Gangtok / Bagdogra – In a chilling incident that highlights growing safety concerns for cross-border transporters, a taxi driver from Bagdogra was allegedly robbed and brutally assaulted by a gang of four in the heart of Gangtok. Adding insult to injury, the victim, Sujan Tirkey, has accused the Sikkim Police of gross apathy, claiming they refused to register his complaint because he had no “broken bones.”
The incident occurred on the night of Tuesday, January 6, 2026, around 9:30 PM near the Paljor Stadium area, a prominent landmark in the capital city.
According to Tirkey, the ordeal began when four unidentified men, who appeared heavily intoxicated, intercepted him and a friend. The group initially demanded “Ganja” (cannabis). When Tirkey replied that he did not consume drugs, the men shifted their demand to cigarettes.
“I told them I didn’t have any, but my friend might. They immediately began aggressively searching his pockets,” Tirkey told local media after returning to Bagdogra. “When I protested and asked why they were forcefully checking him after we already gave them an answer, they turned on me.”
The confrontation escalated rapidly. The suspects allegedly robbed Tirkey’s friend of his cash. When Tirkey attempted to intervene, one individual punched him squarely in the face, triggering a collective assault by all four men.
Local residents eventually rushed to Tirkey’s aid, chasing off the attackers and escorting him to the Sadar Police Station. What followed, however, was a second ordeal at the hands of the law.
Tirkey alleges that the police initially refused to hear him, directing him to undergo a medical examination first. After completing the medical check-up and returning to the station with a blood-stained face and significant swelling, the officers reportedly dismissed his plea for an FIR.
“My face was covered in blood and I was in immense pain. When I asked them to file an ‘attempt to murder’ case, the police told me: ‘Tumhara hath pair nahi tuta hai’ (Your hands and legs are not broken). They asked me what they were supposed to write in a complaint if there were no fractures,” Tirkey stated.
Unable to find justice in Sikkim, Tirkey returned to West Bengal and officially registered his grievance at the Bagdogra Airport Police Outpost.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the Bagdogra Airport Taxi Owners’ Association. Union members have expressed outrage, noting that while Sikkim-registered vehicles operate freely in Bengal, drivers from the plains are increasingly facing hostility and a lack of legal protection within Sikkim.
“If a driver with visible injuries is turned away from a police station because his bones aren’t broken, it sends a dangerous message of lawlessness,” said a spokesperson for the local taxi union.
The Bagdogra police have initiated a preliminary inquiry and are expected to coordinate with Sikkim authorities to identify the attackers via CCTV footage from the Paljor Stadium area. As of Thursday morning, the Sikkim Police have not issued an official statement regarding the allegations of refusing to lodge the FIR.
