The Bengaluru police on Tuesday arrested 12 people and registered 12 FIRs in connection with incidents of attacks reported from parts of the city during the bandh called by private transport operators on Monday, officials said.
The strike called by the private transport operators in Bengaluru turned violent in many places, as protesters attacked commuters, cabs and autorickshaw drivers for defying the bandh.
The operators called off their strike after transport minister Ramalinga Reddy assured to fulfil 27 out of the 32 demands at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. Around 700,000 private transport vehicles, which are part of 32 unions, stayed off the roads in the state capital to put pressure on the Congress-led government to resolve their issues.
According to the police, 12 FIRs have been registered at various police stations in the city based on the video footage and complaints received.
Seven FIRs have been registered in Bengaluru West division and the police have launched a manhunt for the accused. One case has been registered in the Central division and three people have been arrested. Two cases have been registered in the North division and six people arrested. In the northeast division, 2 FIRs were registered based on which three men have been arrested, police said.
The cases were registered based on the video footage of the incidents and complaints received, a police official said.
In one incident, stones were pelted at a cab on Monday morning while it was ferrying passengers, including a child, from the Kempegowda International airport. In another incident, a few members of the transport association stopped a cab driver while he was returning from the airport. The protesters were seen “felicitating” the driver with a garland and abusing him for ferrying passengers despite the bandh.
Under the Bagalagunte police station limits, a Rapido driver was abused and attacked. The protesters also hurled eggs at him. “Pertaining to the incident in which a Rapido rider was stopped and attacked with eggs, an FIR has been registered at Bagalagunte police station. Three accused have also been arrested,” a police officer said on the condition of anonymity.
“The accused were identified as Puneeth (24), Mani (24) and Sharan (29), all of them working as cab drivers in the city. They were booked under section 341, 427, 504, 506 of the IPC,” the police officer added.
The Bengaluru police had asked citizens to file complaints if their vehicles were attacked during the bandh.
The private transporters claimed that they have been negatively impacted by the Shakti scheme and that the state government has not fulfilled their demands despite repeated discussions.
The federation had also urged the state government for a total ban on app-based aggregators, financial assistance of ₹10,000 for each driver, and loans with low-interest rates, among other demands.
