BJP legislator slaps toll plaza staff in Mathura

AGRA: Showing sheer high-handedness, BJP MLA from Mathura’s Baldeo constituency, Pooran Prakash, created a ruckus at Mahuan toll plaza on Saturday evening and slapped an attendant after the boom barrier fell in front of his car while he was trying to cross it.
This is the second time that the MLA has been involved in a fracas at this very toll plaza.
Though the entire incident was caught on the CCTV, the MLA alleged that he lost his temper as an ambulance was stuck in a traffic jam on Agra-Delhi National Highway-2 due to closure of three out of four lanes at the toll plaza and the staff was not doing anything about it. However, the toll plaza management denied this and claimed that there was no jam of vehicles.
The CCTV shows MLA Pooran Prakash’s car passing through the toll plaza’s lane 14 when the boom barrier suddenly fell after the vehicle in front crossed it. Though the barrier was lifted within a few seconds, the MLA got angry and got out of his car and scolded the toll plaza staff and slapped one of them.
In the video, Prakash, who was heading to Mathura from Agra, says— “how many times you (toll plaza staff) commit a mistake and apologise for it. You are damaging the government's image by doing such things.” He called up the police and complained against the toll plaza staff on the phone saying — “Wrong message is being circulated… two-three lanes are closed.. they have not completed norms..I will not tolerate, if they try to do such an act in my constituency. If they can do this with me then how would they behave with common people?”
When contacted, Mahuvan toll plaza manager Rajjan Kumar said that the incident took place around 4:30pm. “There was no traffic jam and all the 7 lanes on each side were functional. Boom barrier fell down in front of the MLA’s car only for 3 seconds but he got angry,” said Kumar, adding that following the incident, twenty eight vehicles were allowed to pass in 18 minutes without paying tax, which incurred a loss of Rs 8,500.
This was not the first such incident at the toll plaza. In 2018, supporters of BJP MLA Pooran Prakash had created ruckus and had beaten the toll plaza staff when a boom barrier accidentally fell on MLA’s running vehicle, when he was going to participate in an event.