Drivers Seek Repeal Of New Hit-and-run Law | Patna News – Times of India

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Patna: Hundreds of bus, autorickshaw, e-rickshaw and cab drivers hit the roads in the city on Friday to protest new penal provisions regarding hit-and-run cases. The protest march began from Tata Park near Patna Junction and moved towards Dak Bungalow Chowk, where it was stopped by the police.
The march was led by Rajkumar Jha, general secretary of All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation, Pappu Yadav, president of Auto Drivers’ Union, Himanshu Kumar, president of E-Rickshaw Drivers’ Union and Kanhaiya Kumar, general secretary of Cab Drivers’ Union.
As around 500 drivers had planned to burn effigies of Union home minister Amit Shah at Dak Bungalow roundabout, the administration had deployed large numbers of police personnel with water cannons and riot control vehicles. Police stopped the protesters at Dak Bungalow roundabout and seized effigies from them. An eight-member delegation of the drivers later met Patna DM Chandrashekhar Singh and submitted a memorandum to him. Traffic movement remained disrupted at Dak Bungalow roundabout for nearly an hour due to the protest.
According to the new provisions in hit-and-run cases under Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, whoever causes death by rash and negligent driving not amounting to culpable homicide, and escapes without reporting it to a police officer or a magistrate soon after the incident, shall be punished with up to 10-year imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 7 lakh.
“We have named this law as ‘public hanging’. The Centre should immediately repeal this law. The agitation will continue until our demands are met. There will be an even bigger statewide movement soon. The government will be responsible for the inconvenience caused during the protests. All the unions will decide the next date for ‘chakka bandh’ in the state at a meeting to be held on January 8,” Rajkumar Jha said.
“The new law will result in scarcity of drivers. No one will want to become a driver due to the stringent punishments under the new law. The government should repeal the law imedidately,” Pappu Yadav said.
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Petrol pumps in India are witnessing long queues as people rush to fill their tanks amid fears of a fuel shortage caused by a protest by truck drivers. The protest is against the new penal law on hit-and-run accident cases. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita stipulates up to 10 years imprisonment or a fine of Rs 7 lakh for drivers causing serious road accidents and fleeing the scene without informing the police.
Explainer: Why truck drivers are protesting against new law for hit-and-run cases
Transporters and auto-driver associations across India are protesting against the new law on hit-and-run incidents. The Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) has replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the new law imposes stricter punishments. Private transport operators are concerned that the law may discourage drivers and expose them to unjust punishments. The protests have caused disruptions in various states, with long queues at petrol pumps and fears of fuel shortages. Haryana and Punjab are among the states where motorists and transporters have joined the protest.



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