In Mumbai, two auto drivers thrash journalist over legitimate fare, arrested

Two auto-rickshaw drivers have been arrested in Mumbai for allegedly beating up a journalist working for a YouTube news channel after he insisted on paying fare as per the meter.

The incident took place in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) area on Tuesday night, a police official said.

The 48-year-old journalist allegedly asked one of the auto drivers to take him and his colleague to the Kurla railway station.

The auto driver said they would have to pay on a ‘sharing’ basis and not as per the meter.

It led to an argument and the journalist asked him to drive them to the nearby BKC police station.

The driver took him to a spot near the police station, called up the other auto-rickshaw driver, his friend, and the duo allegedly thrashed the journalist and also took Rs 100 from him, as per the First Information Report (FIR).

After the journalist lodged a complaint, the accused were arrested from the nearby Bharat Nagar locality and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act.

Further investigation is underway, the official added.