Gir Somnath, Bharuch and Mehsana districts by parking their vehicles.
Unions write to government
Meanwhile, JP Aggarwal, president of Ludhiana Goods Transport Association, had said on Monday that the transport bodies have also written to the Narendra Modi government in this regard, but did not receive any response. However, as the protests escalated on Tuesday, a senior government official clarified that any driver who accidentally hits a person and subsequently informs police or takes the victim to the nearest hospital will not be prosecuted under the stringent provision of the newly enacted law.
Congress backs protest
Meanwhile, the agitation has become the latest flashpoint between the central government and the Opposition with the Congress party demanding a roll-back of the provision." This provision is unjust and harsh on motorists. Truck drivers, car drivers and even two-wheeler riders are afraid to drive because of this provision," Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole told reporters in Mumbai.
The law that passed while over 145 MPs remained suspended during the winter session of the Parliament in December, was also criticised for being introduced "hastily". A Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said the legal provision was brought in hastily and without holding discussions with transporters' organisations. "The punishment is very harsh in the new law. It should stay," he added.
(With agency inputs)
(With agency inputs)