Trade unions of autorickshaw drivers have called for a strike in the Corporation limit on Thursday in protest against the alleged harassment by the police over fare meter inspection.
Tense situation prevailed at Maradu police station on Wednesday evening after two autorickshaw drivers were taken into custody by traffic police following confrontation over meter inspection near Vyttila. The situation further deteriorated when police allegedly misbehaved with INTUC leaders Rasheed Kanath and Zakeer Hussain who turned up at the station to secure the release of those in custody. This led to the mobilisation of slogan shouting autorickshaw drivers at the station.
“Despite being responsible union leaders who came for negotiations to resolve the issue, they were manhandled and showered with abuses by the police. They were also taken into custody,” alleged E.P. Suresh, Vyttila area secretary, CITU. The situation was defused with the eventual release of all the four on bail later in the evening. A protest march to Maradu police station will also be undertaken on Thursday.
Earlier, interception of an autorickshaw near the Vyttila Mobility Hub by traffic police sub-inspector led to a row between the autorickshaw drivers and the police. Mr. Suresh alleged that policemen created trouble for not operating the meter despite the autorickshaw driver clarifying that he operated from the prepaid counter at the hub and there was no need to run the meter since the fare had been paid.
“However, police were not willing to listen and started abusing him. Autorickshaw drivers who were witness to the incident intervened and the police eventually took two of them to the station,” he said. Police, however, claimed that they had only acted on directions to take strong action against drivers plying without using the meter. Two workers had to be taken into custody, as they refused to pay the fine for not operating the meter and staged a dharna on the road disrupting traffic, Maradu police said.
