Now,autos catch strike fever

The bandh took a nasty turn in the afternoon when enforcers dragged passengers out of autos whose drivers had not joined the strike.

“I had to walk half the distance after some people forcibly stopped the auto I was travelling in,” said a commuter.

The bandh was led by Nana Kshirsagar’s Maharashtra Rickshaw Sena. Datta Gule’s auto union,affiliated to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena,also participated in the strike.

Most unions did not support the strike. “The strike has been called by a section. We have not joined it,” said Baba Adhav,president of the city’s leading autorickshaw union,the Rickshaw Panchayat.

The participating unions called off the daylong token strike after 5 pm but Kshirsagar said that they would enforce it again on Monday if the traffic police did not ease pressure on drivers.

“We have spoken to the DCP and he has assured us that auto drivers will not be harassed. If the police drive continues,we will have to go on a strike on Monday,” Kshirsagar said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic) Manoj Patil was equally firm,saying the drive against illegal autorickshaws would continue. “We are only cracking down on illegal autorickshaws ferrying more than three passengers. That is important for the health of the city. We have told the unions that if they feel they have been wronged then they can approach us,” he said.

Kshirsagar vowed to pursue the issue. “The traffic police have been harassing auto drivers for several days. A few days ago,a driver was severely beaten up by the police and had to be admitted to Jehangir Hospital,” Kshirsagar said.

Asked about the forcible enforcement and harassment of passengers,union leaders said this happened because the police did not take their demands seriously.

“In the larger interests of the auto drivers,we were trying to enforce the bandh. Some autos were damaged and the police picked up around 5-6 people. These things keep happening,” Kshirsagar said.

Around the time the strike was called off,the police picked up several union members.