Navi Mumbai: Over 30 truck drivers arrested after attacking cops during protest

Later on, more reinforcements were called in by the police and the situation was brought under control. Pansare said that at least four persons sustained injuries in the incident. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)

DCP Vivek Pansare said that around 9am several truck drivers from a major cement company near JNPT gathered and blocked the road to protest against the new law. As per the new law, hit-and-run cases will be punishable by 10 years of imprisonment and can attract a fine of ₹ 7 lakh while earlier the sections were less stringent.

Pansare said that since police personnel were on bandobast duty till 5am on account of New Near, there was skeletal staff at the police station around 9am, when the truck drivers started protesting. On account of blocking roads, there were massive traffic snarls for nearly two kilometres on either side of the protests, the officer said.

When the police team went to the spot to ask them to allow vehicles to go, things got heated. Eventually, the truck drivers chased down police personnel with sticks in hand and threw stones at them. A video of a police personnel running away from the spot with truck drivers chasing him went viral on social media.

Later on, more reinforcements were called in by the police and the situation was brought under control. Pansare said that at least four persons sustained injuries in the incident. The local police have registered an FIR on charges of attempt to murder, obstructing a public servant from carrying out his duty and other sections related to rioting.

“We have arrested over 30 truck drivers in connection with the case. They will be produced before the court on Tuesday,” Pansare said. The protests carried out at Navi Mumbai are not an isolated incident but part of the protests carried out across the state where several truck and commercial vehicle drivers have been protesting the new penal laws for hit-and-run cases across the country.