VEHARI, March 3: The motorcycle rickshaw drivers and owners strongly protested here on Saturday against the alleged corruption of some traffic police officials.

A group of rickshaw drivers who observed a token strike here on Saturday in front of the office of district police officer, alleged that some traffic police personnel were harassing them for not offering bribe to them.

The drivers, Arif, Bashir, Adeel, Shakoor and others complained that the traffic policemen slapped maximum fine when they challaned their vehicles and misbehaved with them. Sometime, they also misbehaved with women passengers, the drivers further alleged.

The drivers demanded suspension of the accused policemen from service.

They claimed that out of about 1,200 rickshaws in the city, at least half were owned by police officials or their relatives.

They alleged that most of these ‘patronised’ rickshaws freely violated traffic rules. The traffic police challaned only those rickshaws whose owners did not pay them bribe, they said.

When contacted, traffic DSP Raja Shahid Nazir said a majority of rickshaw drivers were without required documents, and frequently indulged in violations.

He said that he had held dialogue with drivers’ union and most of their demands had been accepted.

Later, the drivers called off the strike. — Correspondent