LUCKNOW: A mob of over 500 people, including former BJP MLA Sangeet Som, thronged Bhuni toll plaza under Sarurpur police station area in western UP district of Meerut on Monday putting up a massive protests and sit-in following a video of an assault on a Jawan at the toll plaza went viral.
The video footage showed the toll staff pinning the soldier to a lamp post and beating him with sticks, and at one point, even attacking him with a brick.
The incident took place on Sunday late night when the jawan of Rajput Regiment, was on his way to Delhi to catch an early morning flight to Srinagar where he is currently posted.
Police registered a case at the Sarurpur police station following a complaint by Jawan’s family.
Based on the CCTV footage, authorities arrested six main suspects. The police are trying to identify others involved in the video.
As per the sources, Kapil Singh, 26, a soldier posted in Jammu and Kashmir, was returning to duty from his village with one of his cousins. As they approached the toll plaza on the Karnal Highway, a dispute over the traffic jam and toll fee reportedly escalated into a physical assault.
"The Jawan, who had come on leave to take part in Kanwar Yatra, is a resident of Gotka village under Sarurpur police station," a senior police officer adding that the dispute led to the assault with intent to cause harm to the soldier.
The sources claimed that Kapil Singh got into an argument with Toll Plaza employees when he requested them to allow him to pass quickly as he had to catch a 5 am flight from Delhi to Srinagar on Monday. He said he also showed them his ID.
Bittu, the toll plaza’s security in charge, allegedly started manhandling Singh, who suffered injuries to his nose. When Singh stepped out of his car, toll workers tied him to a pole and beat him. His brother, Devendra, who tried to save him, was also assaulted.
The incident sparked a major uproar, as people from Kapil’s side arrived at the scene, while additional police teams were deployed to make further arrests based on video evidence.
“Two police teams have been formed, and efforts are on to nab the remaining accused,” said SP Rakesh Kumar Mishra.
However, the mob, on reaching the Bhuni toll plaza, vandalized the offices and resorted to stone pelting on the toll plaza employees. They destroyed the computers, ACs, and furniture of the office. The mob angry over the assault of an army jawan damaged the barricades, windows and all the six lanes through which the vehicles pass. After the ruckus, the angry mob staged a massive protest by sitting at the toll plaza following which senor police including SP Meerut Dehat, ADM and SDM along with a huge contingent of police called in from eight police stations.
In the meantime, Sangeet Som, the former BJP MLA from Sardhana and Jitendra Satwai also reached the toll plaza in support of the victim. Later, a panchayat of Sarva samaj was organised on the toll plaza and the protestors reached an agreement of four conditions following which they ended the protest.
The four conditions included the removal of toll staff, addition of three more names in the FIR, the area till 10 km from the toll plaza would remain toll free and the list of the villages coming under the periphery of toll free area would be put up on the toll plaza.