Bhubaneswar: Autorickshaw services were disrupted across Bhubaneswar on Tuesday as the Smart City Online Auto Drivers’ Association launched a protest and its members gheraoed the Capital Police Station.
A large number autorickshaws were parked in front of the police station, causing a severe traffic jam on the road between Rajmahal and AG Square.
Sources said the protest was launched against police action in connection with an incident reported recently in which a member of the association was allegedly assaulted by members of the Station Auto Drivers’ Association.
The online auto drivers alleged that the police arrested an innocent person instead of taking action against the real offenders. They gathered outside the police station demanding justice and action against those responsible.
The protest caused significant inconvenience to commuters, with hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides of the road. Although some police personnel attempted to manage the situation, they reportedly refrained from direct involvement in dispersing the gathering.
The incident is said to be a fallout of an earlier altercation between online and offline autorickshaw drivers at the Railway Station area. During the dispute, an online driver sustained injuries to his head and eye after being physically assaulted when he had gone to pick up a customer from the area.
The online drivers alleged that their offline counterparts always prevent them from picking up passengers in the station area. Offline auto drivers even force customers to walk over 300 metres to board an online autorickshaw, causing inconvenience to the public, they claimed.
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