Drivers protest over illegal collection in name of RTO checks:Vehicles halted in Rewa; highway blocked for 2 hours

On National Highway-30 in Rewa’s Sohagi hills, truck drivers created a commotion on Friday night, alleging illegal collection in the name of RTO checking. The angry drivers demanded answers from people present at the spot. Within moments, a crowd gathered there. The drivers said they were being stopped in the name of checking, and money was being demanded. Frustrated with the long-running extortion, drivers lost patience and parked their vehicles to start the protest. According to eyewitnesses, chaos ensued as the protest grew. The crowd caught hold of one person who claimed to be associated with the RTO. Meanwhile, 4-5 other people who were with him took advantage of the situation and fled on foot. This is how the entire incident unfolded at MP- UP border… Crowd- Who are you, and why are you collecting money here? (RTO agent unable to answer…people catch him and make him stand on the road) Truck driver- He took 1000 rupees from me. Another truck driver- He was asking for 1000 rupees from me, too. Crowd- Who are you to collect money here with an RTO vehicle? (The RTO agent could not respond out of fear) Meanwhile, the crowd goes to catch the other RTO agent who was sitting in the car. The crowd grabs him by the waist and makes him stand in the middle of the road. During this, the second RTO agent- Don’t push and shove me. Meanwhile, the crowd- Catch him…catch him…the first one ran towards the jungle. (The crowd chased after him) Crowd- The first one escaped through the jungle path. Second RTO agent- I was not collecting money; I drove the vehicle. Truck driver- He was asking for money from me. RTO agent- Brother, please let me go. Truck Driver- I am coming from Andhra and then Hathras. As soon as I entered MP, this RTO agent caught me. Crowd- Make a video of this…file an FIR against him. Long queue of trucks formed, and traffic restored after 2 hours Due to the protest, there was a traffic jam on the highway for about two hours. A long line of trucks formed. Movement was affected. Traffic was gradually restored after persuasion. Police detained one person for questioning Local residents say that complaints of collection in the name of checking have come up in this area before as well. However, this time the drivers themselves openly protested, which escalated the matter. According to police officials, the situation was controlled after reaching the spot. One person has been detained for questioning. If illegal collection is confirmed in the investigation, legal action will be taken. Retired Commando said – Driver had called
Upon receiving the information, local Congress leader and retired Army Commando Arun Kumar Gautam reached the spot. He alleged that illegal collection is being done in the name of the RTO in the Sohagi area of Tyonthar assembly. Injustice with drivers will not be tolerated. Gautam said that I received a phone call at night. A truck driver cried while telling his ordeal. Going alone is not without danger, so I called the villagers. Everyone reached the spot within a short time. Seeing the crowd and all of us, the agents started running away. Two agents went into a tea seller’s hut nearby, while another agent got into a vehicle. The remaining one or two fled through the jungle route, who were later caught by everyone together. They beat poor truck drivers and threaten them Gautam said that truck drivers and innocent local people are cheated here regularly. Not only do they collect illegal money here, but they also beat up and misbehave with people who don’t pay. They beat poor truck drivers. They threaten them. Police officers also openly allow this extortion to happen.