BENGALURU: A ‘No to carpooling’ poster landed an autorickshaw driver into trouble after he was reportedly beaten up by a former BBMP corporator and his associates on Friday morning in Hanumanthanagar police station limits.
The auto driver, Manoj Kumar, a resident of Kasturba Nagar, in his police complaint, has accused a former BBMP corporator, Sangathi Venkatesh, and his associates, for allegedly assaulting him as the former had a ‘No to carpooling’ poster pasted on the back of his auto.
Speaking to TNIE, Kumar said, “I went to see a friend in Banashankari I Stage after he met with an accident. The incident happened at 8.30 am while I was having tea with two of my friends near Kempegowda playground at Shankarnag Circle. The police personnel who were patrolling asked me about the ‘No to carpooling’ poster my auto had. I told them that carpooling negatively impacts our business hence I have put up a poster expressing my stance. I even suggested them to speak to our union head.”
“Thereafter, five people came and asked about the same poster. When I answered, they abused me in Hindi and punched me and my other two friends, who are also auto drivers.
They asked us to remove the posters. They were then joined by a few more people, Sangathi Venkatesh was one of them,” Kumar said, and added when they refused to take off the posters, they threatened to kill them. “I was scared after the incident happened hence registered a police complaint,” Kumar added. The Hanumanthanagar police have registered a case.