News Desk: Even as transporters across the country have called off their strike against the new hit-and-run law, normal life was severely hit in Assam on Friday due to a two-day strike called by the joint forum of the drivers' association against the penal law recently passed by the Parliament. It is to be noted that motor workers unions have observed a 48-hour strike across Assam against the law. Normal life has been affected by the two day protest with people facing hardships.
Under the recently passed Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which replaces the colonial era Indian Penal Code (IPC), drivers involved in hit-and-run accidents by negligent driving and run away without informing the police can face punishment of up to 10 years or a fine of Rs 7 lakh. Since Friday Morning, the drivers in Assam observed a two-day strike from January 5 to 6 at the call of a joint platform of motor workers of Assam leaving passengers high and dry.
The protesting drivers demanded an immediate rollback of the new hit-and-run law, which they said, was against the interests of the drivers. The protests against the new hit-and-run law were witnessed across Assam on the first day including Guwahati, Tezpur, Nagaon, Golaghat, Sarupathar, Dibrugarh Tinsukia, Silchar and many other parts of the state.
The protestors took to the streets and shouted slogans against the new hit-and-run law which has sent waves of discontentment among the drivers. Lashing out at the central government the drivers expressed their displeasure at the new penal law. They said that “such imposition of law is not acceptable”.
They further added that if they have to serve 10 years of imprisonment and pay a hefty sum of Rs 7 lakhs as per the new amendments of the law then it better that they give up their profession. During the protest, some reports of minor scuffle between the protestors and the security personnels have come to fore, but the overall protest has been peaceful so far.
Notably, according to the new law, if a driver commits an accident and runs away, he will be sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code Act 304, which was previously of two years. Through this protest, members of the drivers' union as well as the workers' union demanded the immediate repeal of the newly amended law.
