Truck driver beaten to death for refusing to give bribe in UP

A truck driver was on Monday killed allegedly by Road Transport Office (RTO) staffers after he refused to pay bribe during a vehicle checking drive in Naubatpur locality in Sayyadraza area here, police said.

Anant Lal Gupta (50), a native of Kaushambi district, was allegedly beaten to death at around 5 AM by some members of the RTO staff, Superintendent of Police Shalabh Mathur, said.

According to the victim's son Ashwini (23), who worked as a cleaner with his father, "One of the constables of the RTO Department took the vehicle for weighing at the weighing centre and found that the truck was not overloaded, but demanded Rs 1,000."

His father was willing to pay only Rs 500 after which the RTO constables and one Shiv Kumar of the weighing centre beat him brutally, causing his death, he said.

After the incident, angry locals jammed the National Highway-2 in protest and turned violent, pelting stones at the police when they tried to disperse the crowd, Mathur said.

A police constable was injured in the incident and the police fired in the air and lathicharged to control the situation, he said.

An FIR has been registered in connection with the incident, Mathur added.