Paradip Truck Owners Association stage protest, block highway in Odisha

PARADIP: Irked over the arrest of the vice president of Paradip Truck Owners Association (PTOA) Pradipta Gahan and member Pramod Kumar Pati, several truck owners on Saturday staged a demonstration in front of Paradeep Lock police station.

The agitators also blocked Paradip-Chandikhole highway alleging Gahan and Pati were arrested illegally by police. Sources said Gahan and Pati were on their way home on Friday when they found that some trucks were being allowed to skip the queue on the road from Paradip to Marsaghai in Kendrapara district. Scores of trucks wait on the 35 km stretch of the road, some for days, to enter Paradip to unload cargo at the port.

When Gahan and Pati asked ASI Ashok Kumar Mohanty of Paradeep Lock police station why a few trucks were allowed to skip the queue and move towards the port city, the latter allegedly misbehaved with them. However, Mohanty later detained the duo for allegedly misbehaving with him. Secretary of the association, Rajesh Mohanty said false cases have been lodged against the duo.

Sources said Mohanty lodged an FIR against Gahan and Pati alleging the duo assaulted him by pulling him by the collar of his shirt at the police station. The agitators alleged police personnel allegedly take bribes to let some trucks skip the queue to enter the port city to unload cargo.

Paradip Lock IIC Bhabagrahi Rout said Gahan and Pati have been booked for assaulting a police officer on duty. The demonstration was called off after discussions between the agitators and a police team led by Paradip ASP Nimain Charan Sethy.