Commissionerate Police on Friday arrested Dinabandhu Nayak, president of the Smart City Online Auto Taxi Drivers’ Association, from Puri. Nayak had been absconding since the violent protest by online auto drivers at Bhubaneswar Master Canteen Square on 19 August.
Bhubaneswar DCP Jagamohan Meena confirmed that police tracked Nayak using multiple sources and CCTV footage after he had gone underground in Puri following the clashes. With his arrest, the total number of people detained in connection with the incident has risen to 114. All the arrested drivers remain in jail.
Earlier on Friday morning, while still absconding, Nayak released a video message seeking public and government forgiveness. “The public faced inconvenience, and I am sorry. A mistake is a mistake. We accept it. This should never have happened and will never happen again,” he said. He denied any political backing for the violence and claimed he is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Nayak maintained that the drivers are poor working-class people who had not forcibly occupied the Master Canteen auto stand. He claimed BDA had given permission for the stand. The protest, he said, was born out of a sense of injustice and the need to earn a livelihood. In an emotional appeal, he even said the arrested drivers should be released and that he alone should face the harshest punishment if necessary.
Police sources revealed that Nayak’s mobile phone had remained switched off since the 19 August violence. The moment his apology video surfaced, officers moved swiftly and zeroed in on his IP address, leading to the arrest.
Seven cases have been registered at Kharavelanagar police station — two on the basis of public complaints, four by AMA Bus staff, and one by the police. On Thursday, police used bulldozers to completely demolish the “illegal” online auto stand at Master Canteen that drivers had “occupied” for a long time. Bhubaneswar RTO-1 has also initiated the process to cancel the permits of the seized autos.
Meanwhile, the fallout of the violence continues to hurt ordinary citizens. Ola, Uber, and other online cab and auto services remain severely disrupted across the capital. Even when vehicles appear on apps, fares have shot up by nearly 50 per cent due to limited availability. Offline autos are also scarce, leaving passengers stranded at the airport, railway station, and bus stands. AMA Bus services are overcrowded, while offline autorickshaw drivers are allegedly charging higher fares. Though services partially improved on Friday morning, full normalcy is still some distance away.
The firm action by Commissionerate Police has sparked widespread discussion across political and social circles in the state.
