Auto drivers to pay for damage caused during protest at Master-Canteen: Min

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Bhubaneswar: The auto drivers in the city will be held responsible for the damage caused during the agitation and will be required to compensate for the losses at Master-canteen square, Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said.

The minister said strict action would be taken against those involved in the violence, including cancellation of their driving licences. They will not be forgiven. They have taken the law into their own hands, attacked ordinary citizens, and damaged government vehicles.

Furthermore, illegal auto-rickshaw stands set up by the drivers involved in such hooliganism will be demolished; the government is considering this matter.

He added that the government would take steps to recover the losses caused during the incident from those responsible. Ensuring the safety and security of the general public is the government’s responsibility, the minister said.

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Worth mentioning, Police have so far arrested 113 people in connection with the incidents and have been court-forwarded, while more arrests are expected.

The accused have been booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 126 for wrongful restraint, Section 115 for voluntarily causing hurt and Section 109 for attempted murder. Provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act have also been invoked for alleged damage to government property.

The police have seized 354 auto-rickshaws allegedly linked to the protesters. The seized vehicles have been kept at the Reserve Police Ground in Jayadev Vihar.

The Commissionerate Police has swung into action following the deterioration of the law-and-order situation and the attack on police personnel during a protest at Master Canteen. The police have made it clear that strict legal action will be taken against anyone who takes the law into their own hands and resorts to violence.

Also Read: Master Canteen Violence: 113 Arrested, 354 Vehicles Seized

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