Soldier assaulted at U.P. toll plaza, Army condemns; six held, NHAI slaps 20 lakh positive on operator

An Army jawan returning to responsibility after depart was allegedly assaulted by toll plaza workers in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district, prompting the arrest of six individuals, a hefty penalty and blacklisting proceedings towards the toll operator by NHAI and a robust condemnation from the Indian Army.

The incident, which additionally sparked protests by Meerut locals and outrage on social media after its video surfaced, occurred on Sunday (August 17, 2025) night on the Bhuni toll plaza in Sarurpur space, when Kapil, a soldier from Gotka village posted in Srinagar, was headed to the Delhi airport.

His automotive was caught in an extended queue, and when he requested the toll workers to clear the way in which sooner, an altercation broke out. The argument escalated, and Mr. Kapil was overwhelmed up by toll plaza workers, officers stated.

On the idea of CCTV footage and a grievance filed by the soldier’s household, police registered a case and arrested six workers.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rakesh Kumar Mishra stated that the toll workers and a few native youths allegedly tied Mr. Kapil and his companions to a pole and assaulted them. He stated efforts are on to establish and nab others concerned.

Taking cognisance of the incident, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday (August 18, 2025) imposed a penalty of ₹20 lakh on the toll assortment company, M/s Dharam Singh, for what it termed a “grave breach of contract”.

The authority additionally initiated proceedings to terminate the company’s contract and debar it from future bids.

“NHAI strongly condemns such behaviour by toll plaza staff and is committed to ensuring safe and seamless travel on national highways,” it stated in a press release.

The Indian Army’s Central Command additionally weighed in with a pointy response.

In a submit on X, it stated: “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 underneath try and homicide, illegal meeting and theft provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and that the Army had additionally lodged a protest with NHAI.

“The Indian Army remains committed to ensure justice and will pursue the case to its logical conclusion,” the Central Command stated.

Besides the backlash on social media, the incident additionally triggered public protests on Monday, with indignant villagers gathering on the toll plaza, elevating slogans and permitting autos to move with out toll cost.

The protestors demanded that the licence of the toll assortment firm be cancelled.

BJP chief and former Sardhana MLA Thakur Sangeet Som additionally reached the location and joined the villagers in a sit-in protest.

SP (Rural) Mr. Mishra stated that further police pressure from a number of stations was rushed to the spot to manage the scenario and pacify the group.

Based on CCTV footage and the written grievance, six accused— recognized as Sachin, Vijay, Anuj, Ankit, Suresh Rana and Ankit Sharma— have been arrested for assaulting the soldier and might be produced earlier than the courtroom, Mishra stated.