Truckers block Nagpur-Jabalpur highway after driver allegedly beaten at Kandri post
Truck drivers blocked the Nagpur-Jabalpur highway near Kandri checkpost for two hours after alleging a driver was beaten during a dispute over illegal toll collection.
Angry truck drivers parked their vehicles on the Nagpur-Jabalpur National Highway 44 near the Kandri checkpost and began a protest, alleging that a fellow driver had been beaten there. The protest caused long queues of vehicles and brought traffic on the highway to a complete halt for nearly two hours.
The incident is reported to have taken place around noon on September 26 in the Kandri checkpost area.
Truck drivers allege that some local people at the Kandri checkpost illegally collect money from truckers. It is said that during one such incident, a truck driver questioned why the Kandri checkpost, located on the Maharashtra border, was still operating when checkposts elsewhere had been shut.
This triggered a dispute. According to the truck drivers, the people involved then grabbed the driver by his collar, pulled him down from the truck and beat him.
Seeing this, other truck drivers grew angry and parked their trucks on the highway to begin a protest. A verbal argument between the truckers and the people involved later turned into a scuffle, creating tension in the Kandri checkpost area for some time.
The protest led to long queues of heavy vehicles on the Nagpur-Jabalpur National Highway. The truck drivers staged a sit-in on the highway, demanding that the Kandri checkpost be shut down.
On receiving news of the incident, highway police and Ramtek police reached the spot. A sub-divisional police officer, a police inspector and other personnel spoke with the protesting truck drivers. After police intervention, the situation was brought under control and traffic on the highway returned to normal after about two hours.
Truck drivers also claim that an RTO official present at the checkpost was there at the time the driver was beaten, a claim that has caused deep resentment among the truckers.
The truck drivers allege that despite all other checkposts being shut, the Kandri border checkpost has been kept running and illegal collection is taking place there. They have demanded that this alleged collection be stopped immediately and the Kandri checkpost be closed.
The department concerned has not yet issued an official response to these allegations, so independent and official confirmation of the claims is still awaited.
