Following the murder of a toll booth employee of the Bengaluru Mysuru expressway, other employees have claimed that they face abuse and threats, and even sustain injuries during assault by uncouth commuters.
Though there is a provision for the safety of the staff and legal options, and even medical care, none comes handy at the time of an untoward incident, said one of the staff members.
A fortnight ago, Pavan Kumar, 26, in-charge of the Sheshagiri toll plaza, had suffered an injury on his left hand while trying to stop a goods vehicle whose driver tried to evade the fee. Since he was not been able to drive his two-wheeler, he asked his junior colleague Manjunath Krishnappa, a toll operator, to pick up and drop him.
Manjunath had joined work two months ago. He witnessed the attack on Sunday June 4 night. He told police that, after Pavan’s shift, the duo had beer and dinner at a highway dhaba before sitting down for a chat on a tank bund, a few yards away from the toll plaza.
Two men on a scooter confronted them. One of them flashed a light from the mobile phone on Manjunath’s face and asked: “Do you know who I am?”
While Manjunath claimed that he tried to reason with the motorist, the latter alleged that Pavan assaulted him.
The accused allegedly attacked him with a club on his neck. Pavan collapsed. Manjunath managed to save Pavan from another attack, but was kicked in the melee. The motorists then sped away on their scooter.
As Pavan was unconscious, Manjunath informed Ramesh, a toll operator, about the attack and told him to get an ambulance immediately.
Ramesh, along with his colleague Somesh, reached the spot. They put Pavan on their scooter and took him to the highway where they put him in the company’s ambulance, which took him to BGS hospital.
Manjunath followed the ambulance on his bike. Pavan was admitted to the ICU while he was treated for his injuries in the outpatient ward. He later learnt that Pavan succumbed to injuries at 3 a.m. on Monday June 5.
Inquiries with the staff revealed that the accused had come from Mysuru. They were waiting behind an SUV for a few minutes. They got irritated over alleged delay in opening the barrier at the toll plaza. They allegedly verbally abused Manoj, who was the toll operator.
Pavan, who was nearby, along with other toll operators, objected. He is believed to have assaulted one of the occupants of the SUV. The accused allegedly threatened the toll booth staff with dire consequences before leaving the place.
Police have obtained details of the SUV from CCTV cameras, and efforts are on to track down the accused.
