Case filed against 180 unidentified people for 'vandalism' at Bhuni toll plaza in UP's Meerut

Meerut (UP), Sep 2 (PTI) A case has been registered against 150 to 180 unidentified people for allegedly vandalising the Bhuni toll plaza on the Meerut-Karnal highway, following an assault on an Army jawan, police in Uttar Pradesh said on Tuesday.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rakesh Kumar Mishra said an FIR has been lodged at the Sarurpur police station on a complaint from Amit Kumar, the IT head of the toll operator firm, Dharam Singh Company.

According to the complaint, a mob damaged barrier booms, cameras, computer systems, LCD displays, reading sensors and toll booths on August 18.

It also stormed into the control room, breaking cameras, air-conditioners and furniture, and forcibly stopped toll collection.

The mob occupied the plaza for nearly six hours, disrupting toll operations for days and causing heavy revenue loss to the company, the complaint said.

Police said the entire incident was recorded on the CCTV cameras installed at the toll plaza.

"We are identifying the culprits from the footage, and once identified, they will be named in the case," Mishra said.

The vandalism was triggered by an incident on August 17, when Army jawan Kapil, a resident of Gotka village in Sarurpur, was allegedly assaulted at the toll plaza. In protest, villagers gathered at the site the next day and allegedly caused large-scale damage to equipment and infrastructure.

Taking cognisance of the incident, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had imposed a penalty of Rs 20 lakh on the toll-collection agency for what it termed a "grave breach of contract".

It also initiated proceedings to terminate the agency's contract and debar it from future bids.

The Indian Army's Central Command had also weighed in with a sharp reaction.

In a post on X, it had said: "The Army strongly condemns such incident against a serving soldier. Highest authorities of Uttar Pradesh Police have been approached to bring the guilty to book." Based on the CCTV footage and the written complaint, six accused -- Sachin, Vijay, Anuj, Ankit, Suresh Rana and Ankit Sharma -- were arrested for allegedly assaulting the soldier. PTI COR ABN RC