2 Punjabi taxi drivers assaulted in Oz

Chandigarh: Taxi drivers from Punjab Inderjit Jassal and Manbir Singh were assaulted in separate incidents at Port Adelaide.

Jassal was bashed when he refused to give five persons a ride in his taxi last Friday night. He was repeatedly punched in the face.

“Driving taxi at night time has become very dangerous,” he said. Maninder Jassal, the victim’s wife, said the family would not allow him to drive taxi again.

Their close friend, also a taxi driver, Manbir Singh (24) was bashed at Henley Beach the same night and is now blind in his left eye. Four drivers were injured in that fight, including a man who is still in hospital with throat injuries.

Amrik Singh Thandi of the Sikh Society of South Australia said such incidents had led to panic among other taxi drivers with many refusing to work after dark. “Night drivers especially want to give up because of these incidents,” he said.

Taxi operators can install safety shields but these cost up to $900.

Source: The Tribune