Auto rickshaw drivers stage protest over ‘humiliation’ in Bhubaneswar
Auto-rickshaws and cabs remained off the road in Bhubaneswar and other parts of Odisha on Thursday as members of the Smart City Online Auto Association staged a protest against alleged humiliation by the agitating Drivers Mahasangha.
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Bhubaneswar: Auto-rickshaws and cabs remained off the road in Bhubaneswar and other parts of Odisha on Thursday as members of the Smart City Online Auto Association staged a protest against alleged humiliation by the agitating Drivers Mahasangha.
According to association leaders, over 10,000 auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers took part in the strike in the state capital. Auto drivers in other cities, including Cuttack and Puri, also suspended operations in protest of the alleged humiliation.
The striking auto and cab drivers held demonstrations in various locations, holding placards and banners. They also chanted anti-Drivers' Mahasangha slogans.
Many auto-rickshaw drivers protested in Bhubaneswar at Lower PMG and Janpath against alleged humiliation by agitating bus drivers.
Commuters had a difficult time getting to their destinations after the auto-rickshaw and cab drivers went on strike, while the Drivers' Mahasangha's agitation entered its second day. A large number of passengers were stranded in bus stops throughout the state.
Auto-rickshaw drivers claimed that members of the agitating Drivers' Mahasangha publicly humiliated them for not participating in their strike on Wednesday.
The agitating Mahasangha members allegedly heckled some of the auto-rickshaw drivers.
They also claimed that Mahasangha members forced them to carry placards with derogatory messages written on them. The auto-rickshaw drivers were also garlanded and insulted, while the police provided no protection.
Meanwhile, the Drivers' Mahasangha's state-wide strike, which has approximately five lakh members, has continued to press for several demands, including social security, including pension, insurance, and death benefits.
Protesters were seen holding rallies in various parts of the state, including Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. They were seen picketing on major highways and yelling slogans in support of their demands.
Meanwhile, Debendra Sahu, secretary of the private bus owners' association, blamed the police for disrupting bus operations during the Drivers' Mahasangha agitation.
He claimed that private bus drivers are being humiliated in public in the presence of cops, but no action is being taken. "If the police aren't protecting us, how will we operate?" Sahu inquired.
