One more person arrested for Army jawan's assault in Meerut

Meerut: One more person has been arrested in the case of alleged assault of an Army jawan by toll plaza employees in Uttar Pradesh, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.

With the arrest of Neeraj Talian alias Bittu on Monday night, the total number of accused arrested in the case has reached seven, he said.

The case pertains to the brutal assault of an Army jawan by employees at Bhuni toll plaza in Sarurpur on Sunday evening. A video of the attack, which surfaced online, had led to protests by locals in Meerut and sparked widespread outrage on social media.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rakesh Kumar Mishra on Tuesday said Kapil, a soldier hailing from Meerut's Gotka village and posted in Srinagar, was on his way to join duty after vacation when the incident happened. Kapil was heading to Delhi airport in a car with his companions when it was caught in a long queue of vehicles at the Bhuni toll plaza.

The soldier asked the toll booth staff to clear the queue faster, leading to an altercation. When it escalated, the toll plaza employees brutally attacked Kapil and his companions sticks and iron rods, the SP said.

Based on a complaint filed by Kapil's father Krishnapal at the Sarurpur station, a case was registered against dozens of accused under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

SP Mishra said the arrested accused -- Sachin, Vijay, Anuj, Ankit, Suresh Rana, Ankit Sharma and Neeraj Talian alias Bittu -- were identified after analysis of CCTV footage and investigation.

All of them will be presented before the court, he said, adding that search for other absconding accused is on.

Taking cognisance of the incident, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday had imposed a penalty of Rs 20 lakh on the toll collection agency, M/s Dharam Singh, for what it termed a "grave breach of contract".

The authority has also initiated proceedings to terminate the agency's contract and debar it from future bids.

"The NHAI strongly condemns such behaviour by toll plaza staff. It is committed to ensuring safe and seamless travel on national highways," the authority had said in a statement.

The Indian Army's Central Command also weighed in with a sharp reaction.

In an X post, it said, "The Army strongly condemns such incident against a serving soldier. Highest authorities of Uttar Pradesh Police have been approached to bring the guilty to book." It added that an FIR has been registered under attempt to murder, unlawful assembly and robbery provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and that the Army has also lodged a protest with NHAI.

"The Indian Army remains committed to ensuring justice and will pursue the case to its logical conclusion," the Central Command said.