Petrol pumps in major cities in the country witnessed long queues as people indulged in panic buying over fears of stocks running out amid the protest by truck drivers against a provision in the new penal law on hit-and-run accident cases involving motorists.
The protest entered the second day on Tuesday, leading to the non-delivery of petroleum products at depots which led to a fear of fuel shortage.
Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which replaces the colonial era Indian Penal Code, drivers who cause a serious road accident by negligent driving and run away without informing police or any official from the administration can face up to 10 years imprisonment or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.
Petrol Dealers Association, Mumbai, president Chetan Modi told PTI that the fuel supply to petrol pumps was affected due to the drivers' agitation since Monday.
"Petrol pumps started getting dry since yesterday. If we won't get the supply, most of the pumps will run out of fuel from today," he said.
The truck drivers staged protests at various places in Maharashtra, including capital Mumbai, Nagpur, Solapur, Dharashiv, Navi Mumbai, Palghar, Nagpur, Beed, Hingoli, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Gadchiroli and Wardha, an official said.
There were massive queues at fuel stations across Jammu and Kashmir as the truckers' strike against stricter punishments.
The J-K fuel station owners' association told PTI that 90% of petrol pumps have gone dry in Jammu and in the next few hours, all stocks will run out as 1,500 tankers carrying fuel to the Union territory and Ladakh were on strike.
Fuel pumps at many places in Himachal Pradesh were also turning away motorists, saying they have run out of stock as petrol and diesel were not being transported because of the truckers' strike.
Motorists queued up at fuel stations at many places in Punjab and Haryana over fears that stocks would run dry soon.
A truckers' protest against new law turned violent in the Kekri district of Rajasthan where a mob burnt a police vehicle and pelted stones at security personnel, leaving three injured, police said.
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