Hyderabad: A trucker on Sunday attempted to set himself on fire after his vehicle was damaged by a mob linked to the lorry drivers’ protests at Autonagar on Sunday.
Driver Balesh Yadav, who was travelling from Chennai to Hyderabad to deliver a consignment of power inverters was intercepted by the 100-strong mob on Sunday morning, near Hyderabad.
He had heard of the strike and was planning to take his vehicle to the safety of his home at Ravirala in Maheshwaram, Ranga Reddy district.
But protesters intercepted his vehicle near Autonagar and damaged the windshield and tyres. Helpless, Mr Yadav poured a can of diesel on himself and tried to commit suicide. He alleged that cops had not responded to his calls.
“They (the protesters) were not ready to listen. They smashed the windshield and damaged its tyres,” Mr Yadav said. Some of the protesters and passersby rushed to stop Mr Yadav.
The police responded to his allegations by saying that he never turned up to file an official complaint. “After we got to know about the incident, we contacted the truck driver and asked him to lodge a complaint. But he did not turn up,” an Vanasthali-puram police officer said.
