SP leaders thrash toll plaza employees in Uttar Pradesh

Employees at toll plazas in Uttar Pradesh (UP) have now become the target of Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders for demanding toll charges.

In two separate incidents, SP leaders brutally assaulted toll plaza employees at Faizabad and Auraiya districts on Saturday and at least one of the victims suffered a broken hand.

According to reports, SP leader Pappu Yadav and his goons hit Hakim Sigh, a toll plaza employee, with rifle butts and sticks after he insisted on payment of the charges at a toll in the Raunahin area of Faizabad district.

Singh suffered a fracture on his arm, sources said, adding that a case has been registered and a manhunt was on to nab the offenders.

In a similar incident, another SP leader Rinkesh Yadav and his goons thrashed a toll plaza employee at Auraiya on Saturday when the latter demanded payment of charges to allow his vehicles through. The entire incident was captured on a CCTV camera.

Barely a month ago, an SP legislator and his goons had thrashed the staff at a toll plaza at Allahabad for stopping his cavalcade and asking him to pay the charges. SP legislator Prashant Singh and his goons had brutally assaulted the toll plaza employees with rifle butts and sticks despite pleas from the terrified workers to stop the attack saying that the toll gates had been opened.

An embarrassed SP leadership said that stern action would be taken against the offenders. “There is no place for hooligans in the SP. We will ensure that they are booked,” said PWD Minister and SP general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav. BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak condemned the incidents and said that they had proved that “goonda raj” was thriving under the SP rule in UP. “The SP workers have become lawless and are breaking the law with impunity,” Pathak said.

SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav had recently warned party leaders and workers against breaking the law and said that such leaders would be shown the door.