Guwahati: Massive protests are being reported across the country including Karimganj in Assam over the hit-and-run law in the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita that can lead to 10 years of jail in road accident cases.
The government had recently brought in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita that will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The protest regarding the new law started on Monday as it now penalises people found guilty in hit-and-run cases for a maximum of 10 years.
Truck drivers across the nation joined the protest.
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Several truck drivers protesting in Karimganj, Assam also threw away their driving licences alleging injustice by the government.
The new law in BNS states that penalties in cases related to road accidents and particularly hit-and-run cases would go up to 10 years instead of 2 years which was according to the IPC.
The BNS states, “Whoever causes the death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.”
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The BNS also states that if the offender following an accident escapes from the site or fails to report the incident, they may even be imprisoned for 10 years with a fine of Rs 7 lakh as well.
The law was protested by truck drivers who claimed that no one meets with an accident on purpose and such punishment were draconian.
A trucker speaking about the protest said that no one ever gets into an accident on purpose. “Most of the time, truckers are not even at fault but they are still blamed. This is because the truck drivers are poor and have no backing”, he said.
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He also claimed most of the time people who hardly know how to drive get themselves a licence by paying a bribe and coming on the road. “These people are the reason for accidents and if a truck is involved, the people blame the truck driver. We do want to stop and check but people most of the time try to lynch us. In fear truckers have to flee”, he claimed.
Another driver, Ramandeep Singh said that they were protesting not because of the law but because they feel that truck drivers would be harassed by this.
He said that most of the time truck drivers are blamed for everything.
“We are harassed by police for almost everything. Even if we have valid documents, we are asked for money to pass through a road and whatnot. We only want truckers to not be a victim of this new law and rest we are ready to cooperate with any law”, he said.