Chaos, clashes and long queues of vehicles were reported across several districts of Maharashtra over rumours of fuel shortage, triggering panic buying. Hundreds of people reached petrol pumps to buy diesel and petrol.
In Washim district, a violent clash between fuel buyers was reported. The incident occurred when a tanker at the Indian Oil fuel pump arrived carrying 15,000 litres of diesel and 5,000 litres of petrol at around 2.30 pm on Saturday. According to an Indian Oil dealer, nearly 400 to 500 people gathered at the fuel pump with vehicles and fuel cans.
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Around 100 vehicles formed a queue to refill their vehicles while the fuel tanker was being unloaded, according to Indian Oil dealer Jitendra Chopra. He said the petrol pump could not start fuel sales immediately because the automation system does not allow sales during unloading operations.
Chopra told India Today that the diesel filling point and petrol filling unloading point are located separately inside the petrol pump. Initially, people stopped the tanker to towards the petrol storage area when workers attempted to unload petrol.
The crowd eventually allowed the tanker to move after repeated requests from fuel pump staff, but a clash erupted among the public waiting for fuel. People started beating each other with their hands before attacking each other with fuel cans. He added that some people also brought wooden sticks from outside and tried to assault others during the clash.
After receiving the information, police reached the spot along with petrol pump staff and managed to control the situation.
Palghar
Long queues of vehicles, particularly two-wheelers, were seen at several petrol pumps across Palghar district on Sunday amid rumours of a possible fuel shortage in Maharashtra.
A heavy rush was reported at the Asian Petrol Pump in Charoti on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway, where motorists queued up to refuel their vehicles. Similar scenes were witnessed at fuel stations in different parts of the district as panic buying intensified.
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Many commuters said they rushed to petrol pumps after reports and social media messages claiming that fuel supplies could be disrupted. However, there was no official confirmation of any fuel shortage at the time of reporting.
Pune
Panic buying of fuel was also seen in Pune as long queues of vehicles were seen across pumps in Pune. The sudden increase in fuel demand delayed fuel supply from petroleum companies. Petrol pumps such as Loni Kalbhor, where fuel tankers are reportedly facing long waiting times for refilling.
Due to this, fuel tankers are arriving late and causing temporary supply shutdown at the pumps. Some petrol pumps in Pune displayed "Petrol Out of Stock". Petrol pump operators said the issue is not due to any actual shortage of fuel, but because demand has suddenly increased beyond normal levels.