FIR registered after NHAI team attacked during attempt to close illegal highway cut in Kaushambi

According to officials, several dhaba owners had allegedly created unauthorised cuts along the highway to attract customers, posing a serious threat to road safety and increasing the risk of accidents. During an inspection, circle officer (traffic) Santosh Singh spotted one such illegal cut near Jaiswal Dhaba, located close to Kokhraj police station, and informed NHAI incident manager Pradeep Kumar. He directed the NHAI team to seal the opening in view of the potential danger to commuters.

Police on Friday registered an FIR after a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) team was allegedly attacked in Kaushambi district’s Kokhraj area while attempting to close an illegal highway cut reportedly created in front of a roadside dhaba on May 6.

The case was registered against a dhaba owner and around 50 unidentified accused. (For representation)

According to officials, several dhaba owners had allegedly created unauthorised cuts along the highway to attract customers, posing a serious threat to road safety and increasing the risk of accidents. During an inspection, circle officer (traffic) Santosh Singh spotted one such illegal cut near Jaiswal Dhaba, located close to Kokhraj police station, and informed NHAI incident manager Pradeep Kumar. He directed the NHAI team to seal the opening in view of the potential danger to commuters.

Acting on the instructions, Kumar, along with an NHAI team, reached the site on May 6 to close the illegal cut. However, during the operation, the owner of a dhaba allegedly arrived at the spot with nearly 50 unidentified persons. The group allegedly abused and assaulted NHAI team and forced them to halt the work.

“An investigation is underway and action will be taken against those found involved based on the findings,” Kokhraj SHO Chandrabhushan Maurya said.