New hit-and-run law: Why are truck drivers protesting? 5 things to know

New Delhi: Drivers of commercial vehicles, including trucks and tankers, are staging nationwide protest against the provision in the new penal law on hit-and-run law road accident cases. The protest has triggered huge traffic congestions across several states, leaving citizens in panic. 

The truck and tanker drivers have stopped working in several states, demanding the Centre to do away with the hit-and-run law in the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the criminal code that will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The protest also caused fears among the vehicle owners that fuel may soon run out, prompting them to rush to their nearest petrol pump.

The demonstrations were seen in as many as eight states, including Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar. 

New hit-and-run law: 5 things to know 

1. The truck drivers are voicing dissent against the provision in the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on hit-and-run law.
2. The new law has raised the penalty in road accident cases to up to 10 years. Notably, in the Indian Penal Code, accidentally killing a person in a road accident had a maximum jail term of 2 years.
3. If the offender escapes or fails to report the incident immediately, the imprisonment term can extend up to ten years, along with a fine of Rs 7 lakh, it added. 
4. The protestors believe that the provisions of the new law is extremely harsh and biased against larger commercial vehicles. Some drivers mentioned that they aren't capable of paying that huge amount. 
5. The protesters have also expressed concern about potential mob violence against drivers who choose to transport the injured to hospitals.