A former Special Forces commando, Shyamraj EV, who uses a wheelchair, says staff at the Sastan Toll Booth near Udupi, Karnataka, stopped and harassed him on the night before Republic Day.
Shyamraj, a veteran of the elite 21 Special Forces and a war casualty from Operation Parakram, recorded a video describing what happened and called out Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for answers.
So, what went down? Late on January 25, Shyamraj was travelling with his family for his wife’s job posting. He kept it simple in his video. He held up his official documents, an exemption letter from Army Headquarters and his Battle Casualty Certificate.
These papers clearly show that he doesn’t have to pay tolls under the Indian Tolls Act.
“I’ve crossed every toll without a problem,” he says in the video. “But here, Mr. Suresh and Mr. Shivanath are refusing to let me pass unless I pay.”
You can feel his frustration, especially since this all happened just before Republic Day, a day meant to honour people like him. Pointing at his wheelchair, he asks, “Why am I sitting in this wheelchair? You tell me.”
He didn’t just vent, he demanded action. Shyamraj directly asked Minister Gadkari to intervene. “Does it mean anything that I’m in this wheelchair if a war casualty is treated like this?” he said.
He is from Special Forces of Indian Army @adgpi …
Pride in his eyes for the Nation is unmissable but the helplessness in his tone tells a different story
Jai Hind 🇮🇳@NHAI_Official @nitin_gadkari please look into this pic.twitter.com/3VirALhITn
— KJS DHILLON🇮🇳 (@TinyDhillon) January 26, 2026
After the video spread online, the toll staff apologised. According to SP Hariram Shankar, Shyamraj didn’t file a complaint. In another video, the SP explained that all the staff involved were called in and told how to properly treat ex-servicemen and armed forces members.
The toll staff admitted the whole scene happened around 9 pm. “He gave us his ex-serviceman ID. We told him there’s no exemption.
Then he showed his disability ID. We checked with our seniors, but the answer took time. Eventually, we let him through and apologized. We’re sorry for hurting the officer,” they told reporters.
