Lawyer assaulted by toll plaza staff in UP's Barabanki, 3 detained

Barabanki (UP), Jan 15 (PTI) Three toll plaza employees were detained for allegedly assaulting a lawyer following a minor altercation on the Lucknow-“Sultanpur highway in Barabanki, police said on Thursday.

Police have registered a case based on the lawyer's complaint and taken three toll plaza employees into custody for questioning. A video of the incident has also surfaced on the internet.

According to the police, the incident took place on Wednesday at the Gotona Bara toll plaza, where toll staff allegedly surrounded and chased advocate Ratnesh Shukla before assaulting him.

In the viral video, some toll employees can be seen forcing the lawyer to apologise while continuing to beat him.

Shukla, a resident of Paranpur village in Pratapgarh district, was travelling in his private vehicle to the Lucknow High Court when the altercation broke out over an issue related to toll payment, police said.

Angered by the assault, a large number of lawyers staged a protest at Haidergarh police station, raising slogans against the toll staff. The protest led to traffic congestion on the highway and caused inconvenience to commuters.

The toll plaza manager, however, claimed that the same vehicle had broken through the toll gate without paying the fee on December 30 and that the dispute arose on Wednesday when the vehicle again attempted to pass without paying the toll.

On receiving information, the police reached the spot and shifted the injured lawyer to the Community Health Centre (CHC) for treatment.

Haidergarh Station House Officer Abhimanyu Mall said a case has been registered based on the complaint of the lawyer and three toll plaza employees have been taken into custody for questioning.

Further investigation is underway, he added. PTI COR KIS SHS SHS