Taxi driver claims he was assaulted by a student
Mr Narayan has pleaded with Police and relevant operators to beef up operations at the Suva bus stand, especially during peak hours when students finish off from School
We are concerned and very fearful at how we do our business here, especially when students are outnumbering the authorities who patrol this place in the afternoons. Vijay Narayan Taxi Driver
Business operators within the Suva bus stand vicinity have raised concerns on the rowdy attitude and unacceptable behaviour of school students over the past few months and days. A 60-year-old man told how he fell to have fallen victim to an alleged assault by a student of a prominent high school in Suva. Vijay Narayan, who has been a taxi driver for more than 35 years, said this was the first time such an incident had happened to him at his taxi base at the bus stand.
“It was an afternoon after school and there were quite a number of students hanging around the bus stand and this student was a part of them,” Mr Narayan claimed.
“He was leaning on my taxi so I chased him to go catch the bus and go home.
“He swore at me and while he did I took a picture of him and told him I was going to send it to his principal.”
Mr Narayan claimed that the student came from behind him and hit him on the head, he fell to the ground unconscious. He sustained injuries on his head and the scars are still visible today.
“We are concerned and very fearful at how we do our business here, especially when students are outnumbering the authorities who patrol this place in the afternoons,” Mr Narayan said.
He also claimed that a Police report was lodged on July 7, at the Totogo Police Station. Police are yet to comment on the alleged assault claims.
Mr Narayan has pleaded with Police and relevant operators to beef up operations at the Suva bus stand especially during peak hours when students finish off from school.
Heated exchanges
Kiosk operator at the bus stand, Avinesh Ram, said heated exchanges have been a recent occurrence among schools over the past few days.
“Sometimes Police and city council workers are outnumbered by the number of students who crowd up here,” Mr Ram said. “One student nearly punched a city council officer on one occasion last week, it really is getting out of hand.
“We are not really aware of what the causes of these heated exchanges were between schools, but it has been a concern over the past few days for us.”
He said school heads and teachers should warn their students not to roam in town after school to help authorities control this issue.
Police spokesperson, Ana Naisoro, in a statement issued on Wednesday said they had been meeting with the Suva City Council to put in place measures to assist in the monitoring of students movements after school.
“Police officers have also been visiting school heads and requesting assistance in addressing the issue with students before it gets out of control,” she said.
Police had requested parents, guardians and teachers to talk to students about the consequences of getting involved in fights and brawls.