Agartala, 14th August 2026 : A goods vehicle driver from Simna has alleged that he was stopped near the Bishalgarh bypass by members of an organisation identified as the Tripura Small Goods-Carrying Vehicle Drivers’ Association, affiliated with the BMS, and was pressured to obtain a “clearance slip” and pay money before being allowed to proceed.
According to the driver, he had travelled to Brajapur in Bishalgarh with two residents of his locality to purchase rubber saplings. While returning towards Simna, he was stopped shortly after crossing the Bishalgarh bypass, near the local Mandal office.
The driver claimed that the group questioned him about a clearance slip for operating his goods vehicle in the area. He reportedly told them that he had been driving goods vehicles for around eight to ten years and had never encountered such a requirement or a syndicate system for goods vehicles. He also argued that his vehicle was registered to an area outside Bishalgarh and that he had not taken any commercial trip from the Bishalgarh area.
The situation allegedly escalated when the driver took out his mobile phone. He claimed that one of the men snatched the phone from his hand, saying that it could be used to record a video. The driver objected, questioning their authority to take his personal phone.
He further alleged that when he said he would approach the police instead of the alleged syndicate, he was told that going to the police station would not help and that “nothing would happen” to the men there. He also claimed that he was asked to pay money and leave quietly.
According to the driver, he was allegedly warned that if he left his vehicle in the area, it might not be allowed to return. He strongly objected, saying the vehicle had been purchased with his own hard-earned money and was his only means of livelihood.
The driver said he had kept the vehicle at home for around eight days before taking it out again and has a monthly finance installment of around Rs 9,000 to pay. “We have to drive these vehicles to earn our livelihood; we have no other business,” he said.
He appealed to the authorities to investigate the alleged activities in the Mohanpur and Bishalgarh areas, saying he had personally experienced what he had previously heard only as stories.
