Toll manager killed after SUV runs him over during toll dispute in Haryana

HISAR: A dispute over toll charges at Badopatti toll plaza on the Hisar-Sirsa National Highway allegedly led to the death of a toll manager after he was run over by an SUV late on Monday night.The deceased was identified as Sanjay Shukla, 39 , a resident of Dudhara village in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad district, who was working as a toll manager at the plaza.According to police, a case of murder, criminal intimidation and violations under the Arms Act has been registered at Barwala police station against Manoj alias Filmy, a resident of Bahbalpur village of Hisar, and three others based on a complaint filed by toll shift in charge Rupesh Maurya, a resident of Thane district in Maharashtra.Police spokespersons said the body has been taken into custody, though family members were reportedly insisting against a postmortem examination. Efforts are being made to persuade them, officials said.In his complaint, Rupesh Maurya stated that he has been working at Badopatti toll plaza for nearly 15-16 years as a shift in charge. He alleged that around 12.08 am on Monday, a black Scorpio SUV arrived at lane number five of the toll plaza.

When the driver was asked to pay the toll fee, he allegedly claimed that he belonged to Bahbalpur village and therefore was exempt from toll payment. Maurya alleged that the SUV occupants appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and began creating a disturbance at the toll plaza after stepping out of the vehicle.According to the complaint, the group allegedly removed barricades at the toll point, following which toll staff placed barricades in front of the SUV to prevent it from moving ahead.The situation soon escalated into an argument. Maurya alleged that the driver initially reversed the vehicle and then rammed into the barricades, while staff members managed to move away in time.He further alleged that one of the youths arrived carrying a pistol and issued threats before leaving with his companions.According to the complaint, when toll employees followed the vehicle, the accused allegedly assaulted Sanjay Shukla and subsequently ran him over with the SUV. The complaint further alleged that the vehicle was driven over him again before the occupants fled the spot.Police said further investigation into the case is underway and efforts are on to trace the accused.