Drunk auto driver creates ruckus on Janpath, halts traffic for 1 hour; detained

Bhubaneswar: A drunk autorickshaw driver created ruckus on the Janpath here on Thursday afternoon, bringing traffic to a grinding halt on the busy stretch for nearly an hour. Police later detained him for questioning.The incident occurred in front of Kendriya Vidyalaya-1, where the driver abruptly stopped his empty auto in the middle of the road, triggering a massive traffic jam. Initially, passersby assumed the auto had broken down and urged him to move it aside to ease congestion. Instead, the driver turned aggressive — hurling abuses, stripping off his shirt, and even overturning his own auto. He heckled pedestrians and used obscene language, creating public nuisance that left commuters shocked and embarrassed. "I was stuck in traffic for 30 minutes and reached a nearby school late to pick up students," said Kalu Maharana, a bus driver caught in the chaos."Fortunately, no passengers were travelling in the auto, whose driver was not in a condition to drive. Police should check his vehicle's documents and cancel his driving licence," Raj Kishore Sahoo, a passerby, said. After getting information, two police control room (PCR) vans rushed to the spot. The driver resisted their attempts to restrain him and even tried to attack the officers. After a struggle, police managed to overpower him and took him to Kharavel Nagar police station. "We are trying to establish his identity as he was unable to speak coherently due to intoxication. His autorickshaw has been seized," said a police officer.