Alot (Madhya Pradesh): Drivers of commercial vehicles, including trucks and buses, stopped work in Alot on Monday to protest the new law regarding hit-and-run cases. The controversial law stipulates severe penalties, including a huge fine and ten years' imprisonment in case of an accident. The drivers' union, joined by bus, truck, rickshaw pullers, taxi operators, and transport businessmen, decried the law as draconian, labeling it a 'black law'.
Drivers gathered at Gandhi Chowk bus stand early in the morning, shutting down operations and raising slogans. Vinod Mali, the legal advisor of the drivers union, highlighted that accidents are often unintended, emphasising that the law's stringent provisions could plunge drivers and their families into a grim future. The protest escalated as drivers, conductors, and union members converged at the station intersection, causing temporary disruptions to traffic flow. Alot police station in-charge Dinesh Bhojak intervened to clear the road.
The closure of rickshaw taxis compounded transportation woes, leaving passengers stranded due to the non-operation of buses. Union members presented a memorandum to SDM Sunil Kumar Jaiswal, addressed to the President, outlining their grievances regarding the provision. They warned of escalating their agitation if the law is not retracted, signaling a potential escalation of the protest.
