Ei Samay scribe attacked by auto driver, arrested

TNN | Dec 2, 2012, KOLKATA: A journalist who protested against an autorickshaw driver's "misbehaviour" to a woman passenger paid a heavy price on Saturday. Joy Saha, a reporter with Ei Samay, a Times Group Bengali newspaper, was not only beaten up near Dum Dum Metro station but also arrested on a counter-complaint by the auto driver. Police even ignored transport minister Madan Mitra's order for stern action against the driver.

Joy says he was dragged to the local Trinamool Congress-backed INTTUC-controlled auto union office where someone tried to slash his stomach with a razor. The police outpost initially refused to take his complaint, prompting him to go to Dum Dum police. But police did a barter of sorts — allegedly under political pressure — and arrested Joy along with the accused, auto driver Biju Saha and alleged accomplice Bisweswar Das.

And as it happens so often in Bengal, the auto union secretary Gautam Saha Mandal dubbed Joy a CPM cadre. Joy was arrested despite the fact that Barrackpore additional commissioner Subhankar Bhattacharya had confirmed his injuries. "The complainant has an injury mark to the left of his stomach made by a sharp weapon, though it is a minor one," Bhattacharya said.

Joy and three co-passengers, including a woman, alighted from the auto near Dum Dum Metro station around 11.15am. The woman and Saha gave a Rs 10 note each. The fare was Rs 6. Auto driver Biju demanded change and started abusing the woman, says Joy. When Joy protested, the driver started abusing him, too. A scuffle followed and Joy says he was dragged to the union office and assaulted.

"Other auto drivers present in the office started beating me. Someone in the crowd tried to slash my stomach with a razor. My shirt got torn and I was injured on the stomach. I ran towards a policeman, who had been simply standing there as an onlooker. He asked me to go to Ghugu Danga police outpost to lodge a complaint," Joy said.

"When I reached the outpost, a few Trinamool union leaders were already there. The officer-in-charge introduced me to them and asked if I would speak with them to 'solve the matter'. The union leaders insisted that I agree to a compromise and not lodge a complaint but I didn't agree," said Joy.

Later, while Joy was writing his complaint, Bijoy and Das, who claimed to be a witness, arrived and filed a counter-complaint. The driver didn't just deny the charge, he even claimed that Joy had bought a blade from a nearby shop and slashed himself. The complaint and the counter-complaint came handy to police to play down the alleged attack on Joy. They arrested both on bailable sections and let them off.

Joy Saha was beaten up after a scuffle with an auto driver over money in Kolkata. Joy said he was dragged to the TMC-backed, INTTUC-controlled auto union office where someone tried to slash his stomach.

The above is from te Times of India.

There seems to be no end to the torture of these auto drivers on the citizens of India.

I myself have faced their ire on one occasion when I had protested the auto drivers asking excess fare from another co-passenger.

I avoid the auto like a plague unless I have my wife with me me for she finds it difficult to get on a public bus.