Tensions continued to rise at Golia tollgate near Bhawanipur in Bajali on Tuesday after allegations of thugs from outer states bullying locals surfaced.
Locals alleged that since the construction of the tollgate, they have faced harassment there. They said that people who passed the toll were harassed by the employees there.
Moreover, adding fuel to the fire, Bhawanipur Police released the manager of the tollgate, Humayun after just 24 hours.
According to reports, the tollgate is being run by a company named Topline Infra Projects Pvt Ltd, which is not from Assam.
It may be noted that the manager, Humayun, had been arrested on Sunday following protests from members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) against the tollgate authorities. The personnel at the tollgate reportedly attacked protesters after which Police had to resort to lathi-charge and arrest the protesting members.
AAP leader Kamal Kumar Medhi, who led the protests said that the Golia tollgate was illegal and should be brought down. He also said that their protests were peaceful and they had permissions from the District Commissioner to organize the protest.
Piling on the allegations, Medhi further said that the district superintendent of police Dharmendra Das was also in collusion with the tollgate thugs. He said, “We will not allow police administration to mix up with the toll plaza.”
The protesters there mentioned that the Dhalapara tollgate and Golia tollgate are just 47.3 kilometers apart and it was against highway rules which clearly state that the minimum distance between two tollgates should be at least 60 kilometers.
They further claimed that the tollgate lacked basic amenities like facility for first aid in case of emergency and drinking water for travelers.
