Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, July 23: A high voltage drama was witnessed at Hill Council office after PSO of the Hill Council Chairman allegedly slapped driver of a Tempo Traveller in full public view.
The incident took place near Chetah Chowk yesterday when a Tempo Traveller bearing Registration NoJK10A-5592 reportedly failed to give passage to the Hill Council Chairman’s official vehicles. As per the driver’s version, CEC came out of his car and ordered his PSO to slap him while his vehicles was also taken to Police Post Colony.
This incident annoyed the Maxi Cab/Tempo Travellers Union members who along with the driver’s family members, approached CEC to make his PSO to apologise for slapping the driver in full public view. EC Agriculture Tsering Wangdus tried to pacify both parties and later in the evening PSO reportedly made handshake with the driver following which driver family decided not to lodge a FIR.
Responding to media query, Maxi Cab Union president Lobzang Stanba said that one of their members (victim driver) had complained them about the slapping incident following which the executive members tried to approach CEC. He added that the victim’s vehicle was taken to Police Post Colony with the allegation that it has tinted glass and also was playing loud music.
“Union had earlier decided to stage a protest to condemn such act later we decided not to disturb the atmosphere since His Holiness Dalai Lama is here in Leh,” the Union president said and added that the vehicle was also got released from the Police Post next day.
Stanba alleged that on the instruction from higher authority, Police targeted Leh registration Maxi Cab vehicles today and he claimed to have video footage of such incidents of Police specifically targeting Tempo Travellers . “Surprisingly no other commercial vehicle, including HP registration Maxi Cab were stopped but only Leh registration vehicles were targeted,” he added.
According to the victim driver Tundup Namgyal, there were nearly 30 vehicles in long queue ahead of him and five vehicles were in between his vehicles and CEC vehicles. Pertinent to mention here that CEC had allegedly slapped a JCB driver on Skara road few months back following which work on the Skara road was halted for sometime in protest.
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