An ongoing protest by app-based cab, auto-rickshaw and bike-taxi drivers in Bhubaneswar turned violent on Wednesday, August 19, after demonstrators allegedly pelted stones at police and vandalised government-run Ama buses and police vehicles.
At least 13 police personnel were injured, while the initial police action saw around 80 protesters arrested. By Thursday, August 20, the number had risen to 113, with 354 vehicles also seized, according to police.
The drivers, associated with platforms including Ola, Uber and Rapido, began their cease-work protest on August 17, demanding fare revisions, lower application charges, compensation for waiting and cancellations, and social-security benefits.
Police said protesters moved beyond the designated demonstration area and blocked roads around Master Canteen and Station Square. Additional Commissioner of Police Narasingha Bhol said 13 personnel, including the Capital Police Station inspector-in-charge, were injured and taken to Capital Hospital.
Police are examining CCTV footage to identify those allegedly involved in the violence. Meanwhile, drivers maintain that their economic concerns have not received a satisfactory response.
The state government has indicated that it is considering fare-related measures, making dialogue over the underlying grievances important even as authorities pursue action over the violence.
Protest Escalates Into Clashes
The agitation began as a cease-work protest by app-based transport workers seeking changes to the way they are paid and regulated. Their seven-point charter includes a fare hike, reduction in application fees, social-security measures and other benefits.
Drivers have also sought a regulated fare structure, compensation for waiting time and cancelled rides, and restrictions on the unchecked addition of vehicles to aggregator platforms. The New Indian Express reported that representatives estimated around 30,000 cab, auto and bike drivers were involved in the agitation.
As the protest entered its third day, hundreds of drivers marched from Raj Mahal Square towards Mahatma Gandhi Marg and blocked roads around Master Canteen Square and the railway station, disrupting movement through one of Bhubaneswar’s busiest areas.
Police said the demonstrators had been permitted to protest at Lower PMG but later moved towards Master Canteen. DCP Jagmohan Meena said authorities had attempted to manage the situation, but the road blockade continued.
The confrontation intensified when police tried to clear vehicles parked on the road. According to reports, cranes were brought in to remove some vehicles, following which a scuffle broke out and protesters allegedly began pelting stones.
From Fare Demands To Violence
The violence quickly shifted the focus from drivers’ grievances to public safety and damage to public property. Police said three police vans and several Ama buses were vandalised during the clashes. Reports on the exact number of damaged buses have varied as authorities assessed the damage, with later accounts putting the figure at around 10 or more.
The Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), which operates the Ama Bus network, condemned the vandalism and sought photographs and videos from members of the public that could help identify those responsible. Ama buses are a crucial part of Bhubaneswar’s public transport system, meaning the damage affected services at a time when the strike had already reduced the availability of app-based cabs and autos.
Police subsequently used a baton charge and water cannons to disperse the crowd and restore traffic movement. The latest police update said 113 people had been arrested and forwarded to court, while another 60 were released on bonds for maintaining good behaviour.
Police also seized 354 vehicles in connection with the incident. The figures represent an escalation from the initial report of around 80 arrests on Wednesday night.
The protest also reflects a wider tension within Bhubaneswar’s changing transport economy. Drivers say rising operating costs, platform charges, waiting time and unpredictable earnings make it difficult to sustain their livelihoods.
Their demands include a fixed minimum and maximum fare structure and better compensation when passengers cancel rides or when drivers travel long distances to pick up customers. At the same time, commuters have been left struggling because the strike has reduced the availability of cabs, autos and bike taxis.
Discussions on local online forums show frustration among residents who depend on app-based transport for college, work and railway-station travel, while others have questioned the disruption caused by the agitation.
These reactions, however, are public comments and should not be treated as evidence of the conduct of all drivers or protesters. The government has indicated that it is examining fare-related concerns, while police have made it clear that alleged violence and vandalism will be dealt with separately.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
A protest over livelihoods deserves to be heard, particularly when workers are raising genuine concerns about earnings, working conditions and the growing pressures of the gig economy. But the right to protest cannot come at the cost of another person’s safety, public property or the freedom of ordinary commuters to move through their city.
Alleged stone-pelting, attacks on police personnel and vandalism of public buses cannot become a substitute for dialogue. At the same time, a peaceful resolution requires authorities and platform companies to listen seriously to the concerns that brought drivers onto the streets in the first place. Accountability for violence and empathy for workers are not contradictory principles they can and should exist together.
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