MUMBAI: An autorickshaw driver was allegedly assaulted by one other auto driver who was a part of a bunch protesting in opposition to the usage of Marathi on Monday, police stated.The incident occurred on MG Street in Kandivali West when the sufferer was plying his autorickshaw, police stated.Kandivali police are within the means of registering an FIR in reference to the assault.The incident got here amid protests by a bit of autorickshaw and taxi drivers in components of Mumbai in opposition to the Maharashtra authorities’s Marathi proficiency drive.Based on PTI, demonstrations had been reported in Kandivali, Malad West, Santacruz, Dahisar, Andheri and different places.At Laljipada in Kandivali West, drivers staged a roadblock through the morning rush hour round 9am. Police reached the spot and dispersed the protesters.Some protesters allegedly stopped different autorickshaw and taxi drivers, together with app-based cab drivers, from ferrying passengers and compelled some passengers to deboard. Drivers additionally complained that protesters tried to wreck their automobiles.A frontrunner of an auto-rickshaw and taxi union stated panic amongst some drivers who had been unable to talk Marathi had led to the protests.He stated no union had known as for a strike or agitation and that the scenario had normalised by the second half of the day.The Maharashtra Transport Division launched a statewide drive on August 20 to test the working information of Marathi amongst business passenger automobile drivers.A senior regional transport official on the Borivali RTO stated misinformation had unfold amongst drivers that they might be fined Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 for not figuring out Marathi.On August 20, RTOs issued notices to 1,268 business passenger automobile drivers, primarily autorickshaw and taxi drivers, for missing ample information of Marathi.A day later, notices had been issued to 1,499 non-Marathi-speaking drivers throughout Maharashtra.
