A nationwide protest by truck, bus and tanker operators ended on Tuesday after the Centre assured them that provisions related to hit-and-run cases in the newly-enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita will only be implemented after a discussion with them, reported The Indian Express.
The transport associations and drivers had begun a strike on Monday against a clause in the new criminal law that provides for a 10-year jail term and penalty of up to Rs 7 lakh for hit-and-run cases. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has received the assent of President Droupadi Murmu, but the government is yet to announce the date from when it will take effect.
Hit-and-run cases are currently prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code and attract imprisonment for a year, which can be extended up to two years, with a fine of more than Rs 1,000 or both. In cases of deaths, the police can also file cases under Section 302, which relates to murder.
The All India Motor Transport Congress has argued that the new provisions can lead to drivers being harassed.
On Tuesday, Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla said that the law is yet to be enforced and the Centre will hold a discussion with the All India Motor Transport Congress before implementing it.
“I appeal to the body and transporters to return to work,” Bhalla said, reported The Hindu. The home ministry, in an official release on Tuesday night, said that the government has taken cognisance of the truckers’ concerns and urged the protestors to return to work.
After the meeting with the home secretary, Amrik Singh, a member of the transport body, said that his union had not given a strike call. “The drivers were protesting against the new provisions,” he said. “After the meeting, the issue has been resolved.”
Another member of the All India Motor Transport Congress, Bal Malkit Singh, said earlier in the day that the protestors are demanding that the government should withdraw the provision.
“We are not demanding that those who drink and drive or drivers who drive rashly should be dealt with kid gloves,” he said prior to the meeting with the home secretary. “But there have been many cases where drivers have got involved in accidents for no fault of theirs and people have gathered in mobs to beat them up. Sometimes the mobs also burn the vehicle and the drivers have to run for their safety.”
The protest had disrupted the supply of essential items in several states. Long queues were seen outside fuel stations in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
The supply of vegetables and fruits in Delhi’s wholesale markets was also disrupted, according to The Indian Express. Supplies from states like Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan were stuck for about five to six hours due to the protest, traders said.
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