An Indian Army jawan was brutally assaulted at a toll plaza in Uttar pradesh's Meerut, following which four persons have been arrested. The video of the assault was captured on camera and has now gone viral on social media.
The soldier, Kapil Kavad, serves with the Rajput Regiment. He was home on leave and was on his way to the Delhi airport to report back to duty in Srinagar. While returning, Kapil and his cousin found themselves stuck in traffic at the heavily congested Bhuni toll booth.
With time running short, Kavad became anxious about missing his flight, and stepped out of his vehicle to speak with toll booth staff, hoping to resolve the delay. Instead, a dispute began over traffic jam and toll fee, which quickly escalated into a physical assault.
At least five staff toll staff members turned aggressive, launching a physical attack on the Army personnel and his cousin.
Visuals from the scene showed the workers hitting Kapil with sticks, kicking, and punching him. They then pinned him to a pole, and forcibly twisted his arms behind his back. The toll staff can also be heard hurling verbal abuse before continuing the assault. At one point, one of the men can even be seen lifting a brick to hit Kavad.
Police responded swiftly and arrested four toll booth employees involved in the attack. A case has also been registered at the Sarurpur police station following a complaint by the Armyman's family.
"Kapil is in the Indian Army. He was returning to his post. There was a long queue at the Bhuni toll booth. He was in a hurry and he spoke to the toll booth staff. An argument began and the toll booth staff assaulted him. Following a complaint from his family, a case was registered at Sarurpur police station," Rakesh Kumar Mishra, Superintendent of Police (Rural) said.
"Four accused have been arrested after scanning CCTV footage and videos. Two more teams are working to arrest the other accused," the senior officer added.
According to a report by NDTV, the altercation began when Kavad told the toll booth staff that he does not have to pay toll charges since his village is in the area which is exempted from it. This is belived to have led to an argument that snowballed into the soldier's brutal assault.