Toto driver beaten up for saving girls from harassment

A toto driver was severely beaten up by some local goons in Habra town of North 24 Parganas district.

The driver was admitted in a hospital with severe injuries and is recovering.

A few pedestrians who tried to save the toto driver also received injuries in the altercation.

The goons, who brandished guns, even threatened some bystanders with their dire consequences when they tried to interfere.

On Tuesday morning, Somnath Dutta, a local toto driver, who was plying his vehicle through the road from Habra More to Shanti Nagar, stopped his toto after some college girls hauled him. The girls got on the battery-driven vehicle to get to their college.

Some miscreants then appeared there and tried to enter into Somnath’s toto along with the girls.

“Somnath tried to restrain them and stopped them from entering his vehicle. He immediately took off from the spot to save the girls from being harassed,” said a police officer.

But the goons later intercepted Somnath and his vehicle while he was returning from his previous journey.

They pointed a gun at him and demanded Rs 500 as the local Puja subscription. He tried to reason with the goons and gave them Rs 200, but they did not give in and threatened him. Eventually, they beat up Somnath with an iron rod, the police informed.

Some local people and bystanders tried to intervene and save Somnath from the hooligans. But the goons assaulted some of them as well and threaten to shoot them.

The goons then push the injured toto driver on the road, broke his vehicle and decamped from there.

Police have started investigation in the incident.

“They are local anti-socials. They were trying to harass the girls, but Somnath came in their way. They tried to enter the same toto in which the girls were travelling, but Somnath foiled their plans,” the officer added.

The officer said the miscreants were waiting for Somnath’s return and pounced on him as soon as they got hold of him.

“The victim has identified some of the goons and has helped our sketch artists to make a sketch of the goons. They will soon be behind bars,” said the police officer.