Hit-and-run protest: Karnataka truck drivers to go on indefinite strike from January 17

Truck drivers across Karnataka will go on an indefinite strike starting from January 17, announced the Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners’ Association on Saturday. The strike is to protest against the stringent laws for hit-and-run cases under the new Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS)

C Naveen Reddy, president of the Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners’ Association, said, “Though the union government called us for discussions on this unruly law, the officials have not given anything in writing. This is a unilateral decision by the union government, and they did not consult us before arriving at such a hasty decision.”

Reddy also said that all truck drivers in the state will support the strike and keep their vehicles off-road. “We already informed all the truck drivers in the state, and we will be going on a strike. All heavy vehicles will go off-road from January 17,” he added.

Truck drivers, taxi and bus operators started a nationwide strike to oppose the provision of ₹7 lakh penalty and 10-year jail term for hit-and-run cases under the newly passed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The All-India Motor Transport Congress said that these provisions, which have yet to come into force, can lead to undue harassment and must be recalled with immediate effect.

However, on January 2, the All India Motor Transport Association (AIMTC) decided to end the nationwide truck drivers protests the new hit-and-run law, after a meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla. The government assured the members of the transport body that the new laws have not been implemented yet and will only be implemented after consultation with AIMTC.