Auto stir near-total

SURAT, April 21: The indefinite strike by autorickshaws, which entered its second day on Wednesday, continued to be near total with pract...

SURAT, April 21: The indefinite strike by autorickshaws, which entered its second day on Wednesday, continued to be near total with practically all the 30,000-odd autorickshaws of the city keeping off the roads to protest against what they term is 8220;selective targetting8221; by the police.

Leaders of rickshaw unions met again for the second day today and resolved to continue their strike until the police stopped fining them for not plying by the meter. They alleged that each policeman was compulsorily required to issue 15 receipts and this was precisely the reason why autorickshaws were being targeted.

Meanwhile, Jayanti Prajapati, president of the Varachha Auto-rickshaw Sangh, who was arrested on Tuesday for his alleged involvement in the violent incidences, was released on bail on Wednesday. Prajapati claimed on Wednesday that he was arrested though he had no role in the incidences.

Mahesh Master, president of Surat Auto Rickshaw Mandal, told Express Newsline that the police was unnecessarily harassing drivers though none of those who resorted to violence were auto drivers. He claimed that passengers had resorted to stone-throwing as the buses did not stop at the scheduled bus stops.

A release issued jointly by the rickshaw unions said the traffic police had informed drivers that the drive was ordered by the commissioner, who had made it compulsory for every policemen to book 15 rickshaws daily.

8220;Solve the Nita Satbhaya case, Sonal-Shilpa case, and other important matters. Why target us alone?8221;, the release questioned. The leaders said use of lathis by the police amounted to violation of human rights of the drivers. The statement claimed that PI S B Rawat traffic, deployed near the railway station, was most aggressive as he wanted a transfer.

When contacted, City Police Commissioner Kuldip Sharma maintained that traffic police would continue fining erring drivers.

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Meanwhile, four persons, two each in Varachha and Udhna areas of the city, were arrested by the police late on Wednesday for violence on Wednesday. Traffic PI L M Vaghela and others arrested Umashankar Rajput and Deepak Prajapati of a mob of about 100 people, who were forcibly evacuating passengers from plying autorickshaws from Hirabaug Circle area.

Two others were arrested by the Udhna police also for forcibly attempted to evacuate passengers from rickshaws on the Udhna main road.

No other incidents of violence were reported in the city during the day.