Violence during truckers' protest in Rajasthan's Kekri, 3 police personnel injured
Jaipur (PTI): A truckers' protest against the Centre's new law on hit-and-run cases turned violent in the Kekri district of Rajasthan where a mob burnt a police vehicle and pelted stones at security personnel, leaving three injured, police said on Tuesday.
Many truck drivers have joined the strike that has been called to press for the revocation of new provisions and are holding protests. There is also a rush on petrol pumps as people fear the stir will impede fuel supply.
Police faced resistance by protesting truck drivers and locals in the Bandanwada area of Kekri district on Monday night when they tried to clear the road.
"The police had gone to clear a traffic jam on Ajmer-Bhilwara highway when the mob pelted stones at the police, leaving three policemen injured. A vehicle of Kekri city police station was also burnt," Circle Officer of Kekri Sanjay Singh said.
He said that additional policemen were deployed in the area and the road was cleared.
"Efforts are being made to identify those involved in the incident," he said, adding that there is no jam today.
Satish Jain, President of Jaipur Transport Operators Association, said that nearly 80 per cent of the truck drivers have boycotted work in protest against the law.
"The truck drivers are not working and they are participating in the strike which has affected the transportation of goods. Transporters are also standing by the drivers," Jain said.
"We demand that the government review the provisions of the law which are harsh and not practical to fulfill," he said.
Rajendra Singh Bhati, president of the petrol pump dealers association, said that supply has been affected by nearly 20 per cent in the state due to the truckers' strike.
Under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which replaced the colonial era Indian Penal Code, drivers who cause a serious road accident by negligent driving and run away without informing the police or any official from the administration can face a punishment of up to 10 years or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.
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Dalit outfits call state-wide hartal over dental student’s death
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Various Dalit organisations on Monday announced a state-wide hartal seeking justice in the death of Kannur Dental College student Nithin Raj.
The hartal will be observed on Tuesday from 6 am to 6 pm.
As many as 52 Dalit organisations, including Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, have announced the strike.
Organisations requesting cooperation for the strike said that no vehicles will be forcibly stopped and that all essential services are exempted.
Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Anjarakkandy in Kannur district, was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.
Police have registered a case against two faculty members on charges of abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations by the student’s family that he was subjected to caste- and complexion-based harassment.
Kerala Pinnokka Samudaya Munnani (KPSM), one of the organisations supporting the hartal, alleged in a statement that police had shown apathy in the investigation and were attempting to protect the accused in the case.
KPSM state president K V Padmanabhan and general secretary S Anwar alleged that the probe into Raj’s death was being deliberately misdirected and delayed.
While the family has firmly alleged that caste discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members led to the student’s death, police were attempting to divert the investigation towards loan app borrowings, they claimed.
The organisation alleged that this was a planned move to shield the real accused.
KPSM further alleged that by deliberately delaying the arrest of the accused teachers, police enabled them to secure anticipatory bail.
They said there was no confidence in the present police investigation and demanded that the case be handed over to an independent agency at the earliest.
