Assault On Cab Driver By Filling Station Staff Sparks Tension In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Tension ran high in Chandrasekharpur area of the city after some staff of a filling station assaulted a cab driver on Sunday afternoon.

According to sources, the cab driver, Santosh Puhana, had gone to the filling station for refuelling his vehicle. Though he paid the money for the fuel online, the filling station staff told him to pay the amount in cash as the online payment was not received.

When Puhana told the staff that he had no cash with him, the latter abused him. While they were engaged in a heated exchange of words, some other staff of the filling station assaulted him.

Following information, hundreds of members of the Odisha Cab Owners’ Association rushed to the filling station and admitted the injured Puhana to a nearby CHC. Later, they closed the filling station and staged a dharna demanding arrest of the people for the assault.

On being informed about the incident, Chandrasekharpur Police rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

Talking to the media, general secretary of the Association Pradip Mohanty said they were talking to the filling station owner on the issue. “We have demanded  compensation for Puhana and unconditional apology from him for the assault,” he added.