Bagepalli (Chikkaballapur dist): About 30 supporters of Ambareesh, son of Kristappa Nimmala, the Telugu Desam party MP from Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh, assaulted the personnel at the toll plaza on National Highway-7 here and vandalised it, when their vehicle was made to stop at the toll plaza on Monday.

Ambareesh was on his way to the Kempegowda International Airport at Devanahalli in Bengaluru, to receive his father. He told the staff there that his father’s vehicles were exempted from toll. Soon, the vehicle brushed against a barricade, leading to a war of words.

The TDP Lok Sabha member’s son told DH?his supporters created the ruckus when he reached the Bagepalli police station to file a complaint and that he was not at the spot when the incident occurred.

Staff at the toll plaza said the vandals barged inside and damaged the furniture and two computers. Nataraj, one of the staffers told DH that the miscreants tried to hit him on the legs with rods. He suffered injuries on his hands when he tried to protect himself.

Udaykumar Singh, director of the toll plaza, said the MP spoke to him on the phone, yet he did not budge from the decision to file a complaint. He expressed disappointment with the fact that Ambareesh had been let off on station bail.

The supporters of the MP’s son have filed a counter complaint against the staff of the toll plaza. The Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh police visited the spot. Security has been heightened at the toll plaza.