The attendants had demanded 'illegal toll fee', claimed BJP MLA Rustam Singh
A BJP lawmaker in Madhya Pradesh allegedly slapped a toll booth attendant on Wednesday night, and then filed a police complaint accusing him of overcharging.
Rustam Singh, a policeman-turned-politician, may have missed the fact that his act was caught on CCTV.
The footage, which is now with the police, shows the MLA and his son Rakesh Singh trying to snatch a security guard's gun at the toll plaza near Morena, on the national highway between Agra and Gwalior.
Mr Singh is seen slapping an attendant, apparently without provocation.
The MLA, his son and a few others were travelling in an SUV that pulled into the toll plaza at around 9 pm and allegedly brushed past one of the attendants. The footage shows the car stopping and Rakesh stepping out. When he tried to snatch a guard's rifle, his associates joined in but the toll attendants did not react, the footage shows.
The day after the incident, one of Mr Singh's associates, Ram Khiladi Singh, filed a complaint against the toll plaza manager and five others, accusing them of collecting more than the toll amount.
When two toll attendants were held, their colleagues finally complained to the police and submitted CCTV footage as proof.
One of the toll attendants, Kishan Singh, alleges that the MLA's attack could be linked to his wife's visit to the toll plaza a week ago. She had reportedly lost her temper when she was asked to pay toll.
The police say they are investigating both versions. "We have received a complaint from toll workers," police officer Amit Singh Bhadoria said.
Politicians have often been caught on camera manhandling toll booth workers for charging them.
In 2012, Gujarat parliamentarian Vitthal Radadiya was seen waving a gun at a toll booth. A Congress MP at the time, Mr Radadiya joined the ruling BJP last year.
Several Maharashtra leaders have also been seen attacking toll booth workers.