At Kappalur toll plaza, rude staff even beat up motorists
TNN | Jan 12, 2020, 04.33 AM IST
Madurai: The Kappalur toll plaza has become notorious for the hostile behaviour of its employees who frequently pick up quarrels with users and even beat them up occasionally. With the plaza witnessing law and order issues, local people have demanded that the district police verify the background of workers employed there and ensure that they wear identity cards.
At least three Ayyappa devotees from Chennai who were travelling on a van suffered injuries on Thursday when a group of toll plaza employees attacked them. Sakthi Sai, Kumaraguru and Madhesh suffered injuries and were treated in a hospital. Based on a complaint from S Baskar, 40, from Broadway in Chennai, a case was registered with the Thirumangalam Town police station.
Four people identified as N Pankaj, 20, from Bihar, S Tejbir Singh, 20, and K Rohit, 22, from Uttar Pradesh and V Vignesh, 26, from Maninagaram in Madurai city were arrested. Police sources said that the accused attacked them using a flag pole and helmet. According to the police, the van carrying 20 devotees wrongly entered FASTag lane. After being told by the toll gate employees that they would be charged twice, the van driver reversed the vehicle. An altercation ensued when the employees gently knocked on the vehicles asking them to make it fast. A quarrel erupted when the occupants of the van questioned it and in no time the employees gathered and started assaulting the devotees.
However, Shankar Raj, toll officer at the toll gate, said they acted only in self-defence as the Ayyappa devotees provoked them by attacking one of the employees. The devotees suffered injuries when they fell down accidentally during the altercation, he said. P K Vembuvendan, coordinator of the committee against Kappalur toll plaza, said that motorists being abused by the toll plaza staff is a regular affair irrespective of whether they are locals or outsiders. This is evident from the peace committee meetings periodically conducted by revenue officials to ensure law and order.
The plaza has been set up at Kappalur, which is within a 5km radius of Thirumangalam municipality, in violation of rules. “People from other states are being employed to threaten users. Police should intervene by checking the criminal antecedents of workers and ensure they wear ID cards. They go into hiding after every assault and the administration washes its hands off saying they were not employees,” Vembuvendan said.
NHAI project director, Madurai, V Saravanan said the issue was the result of the user entering FASTag despite being stopped by employees. A counter-complaint against the occupants of the van has been lodged with the police. “Users always have the mindset that they are being cheated. Things go out of control when the employees are being attacked. They had to retaliate in self-defence,” he told TOI.
TNN | Jan 12, 2020, 04.33 AM IST
Madurai: The Kappalur toll plaza has become notorious for the hostile behaviour of its employees who frequently pick up quarrels with users and even beat them up occasionally. With the plaza witnessing law and order issues, local people have demanded that the district police verify the background of workers employed there and ensure that they wear identity cards.
At least three Ayyappa devotees from Chennai who were travelling on a van suffered injuries on Thursday when a group of toll plaza employees attacked them. Sakthi Sai, Kumaraguru and Madhesh suffered injuries and were treated in a hospital. Based on a complaint from S Baskar, 40, from Broadway in Chennai, a case was registered with the Thirumangalam Town police station.
Four people identified as N Pankaj, 20, from Bihar, S Tejbir Singh, 20, and K Rohit, 22, from Uttar Pradesh and V Vignesh, 26, from Maninagaram in Madurai city were arrested. Police sources said that the accused attacked them using a flag pole and helmet. According to the police, the van carrying 20 devotees wrongly entered FASTag lane. After being told by the toll gate employees that they would be charged twice, the van driver reversed the vehicle. An altercation ensued when the employees gently knocked on the vehicles asking them to make it fast. A quarrel erupted when the occupants of the van questioned it and in no time the employees gathered and started assaulting the devotees.
However, Shankar Raj, toll officer at the toll gate, said they acted only in self-defence as the Ayyappa devotees provoked them by attacking one of the employees. The devotees suffered injuries when they fell down accidentally during the altercation, he said. P K Vembuvendan, coordinator of the committee against Kappalur toll plaza, said that motorists being abused by the toll plaza staff is a regular affair irrespective of whether they are locals or outsiders. This is evident from the peace committee meetings periodically conducted by revenue officials to ensure law and order.
The plaza has been set up at Kappalur, which is within a 5km radius of Thirumangalam municipality, in violation of rules. “People from other states are being employed to threaten users. Police should intervene by checking the criminal antecedents of workers and ensure they wear ID cards. They go into hiding after every assault and the administration washes its hands off saying they were not employees,” Vembuvendan said.
NHAI project director, Madurai, V Saravanan said the issue was the result of the user entering FASTag despite being stopped by employees. A counter-complaint against the occupants of the van has been lodged with the police. “Users always have the mindset that they are being cheated. Things go out of control when the employees are being attacked. They had to retaliate in self-defence,” he told TOI.
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