RTO staff on strike after agents assault cashier

Staff at Regional Transport Office in Andheri (West) went on a pen-down strike on Tuesday after two suspected illegal agents allegedly beat up the cashier, reports Shashank Rao.

Staff at Regional Transport Office in Andheri (West) went on a pen-down strike on Tuesday after two suspected illegal agents allegedly beat up the cashier.

HT Image

RTO inspectors also joined the staff in the strike.

Around 2 pm, two suspected RTO agents submitted papers of a motor driving school to the cashier, Subhash Ogle. Ogle scrutinised the papers and refused to accept the papers saying they were fake, said a senior RTO inspector from Andheri, requesting anonymity.

The motor training school had submitted fake papers to get better grades from the RTO, he added.

“There was a heated argument between Ogle and the two agents, Asif and Abdul. They entered his cabin and assaulted him,” the RTO office said.

Ogle and the two agents then went to Deputy RTO officer J. Bansod’s cabin and snatched the papers of the training school.

“I immediately sent the two agents out of my cabin and then complained about the incident to the RTO officer,” said Bansod.

“We have started grading these (motor training) schools. Those schools, which get grade D, get two months to improve. Even if they don’t improve after two months, their licences are cancelled,” said another RTO officer, requesting anonymity.

“This has frustrated the schools,” he added.

Sources at the Andheri RTO said Ogle was suffering from jaundice and had joined four days ago.

Ogle was admitted to Cooper Hospital and a case was filed against the two agents.

“This is a serious matter and we will take this matter to higher authorities,” said Balchandra, a RTO officer at Andheri.

The police closed work at the RTO office after the incident.

The RTO staff will continue their strike on Wednesday.