An early morning altercation at the Chowkiman Toll Plaza on Ferozepur Road in Ludhiana turned violent on Friday when a group of unidentified car-borne youths allegedly assaulted a toll worker. The incident occurred around 4 am and was captured on CCTV.
Victim identified as Harjeet Singh
The injured worker has been identified as Harjeet Singh, a resident of Talwandi Kalan. He was on duty from midnight to 8 am at the toll plaza. According to Harjeet, the youths arrived in a car and attempted to use the toll-free lane without paying the fee.
“When I asked for their local identification card, they identified themselves as residents of Mullanpur Dakha. They also stated that they had previously crossed the plaza without paying fee and would do so this time as well. When I asked them to show their Aadhaar cards and tried to take a photo of the car’s registration plate, they started beating me,” Harjeet alleged.
Argument escalated into physical assault
The youths insisted on free passage, which the toll worker opposed. As the argument escalated, the youths got out of the car and began beating Harjeet on the road. The entire incident was recorded by the toll plaza's CCTV cameras.
After the assault, Harjeet immediately informed the toll plaza management. He stated that he would file a police complaint against the accused. The police have not yet made any arrests, and investigations are ongoing.
Previous incidents of toll evasion reported
The victim claimed that the youths admitted to having crossed the plaza without paying in the past. This suggests a pattern of toll evasion by some locals. The toll plaza management is expected to cooperate with the police in identifying the assailants from the CCTV footage.
