A group of former drivers of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) – a state-run transport company – have launched a demonstration in front of the NBSTC headquarters on Monday, alleging that Parthapratim Roy, the chairman of NBSTC, took money from them while promising them permanent jobs.

Roy, a former Trinamool Congress MP, denied the charges.

On Monday morning, around 25 former drivers, engaged on contract in 2021, assembled here with placards and banners carrying messages against Roy. Some placards read: “We want our money back from Parthapratim Roy.” Some read: “Parthapratim Roy has resorted to nepotism and should reply.”

“In 2021, the NBSTC had engaged 350 drivers like us on a contractual basis on a monthly salary of ₹11,000. We worked for 120 days but the contracts were not renewed. Later, Roy assured us that we would be provided with jobs and took money from us,” said Baban Sarkar, one of the former drivers who joined the sit-in demonstration today.

“He (Roy) took ₹1 lakh or ₹1.5 lakh or more from most of us while assuring us jobs. Later, he engaged only nine among us who were close to him. We want him to return our money or provide with us jobs,” Sarkar added.

In the course of the demonstration, the former drivers also demanded that the state government should initiate a probe in this regard or their demonstrations would continue and assume a bigger form.

The drivers’ demonstration was on when the report was filed on Monday evening.

Roy brushed aside the allegations.

“When they (the contractual drivers) were recruited, I was not even sitting on the chairman’s post. I was nominated by the state government later. The allegations that these people have raised against me are baseless. I suspect that some people are conspiring against me,” Roy, who is also the Trinamool district spokesperson in Cooch Behar, said.