Bengaluru: 260 cases lodged, 98 autorickshaws seized in crackdown on overcharging
Bengaluru (PTI): In a crackdown against autorickshaws overcharging and plying illegally, Karnataka transport department authorities on Monday registered 260 cases and seized 98 vehicles.
The action came days after state Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy directed the transport commissioner to take strict action against app-based and other autorickshaws in Bengaluru that charge fares above the government-fixed rates, calling the practice a "daylight robbery".
In a letter dated June 28, the minister said the permits of such autorickshaws should be cancelled and cases registered against the violators.
"In Bengaluru city, a drive was launched against autorickshaws charging more than the fare fixed by the government and against autorickshaws plying illegally from 8 am on June 30," a transport department official said.
He said the drive was conducted after forming 22 special investigation teams for the purpose -- two each from all the regional transport offices in the city.
There have been complaints from commuters about rising autorickshaw fares. The meter fare is fixed at Rs 30 for the first 1.9 km and Rs 15 for every additional kilometre.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
