Mangaluru: Protest against toll collection at Surathkal gate turns violent, leaders detained

MANGALURU: Thousands of protesters marched towards the toll gate at Surathkal on National Highway 66 in Mangaluru on Tuesday demanding the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to stop the toll collection at the plaza.
Many leaders who were part of the Action Committee Against Surathkal Toll Gate were detained by Mangaluru police.
The police had beefed up security near the Surathkal toll gate as various like-minded organisations and political parties have extended their support to the protest seeking vacation of the toll gate at Surathkal.
Personnel from the City Armed Reserve and KSRP led by officers were deployed near the toll gate from Monday.
Political leaders from the CPI(M), Congress and the AAP were in the forefront of the protest demanding the closure of Surathkal tollgate.
Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari had announced on March 22 that all toll plazas functioning on national highways within 60 kilometres of another fee collecting booth would be closed in three months. However, the toll gate at Surathkal continued despite the Union minister making the statement in the Parliament.
The protesters tried to enter the toll booth, and this led to a heated argument between the activists and the police. In the meantime, it is alleged that a protester was injured during the protest when police tried to prevent the activists.
Police detained action committee convener Muneer Katipalla, leaders including former corporator Prathibha Kulai, former MLC Ivan D’Souza, Congress leaders Mithun Rai, J R Lobo, Vinayakumar Sorake, CPI(M) leaders B K Imthiyaz, Sunil Kumar Bajal, advocates Dinesh Hegde Ulepady, Yashavanth Maroli, R Padmaraj and several others.
While Muneer Katipalla and nearly 50 others were taken to Mangaluru South police station, many were detained at the Bantara Bhavana in Surathkal and other places in the city. Police dispersed the crowd and brought the situation under control. City police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said that around 130 leaders were detained.
Advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady said that a protestor Abdul Khader was injured in the lathi charge and he has been shifted to a private hospital. Advocate R Padmaraj said that the toll gate has been functioning illegally for the past six years. “People’s representatives including Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and MLAs have been asserting that the toll gate at Surathkal is illegal, but only making empty promises of vacating the same,” he said.