Clash at Maharashtra petrol pump among hundreds of customers fearing fuel shortage

The violent brawl occurred at an Indian Oil petrol pump located in the Akola area of Washim after hundreds of people gathered with vehicles and fuel cans.

Amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, India once again witnessed panic buying of fuel, with major chaos reported in Maharashtra's Washim on Saturday.

The violent brawl occurred at an Indian Oil petrol pump located in the Akola area of Washim after hundreds of people, reportedly a crowd between 400 and 500 in numbers, gathered with vehicles and fuel cans fearing a shortage.

India Today, quoting Jitendra Chopra, an Indian Oil dealer from the city, described how panic-driven residents turned a usual fuel-buying routine into a tense evening.

Chopra said a tanker carrying 15,000 litres of diesel and 5,000 litres of petrol reached the petrol pump between 2:30 pm and 3 pm, while a long queue of customers and around 100 vehicles stood in line, all set to fill their fuel cans.

Chopra informed that once the diesel was unloaded at its designated point, the crowd stopped the tanker from moving towards the petrol storage area when workers attempted to unload the fuel.

After repeated requests, the tanker was finally allowed to enter the unloading point. Meanwhile, a clash broke out among people waiting for fuel.

Chopra said people struck each other with hands, fuel cans and wooden sticks before police personnel reached the spot and brought the situation under control.

In this case, panic buying has triggered a crisis in fuel supply to customers, as Chopra reportedly warned that dealers may stop selling diesel and petrol until the situation becomes peaceful.

Similar scenarios were also reportedly witnessed at several petrol pumps in Odisha on Sunday, where stations looked dry after recording a fall of 60 per cent or below in sales from average levels, as panic buying subsided following an unprecedented rush in the earlier days fuelled by rumours of a fuel shortage. Social media posts were cited as one of the reasons behind the panic.

Chopra added that petrol pump operators may have to reconsider transporting and selling fuel if such panic situations continue without adequate police protection from the authorities.