SHOCKING! CITU workers brutally thrash BPCL driver over Rs 20 in Kerala's Thrissur

Sreekumar, a contract driver for STM Transporters, was brutally assaulted by CITU workers in Kochi over an alleged Rs 20 shortfall. In protest, drivers initiated a lightning strike, suspending cooking gas supply to seven districts.

SHOCKING! CITU workers in Kerala's Thrissur brutally thrash BPCL driver over Rs 20 anr

Aishwarya Nair

First Published May 9, 2024, 2:18 PM IST | Last Updated May 9, 2024, 2:20 PM IST

The contract driver working for the BPCL cooking gas plant in Kochi was violently attacked by members of the CITU. Upon arriving to unload his gas cylinders at Thrissur's Kodakara Sreemon Agency, he was assaulted for Rs 20 short. The supply of cooking gas to 7 districts was stopped after the drivers of the Kochi BPCL cooking gas plant went on strike in protest against the incident. Meanwhile, Asianet News obtained the footage of the beating.

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Sreekumar, a native of Kaladi, reached Srimon Agency in Kodakara with cooking gas cylinders from the BPCL unit in Ambalamugal in Ernakulam on Wednesday (May 8) afternoon. There was an argument as they demanded Rs 20 more than the contractual amount to unload the gas cylinders. Then two more workers and joined and started beating Sreekumar. The footage also shows the driver being grabbed by the neck and slapped in the face.

The video captures one individual restraining Sreekumar while another continues to assault him. An employee from the private agency attempts to intervene to stop the beating, but Sreekumar collapses after sustaining the blows. The footage depicts severe beatings targeting his face and other body parts. Even after Sreekumar falls, there is an attempt to continue the assault, but the private agency employee steps in, restraining the CITU workers.

Sreekumar, the victim of the assault, works as a contract driver for STM Transporters. After receiving initial treatment, he was admitted to a private hospital in Thrissur. However, due to worsening physical conditions, he was subsequently transferred to a hospital in Kochi. In response to the incident, fellow drivers initiated a sudden strike, demanding action against the perpetrators. As a result, the cooking gas supply to seven districts has been halted. Negotiations between the BPCL management, contractors, and the striking drivers are ongoing.