Guwahati: Tensions at the Golia tollgate near Bhawanipur in Bajali grew worse on Tuesday after claims of outside state thugs intimidating residents surfaced.
The locals claimed that since the tollgate was built, they had been harassed there. They claimed that the workers there harassed people who avoided the toll.
Moreover, adding fuel to the fire, Bhawanipur Police released the manager of the tollgate, Humayun after just 24 hours.
A business called Topline Infra Projects Pvt Ltd, which is not from Assam, is reportedly operating the tollgate.
It should be mentioned that the manager, Humayun, had been arrested on Sunday as a result of AAP protests against the tollgate authorities.
According to reports, tollgate employees fought demonstrators, forcing police to use a lathi to subdue them and take them into custody.
The protests were headed by AAP politician Kamal Kumar Medhi, who argued that the Golia tollgate should be demolished because it was unconstitutional. He added that the protests were lawful and that the District Commissioner had given them permission to plan them.
To buttress the accusations, Medhi claimed that Dharmendra Das, the district superintendent of police, had also collaborated with the tollgate goons. He said, “We will not allow police administration to mix up with the toll plaza.”
The Dhalapara tollgate and Golia tollgate are just 47.3 kilometres apart, according to the protesters, which is against the highway regulations, which explicitly say that there should be at least 60 kilometres between two tollgates.
They also complained that the tollgate lacked necessities like a place to get emergency first aid and water for passing motorists.