Truckers' Strike 2024: Hit-and-Run Law, Section 106(2) BNS Facts

On 1 and 2 January 2024, truck, bus and tanker drivers across India stopped work and blocked highways against Section 106(2) of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which sets up to 10 years in jail for a driver who causes a death and flees without reporting it. About 2,000 petrol pumps ran dry amid panic buying. The strike was called off on the night of 2 January after the Union Home Secretary said the provision would be invoked only after consulting the All India Motor Transport Congress. It remains unnotified as of October 2026.

10 yearsmaximum jail under Section 106(2), up from 2 years under IPC 304A

~2,000petrol pumps that ran out of fuel, mostly in north and west India

2 dayslength of the nationwide stoppage, 1 to 2 January 2024

23people arrested in Surat after a constable was attacked

30,486hit-and-run deaths in India in 2022, per MoRTH data

Key takeaways

Section 106(2) sets up to 10 years and a fine for fleeing a fatal crash without reporting it; IPC 304A allowed up to two years. The "Rs 7 lakh fine" is not in the text.
Drivers said they flee accident sites for fear of being beaten by crowds, and could never pay a heavy fine.
On 2 January Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the new laws had "not yet come into force" and that Section 106(2) would be invoked "only after consultation" with the AIMTC.
When the new criminal laws took effect on 1 July 2024, the Centre left out Section 106(2); in July 2026 the Delhi High Court refused to order its enforcement.

What Section 106(2) says and what it replaced

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which replaces the Indian Penal Code, was passed on 21 December 2023 and received assent on 25 December, to take effect on a date the Centre would notify LiveLaw.

Section 106(2) reads: "Whoever causes death of any person by rash and negligent driving of vehicle not amounting to culpable homicide, and escapes without reporting it to a police officer or a Magistrate soon after the incident, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description of a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine" PTI via DT Next.

A driver who reports the accident falls instead under Section 106(1), which carries up to five years Tribune. Under the old IPC Section 304A, causing death by a rash or negligent act carried up to two years, or a fine, or both.

No evidence Most news reports, including PTI copy, said the law set a fine of Rs 7 lakh. The text of Section 106(2) does not name any amount; IndiaSpend noted that "the law does not mention the quantum of fine applicable" IndiaSpend via Scroll.

Why drivers objected

Drivers' main fear was the crowd at an accident site. "Nobody intentionally wants to injure or cause anyone's death, but accidents happen. In such cases, people turn against the driver and sometimes the mob damages the vehicle and causes harm to the driver too," truck operator Sushil Kumar said South First, with PTI.

AIMTC president Amritlal Madan said crowds focus on the driver's "fault", and drivers who report accidents fear harassment: "Either the drivers are trapped in legal hurdles, or have to pay a bribe to get out of trouble" IndiaSpend via Scroll.

Money was the second complaint. Muhammad Javed, an Uttar Pradesh truck driver, said he earned Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 a month and asked how such a person could pay a fine of Rs 7 lakh IndiaSpend via Scroll. Truckers and the All Punjab Truck Operators' Union called it a "black law" Scroll.

Hamari koi aukaat nahi hai, isi liye to lad rahe hain (we are fighting for our worth).
A protesting truck driver to the Shajapur Collector, 2 January 2024 (The News Minute)

How the strike spread

Drivers of trucks, buses and tankers, and in places auto-rickshaws, stopped work on Monday 1 January 2024. Protests and highway blockades were reported in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh Scroll, and also in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir BOOM.

Mumbai region: The AIMTC said over 70% of 1.2 lakh trucks, tempos and other heavy vehicles stayed off the roads on 1 January Scroll.
Madhya Pradesh: A transporters' body claimed nearly five lakh vehicles were affected; intercity buses stayed off the road in Bhopal South First. In Indore more than 1,000 buses stood parked and drivers blocked the Mumbai-Agra highway FPJ.

Fuel shortages and panic buying

About 2,000 petrol pumps, mostly in western and northern India, ran out of stock. Industry officials said oil firms had topped up most pumps in advance, but heavy rush emptied some PTI via Business Standard.

In Mumbai, Petrol Dealers Association president Chetan Modi said more than 75 of its 150 members reported zero stock, and that drivers were not letting tankers leave the Sewri depots despite police security FPJ South First. Mumbai police posted: "Don't believe in rumours. There [is] enough stock available in Mumbai" The Independent.

In Kashmir almost all pumps were reported dry, though officials said depots held ample stock Greater Kashmir. The Maharashtra government told police to keep petrol, diesel and LPG moving Scroll.

Blockades and clashes

Kekri, Rajasthan (1 January, night): Claim · Police When police tried to clear a jam on the Ajmer-Bhilwara highway at Bandanwada, "the mob pelted stones at the police, leaving three policemen injured. A vehicle of Kekri city police station was also burnt," Circle Officer Sanjay Singh said South First, with PTI.
Surat, Gujarat (2 January): Drivers blocked the road near Magdalla Port and stopped a bus. Police said protesters chased and beat a constable who arrived in a PCR van. The DCP said an FIR was filed against a mob of 40 and 23 were arrested for rioting and assault PTI via Business Standard.
Shajapur, Madhya Pradesh (2 January): At a meeting called to keep essential supplies moving, Collector Kishor Kanyal asked a driver "Tumhari aukat kya hai?" (what is your worth?). Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had him transferred the next day, saying "This type of behaviour would not be accepted" The News Minute PTI via Deccan Herald.

No deaths linked to the strike were reported in the sources reviewed.

Who led it: AIMTC and the drivers

Claim · Transporters Transporters told PTI the stoppage was "a spontaneous agitation started by some over-enthusiastic drivers which got fuelled through messages circulated on social media", and that no truckers' body had formally declared a strike South First. AIMTC secretary Naveen Kumar Gupta said: "The truckers had gone on strike on their own". Yet it was the AIMTC that negotiated with the Home Ministry AJOT.

The gap showed after the deal. Drivers in Maharashtra kept blocking highways around 10 January despite a Union government letter dated 8 January and AIMTC appeals; one truckers' leader said other leaders were instigating drivers PTI via Outlook. In Karnataka, one lorry owners' federation began an indefinite strike from midnight on 17 January, while a rival federation called it "unnecessary" Deccan Herald.

Timeline

1 Jan 2024
Stoppage begins
Truck, bus and tanker drivers start a three-day strike; blockades across several states PTI via Business Standard.
2 Jan 2024, day
Pumps run dry
Queues and shortages in many cities; constable attacked in Surat PTI.
2 Jan 2024, evening
Home Secretary meets AIMTC
A two-hour meeting with ten AIMTC representatives ends with an assurance of consultation; the strike is called off that night Tribune ETV Bharat.
Feb 2024
106(2) left out
MHA notifies 1 July 2024 as the start date for the BNS, "except the provision of sub-section (2) of section 106" PTI via Kashmir Reader.
15 Jul 2026
High Court declines to intervene
Delhi High Court dismisses a PIL seeking enforcement of Section 106(2) LiveLaw.

Both accounts

Drivers' and transporters' account

Drivers say they leave accident sites to escape mob violence, not to evade the law, that reporting at a police station brings harassment or bribe demands, and that a 10-year term and a heavy fine are out of reach for low-paid drivers IndiaSpend via Scroll. Karnataka federation chief C Naveen Reddy said: "It's outrageous to treat truck drivers involved in such accidents as fugitives" Deccan Herald.

Government account

Government's position A senior government functionary said on 2 January that a driver who hits someone and then informs the police or takes the victim to hospital would not be prosecuted under the stricter provision, and called the truckers' fears "misplaced" South First, with PTI. Official sources said the longer sentence followed Supreme Court observations calling for strict action against drivers who flee after fatal crashes Tribune. Hit-and-run crashes killed 30,486 people in 2022, up from 25,938 in 2021 Tribune.

The Home Ministry talks on 2 January

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla met a delegation of ten AIMTC representatives on the evening of 2 January for about two hours Tribune. Afterwards he said:

The government wants to point out that these new laws and provisions have not yet come into force. We would also like to point out that the decision to invoke Section 106 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita will be taken only after consultation with the All India Motor Transport Congress.
Ajay Bhalla, Union Home Secretary, 2 January 2024 (PTI via Onmanorama)

The statement was carried by PTI Onmanorama and by AJOT AJOT.

A Home Ministry statement said that if the truckers had any concerns about Section 106(2), "the Government will consider it with an open heart", and appealed to drivers to return to work Tribune.

The two sides described the result differently. AIMTC core committee chairman Bal Malkit Singh told drivers: "The law has not been put into force yet and I assure you that we will not let this law come into force" The Independent. Claim · AIMTC Madan later said "a consensus was achieved to not enforce the new law" until the next meeting, IndiaSpend via Scroll. The government's own words promised consultation; they did not say the provision was withdrawn.

What happened to Section 106(2) since

In February 2024 the Home Ministry issued notifications bringing the three new laws into force from 1 July 2024. The BNS notification excluded sub-section (2) of section 106, which PTI reported was done "as promised to truckers" PTI via Kashmir Reader LiveLaw.

A year later the provision was still pending. Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur told The Tribune that Section 106(2) was "under review and its implementation is pending", and that police were registering hit-and-run cases under other BNS sections in the meantime Tribune.

On 15 July 2026 a Delhi High Court bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia dismissed a PIL by advocate Ritu Gauba seeking enforcement of Section 106(2). The court held that under Section 1(2) of the BNS it is for the Centre to decide when to notify a provision, and that the court could not order enforcement without a notification LiveLaw ANI via LatestLY.

Outcome

Strike: Called off on the night of 2 January 2024 after two days; scattered protests continued in Maharashtra and Karnataka in January.
Fuel: About 2,000 pumps ran dry, mostly in north and west India.
Arrests: 23 in Surat; three police injured and a police vehicle burnt in Kekri, Rajasthan, per police.
Officials: Shajapur Collector transferred over his remark to a driver.
Law: Section 106(2) excluded from the 1 July 2024 commencement and still unnotified as of October 2026.

What is still pending

No public record of the promised follow-up consultation between the Home Ministry and the AIMTC was found in the reporting reviewed. Section 106(2) remains on the statute book but not in force, so the Centre can still notify it at any time. No policy change on the drivers' complaints about mob attacks and police harassment was found in the reporting reviewed.

Questions people ask

What is the hit-and-run law that truckers protested in 2024?

It is Section 106(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. It sets up to 10 years in jail and a fine for a driver who causes a death by rash or negligent driving and escapes without reporting it to the police or a magistrate.

Is the fine for hit-and-run Rs 7 lakh?

No amount is written in Section 106(2). It says only that the offender "shall also be liable to fine". The Rs 7 lakh figure was widely reported but does not appear in the text.

Is Section 106(2) BNS in force now?

No. When the BNS came into force on 1 July 2024, the Centre excluded Section 106(2). It was still unnotified when the Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL on it in July 2026.

The truckers' strike of January 2024 against the hit-and-run law