Over 500 auto rickshaw drivers protesting against illegal bike taxi operations in Bengaluru were detained by the police on Monday, March 20. Around 5,000 auto drivers showed up at the CAR Police Ground on Mysuru road in Bengaluru in a protest organised by the Auto and Taxi Drivers Union, even as auto drivers across the city called for a 24-hour strike. The police detained some of the protestors and released them at 5 pm on Monday.
As many as 20 auto unions called for a strike in Bengaluru over illegal bike taxi aggregators, alleging that such operations severely impact their business. Many auto drivers staged a protest march from KSR Bengaluru Railway Station to the Chief Minister’s official residence. They were also seen blocking the road near KR Circle in central Bengaluru. While lakhs of autos were part of the strike, many autos were seen plying on the streets. The primary demand of the protesters was to ban illegal bike taxis.
Auto unions have reportedly said that a large number of bike taxi aggregators are impacting the number of rides for auto drivers, and some of them have threatened to boycott voting in the upcoming election if the operations are not banned.
#WATCH | Karnataka police detain auto drivers who were protesting against the bike taxi service in Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/787rRymQL2
— ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2023
In February, an auto driver was booked by the Bengaluru traffic police for smashing the helmet of a bike taxi driver and verbally abusing him. A video of the attack went viral and showed the auto driver smashing the Rapido bike taxi driver’s helmet against the road and verbally abusing him, falsely claiming that he was an illegal migrant.