Sena leader stopped for toll, his men take it out on staff

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Rakhra (Patiala), May 22

On their way to the residence of Punjab Cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, Shiv Sena activists vandalised a toll plaza and attacked the staff there after the car occupied by their Punjab vice-president was stopped at Kalyan village toll plaza and was allegedly asked to pay the tax.

Though the police have registered a case against the Shiv Sena leaders, it was the commuters who had to bear the brunt as the attack on the toll staff led to a traffic jam.

Despite registering a case against the leader and his dozen unidentified men, the police failed to arrest the leader and the other accused who were allegedly responsible for blocking traffic on the busy Patiala-Nabha Road and ransacking the toll plaza.

According to reports, Shiv Sena vice-president, Punjab, Harish Singla was going to Punjab Cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra’s house to thank him for bestowing chairmanship of the Tourism Development Corporation on Surjit Singh Abhlowal, a confidant of the Cabinet minister.

While many vehicles passed the plaza without paying toll as they told the staff that they were going to the minister’s house for a ceremony, the cars occupied by the Shiv Sena activists were stopped and allegedly asked to pay toll. This triggered the violence.

“When asked to pay toll, nobody tried talking to our staff. Suddenly, men armed with hockey sticks, stones and chairs picked from our toll plaza, attacked our staff,” said toll supervisor Pankaj Sharma.

“Many of the accused barged into the toll collection room and even tried to loot our collections. In the melee, two of our employees were injured badly and one of them has been admitted to a hospital,” he said.

Denying the accusations, Harish Singla told The Tribune that he never asked for a free pass for his own vehicle as he was travelling in someone else’s car. He said that the toll plaza staff misbehaved with him when he asked them to talk politely.

“When they started shouting, my activists taught them a lesson. I think this is the only language they understand as they misbehave with the common public while VIPs are spared from paying toll,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sukhwinder Singh, a toll plaza employee on whose complaint the FIR was lodged, alleged that Harish Singla and his men attacked them with rods, hockey sticks and even pelted stones on the plaza booths. They broke window panes and threatened everyone who tried to pacify them.

“I am lucky I survived as they tossed my fellow staffer Kamaljit Singh’s turban and punched me and him many times,” he alleged.

DSP, Samana, Sukhdev Singh Virk said that the police have registered an FIR against Harish Singla, Shankar and 12 other unidentified persons. He said the accused would be arrested soon.

A case under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs 50) of the IPC has been registered.