Sikkim’s Driver assaulted, bribed by West Bengal Police

Yesterday around 6 PM video was shared in the WhatsApp group saying a Sikkim driver was assaulted by West Bengal police near the TV Tower area of Darjeeling. In the video, a driver named Prem Badhur Chettri alleged that a policeman beat him up.

In Video he said he has arrived at the hotel in Darjeeling to drop off his guest and a police officer came nearby and started harassment to show his document and he was summoned to the police booth.

Chettri has also shared a UPI screenshot of Rs 2000 that has been paid to the police officer.

Sikkim Tourism stakeholder has come forward to support the driver beside this some organisations from Darjeeling has also joined hand to condemn the act of the policeman, and social media was outraged with a video demanding action against the policeman.

According to Sikkim tourism stakeholders, they will be going to Darjeeling today to meet the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Traffic in Darjeeling, it’s said that the matter has been reported to the Darjeeling police to take swift action against him.

In 2022, Sikkim Transport Minister and Bengal Transport Minister signed a “special” reciprocal Transport agreement catering to the long pending demand of drivers of both states. An agreement was signed between Sikkim’s Sanjit Kharel and Firhad Hakim in Siliguri on 5th July 2022.

Nevertheless, Sikkim’s driver still gets harassed and bribed by Bengal Police, especially Tourists vehicle beside this fraud agent has been increased in Siliguri.

This incident has outraged concerns about the safety and well-being of individuals associated with the tourism industry, highlighting the need for a coordinated effort between different state authorities to prevent such unfortunate occurrences in the future.

Sikkim and Darjeeling’s economies depend on the tourism sector as Sikkim’s tourism stakeholder hope that the authorities will take this matter seriously and ensure justice is served to a driver who was harassed and assaulted by Bengal Police in Darjeeling yesterday.