In Odisha's capital city rideshare app drivers’ protest turns violent; over 100 held

BHUBANESWAR: The ongoing protest by rideshare app drivers in the state capital turned violent on Wednesday as agitators allegedly pelted stones at security personnel and vandalised at least 10 city buses, prompting police to arrest over 100 persons.

Key points

• This person reached the spot to take stock of the situation, remarked around 1, 000 protesters had gathered illegally near Station Square.
• Traffic movement near Station Square was disrupted for a number of hours as Ola, Uber and Rapido taxi and bike drivers intensified their agitation.
• Around 30, 000 cab and auto drivers and bike riders are at present working with different app-based businesses.
• The protesters allegedly pelted stones at police personnel and broke the glass panels of 10 Ama buses parked by the roadside.
• A case was afterwards registered at Kharavela Nagar police station against the agitators for unlawful protest.

Meanwhile, the online cab drivers additionally vandalised two police vehicles. Police resorted to baton charge and applied water cannons to bring the situation under control. While Capital police station inspector-in-charge Radhakanta Sahu and 13 other police personnel sustained injuries in the attack by the protesters, a number of taxi drivers were hurt. The injured police personnel were admitted to Capital Hospital.

Earlier, the demonstrators parked their auto-rickshaws on the roads to block traffic as part of the protest. Police mobilised cranes to remove the vehicles and attempted to persuade the agitators to clear the roads, but to no avail. After which the situation turned violent, a scuffle subsequently broke out between the protesters and police.

In practice, the protesters allegedly pelted stones at police personnel and broke the glass panels of 10 Ama buses parked by the roadside. In some cases, they additionally deflated the buses' tyres. Though no passenger was injured, plenty of fled the buses after the protesters began targeting the vehicles.

Police applied water cannons to disperse the demonstrators and eventually brought the situation under control.

Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena. This person reached the spot to take stock of the situation, remarked around 1, 000 protesters had gathered illegally near Station Square.

"The cab drivers were permitted to agitate on Monday, but they illegally continued the protest into the third day. Moreover, the administration had no role to play in any of their demands, " he stated.

For context, a case was afterwards registered at Kharavela Nagar police station against the agitators for unlawful protest. Around 100 protesters allegedly involved in stone-pelting and vandalism of Ama buses were apprehended from the spot.

"More arrests will be made after recording the statements of eyewitnesses and examining CCTV footage, " Meena remarked.

For context, the strike severely affected commuters as hundreds of bikes, auto-rickshaws and taxis remained off the roads on Wednesday.

Even as the agitation disrupted transport services, the protesting taxi and auto drivers and bike riders working with private aggregators reiterated their demand for administration regulation of online taxi fares and fixed rates for passengers. Around 30, 000 cab and auto drivers and bike riders are at present working with different app-based businesses.

Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena remarked nobody would be allowed to take the law into their own hands and that the administration was willing to address the grievances of the protesting drivers.

For now, in Odisha' s capital city rideshare app drivers' protest turns violent; over 100 remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.