Auto manipal

union

menace

in

Auto rickshaw drivers of Manipal, on June 25, Tuesday, staged a flash protest in front of the Manipal police station accusing the policemen of dragging innocent auto rickshaw drivers to the police station on the pretext of enquiry, just because the culprits in the gang rape of a Manipal student had used an auto rickshaw. On the 20th of June, a 4th year medical student studying at Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, Karnataka was abducted and sexually assaulted by three men in a rickshaw. The victim of

the assault is currently in the hospital recuperating. The assault, however, has left the students of manipal speculating about the safety of using auto rickshaws as a means of transport. Students have been blaming the auto-wallahs right out. This has fuelled all the auto drivers to form a union and go on a strike, which is not justified. The police are just doing their job. Strikes like this will just delay the investigations.

The auto wallahs are probably the strongest union in the area. They can afford to toy with the students because they know they will be needed. Boycotting autos in Manipal is not an easy job. Students require the services to go around manipal. And the auto wallahs take advantage of the fact. There are no standard charges here, the auto wallahs charge what they want to. And if in case you protest, they fight. This can be corroborated with a not-so-recent incident. Last year a student had (once again) been asked to pay more than the usual rate and this time upon argument, a fight had ensued, joined by other drivers as well. The union of these auto drivers is so strong, that

in the end you have no other option, but, to pay. Theres an incident of forceful extortion too wherein the refusal of two inebriated students to pay a high amount of money to get back in college got them robbed of cash and atm cards by the auto driver and his friends. Says Namrata Singh, a second year student in the day time, the auto wallahs are fine, they hardly ask for anything above the usual rate. But, come night time and their price quotations become so high that you feel cheated. They play on the fact that youre vulnerable and have to get to the hostel before your perm time. Its so irritating! The autos are an integral part of student life in Manipal. The auto union menace must be taken care of. Not just because its morally wrong to demand more money from tight-budgeted hostellers but because, it will ensure that students use the autos in the night rather than walking and feel safe while doing so. Meetings are being held in which students, faculty and police are brainstorming methods to make manipal safer. Issuing of IDs to rickshaw drivers, so as to ensure that rickshaw drivers can be identified and held accountable for their actions, is one of the possible solutions. Also setting up fixed rates will get rid of this menace

almost immediately. Students are hoping change will come along soon, and as of now, change looks very probable.