Two Bhutanese truckers and an Indian driving a Bhutanese truck were brutally tortured and beaten by Indian mob at Fulbari at the India-Bangladesh border yesterday. They were harassed for not being able to pay donations for a local ritual. The truckers were on the way to Bangladesh from Phuentshogling carrying boulders.
Fulbari is located at about 160 kilometres from Phuentshogling.
The incident happened at around 3-4 pm. And the cowardly beatings left bruises on the bodies of the truckers who were admitted in hospital yesterday. One of the drivers is being treated in Siliguri and another in Phuentshogling hospital.
The incident went viral on the social media forum. A Bhutanese man who was at the site shared about the harsh incident and reminded the Bhutanese drivers to be careful while plying along that area.
According to an official from Bhutan Exporters Association, the Indian mobs used physical forces after the victims were not able to pay the contribution for Saraswati Puja as they didn’t have money at the moment.
One of the boulder exporters who doesn’t want to reveal his identity said, such incident occurs now and then.
“In yesterday’s incident, as soon as our drivers reached the parking space, the Indian mob might have asked for Puja’s contribution. Some of the drivers were brutally beaten when they refused to pay the contributions. The mobs were the ones who damaged Bhutanese trucks earlier. They were beaten with bamboo sticks,” he said.
In the same area, a Bhutanese driver lost his life last year when an Indian car ran over him. Bhutanese truckers say Indian counterparts are not taking any action on such incidences besides filing first information report (FIR).
“It is not the first time. It has been happening for sometimes now. At first, an Indian car ran over a Bhutanese man riding a bike. And Indian mob have also damaged around 25 to 30 Bhutanese trucks parked in the area. We reported the incidents but they just say they are taking actions but we didn’t hear any action taken against the culprits,” said another boulder exporter.
As per officials from the Bhutan Exporters Association, all three victims are recovering. Meanwhile, officials from the association plan to visit the site tomorrow. The case is registered with both Indian and Bhutan police.
Pema Tshewang/Karma Wangdi
