Assam: Brazen 'goonda' tax collection on Silchar-Aizawl national highway

Shocking scenes of organized tax collection, reminiscent of highway robbery, are unfolding on the Silchar-Aizawl National Highway near Lailapur in Cachar. 

Members of the "Silchar Truck Drivers Association" have been openly demanding "goonda tax" from every goods-laden truck that traverses this national route. Startlingly, this illicit operation takes place in broad daylight, just meters away from the Lailapur police station, without any intervention from the authorities.

Truck drivers passing through Lailapur on their way to Mizoram are routinely accosted by these individuals. They have set up a makeshift office along the highway, where they forcibly collect sums ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 500 from each truck. The blatant nature of this extortion was captured on camera by a journalist.

Despite the presence of police just steps away, the organized tax collection continues unabated, raising questions about the role and efficacy of the Lailapur police station.

The "Silchar Truck Drivers Association" stands accused of operating an illegal and extortionate racket.