Mangaluru: Manjeshwar MLA A K M Ashraf was detained along with more than 15 others on Thursday after a protest was stage against toll collection at the Kumble Arikkady toll plaza on National Highway 66, located near the Karnataka border in neighbouring Kerala.
The Kumble Arikkady toll plaza, situated in Kerala’s Kasaragod district, has remained a point of local controversy as it is located barely 22 kilometres from the Thalapady toll plaza in Karnataka. Protesters allege that the toll plaza violates National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) guidelines, which mandate a minimum distance of 60 kilometres between two toll plazas on the same highway stretch.
According to police, the detentions were carried out by Kumble police after protesters attempted to continue an indefinite agitation near the toll gate. Police also removed a temporary tarpaulin shelter erected by the protesters at the site.
The police action followed an incident late on Wednesday night in which protesters allegedly vandalised the toll plaza. Police said CCTV cameras, barricades and glass panels at the toll gate were damaged during the protest. An FIR has been registered against more than 500 people in connection with the incident.
Reports said that on Wednesday, protesters took out a procession from Kumble town to the toll plaza, demanding the immediate suspension of toll collection. The protest continued into Thursday morning.
According to media reports, the Kasaragod Superintendent of Police had earlier appealed to MLA Ashraf to withdraw the indefinite protest, citing concerns over law and order. However, after the MLA refused, a police team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar moved in and detained him along with other protesters.
Those detained include CPM Kumble zonal secretary C A Zubair, Kumble Gram Panchayat president V P Abdul Khader Haji, Block Panchayat Standing Committee president Ashraf Karle, A K Arif, and Congress leader Lakshman Prabhu.
(With inputs from Vartha Bharathi)